University of Nevada Las Vegas
San Diego State*
4/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 26, 2003
LAS VEGAS - Jacqueline Kerrigan threw a three-hit shutout to lead the UNLV softball team to a 3-0 victory over San Diego State on Saturday and end the Aztecs' 13-game winning streak.
The Aztecs (34-15, 10-1 MWC) bounced back from the loss to take a 5-0 decision in the nightcap behind a one-hitter form pitcher Celena Velasquez and force a split for the doubleheader.
In the opener, Kerrigan started her first game since suffering a broken nose in San Diego two weeks ago. She went the distance, completing her eighth shutout of the year despite striking out none.
The Rebels (20-33, 4-10 MWC) gave Kerrigan an early lead to work with. Bridget Byrne led the game off with a single to center and motored around the bases on a Joanna Jackson sac bunt and a groundout by Morgan Bostwick. Lisa Moses then popped up to center in what looked like an inning-ending fly out, but the ball skipped out of the glove of Erin Mahoney, and Byrne came into score.
UNLV increased its lead in the fourth when Kacey Ellis delivered a clutch double to score Kira Enlow from second and again in the fifth when a Bostwick single pushed an unearned run across.
The Rebs' victory avenged a pair of extra-inning losses in San Diego two weeks ago and dealt the Aztecs their first conference loss of the year.
In the nightcap, it was SDSU who went to work early, scoring single runs in the first, second and third innings to build a lead it would never surrender. A shaky Rebel defense yielded two unearned runs, helping the Aztecs to capitalize on four Rebel errors in the game.
In the bottom of the first, Bostwick drove a one-out single to left field. But she was left stranded at first after Velasquez got two straight pop ups to end the inning.
The Rebels would not get another hit in the game. Their only other base runner came after Velasquez walked Pauline Glenn in the third. Aside from those two blemishes, Velasquez was perfect, retiring 21 of the 23 batters she faced.
The game also marked the end of the home season for the Rebels. UNLV will conclude its regular season with a pair of road doubleheaders next week, at New Mexico and Colorado State respectively.
