Feb. 7, 2004
Box Score
TUCSON, Ariz. - The UNLV softball team exploded on offense, scoring eight runs on 13 hits in an 8-4 victory over Mississippi at the Pepsi Arizona Tournament at Hillenbrand Stadium on Saturday.
In a battle between the only two Division I schools to claim Rebels as a nickname, UNLV (2-1) scored six runs in the second inning and held off a pesky comeback effort by Ole Miss (0-3).
After a scoreless first inning, Morgan Bostwick started the rally with a leadoff single. Joanna Jackson followed with a line drive to left to put two runners aboard. UNLV continued to have the speed of Ole Miss starter Tara Willit (0-1) as Kacey Ellis unloaded the third hit of the inning to centerfield, scoring Bostwick from second. Ellis and Jackson both took an extra base on the throw home, setting runners at second and third for catcher Britney Hillyer.
Hillyer hit a grounder too sharp for Mississippi's second baseman to handle. The miscue allowed both runners to score, and Ole Miss further complicated its situation by throwing away a putout attempt at home. That allowed Hillyer to advance all the way to third on the double-error play.
The floodgates then broke open for UNLV as the next five batters produced four singles and a walk. Lisa Sampson and Pauline Glenn both drove in runs as UNLV batted around. Bostwick's second hit of the inning drove in the sixth run before Ole Miss could record the final out.
Playing with a comfortable lead, UNLV starter Jacqueline Kerrigan (2-0) cruised through the next three innings. She gave up just one hit in each of the second, third and fourth innings and permitted only a single unearned run. The defense backed her up well as Bridget Byrne made a sliding grab in the outfield and Amber Campbell dove to nab a sinking pop fly.
UNLV tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the third to go up 8-1 and chose to rest Kerrigan after the fourth in favor of Becky McDonald. McDonald got the job done in the fifth, but got off to a rocky start in the sixth. A leadoff double and subsequent single soon turned into runners at second and third, both of which came home. Mississippi trimmed UNLV's lead to 8-4 with four hits in the inning, forcing UNLV head coach Lonni Alameda to once again go to the bullpen.
Calling upon its third pitcher of the afternoon, Ellis stepped into the circle, recorded the final out of the sixth and sat Ole Miss down in order in the seventh to save the victory.
The win earned UNLV the right to play in Sunday's bracket-style playoff, although its opponent and game time are still yet to be determined. The Rebels have one round robin game remaining against tournament host and second-ranked Arizona at 4:00 p.m. PST.
