March 13, 2004

Box Score

LAS VEGAS - Oregon scored once in the sixth and once in the seventh to rally for a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the UNLV softball team at Eller Media Stadium on Saturday.

The Rebels (14-14) led 1-0 throughout most of the game after getting a leadoff run from Bridget Byrne. Byrne started the game with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. Lisa Sampson then smashed a line drive to left, but it was too quick for Byrne to move past third. So with runners at the corners, Kacey Ellis carved the next pitch into right field for an RBI single.

UNLV rode its 1-0 lead until the sixth inning. Starter Jacqueline Kerrigan (12-10) gave up just three singles over that span and held the 14th-ranked Ducks (19-7) scoreless.

But in the top of the sixth, Oregon finally figured Kerrigan out. Kayleen Hudson led the inning off with a home run to right center, and suddenly both the lead and the shutout were gone.

The tie game carried into the seventh, but the Oregon bats were still hot. Jen Poore hit a leadoff single to the left side of the infield to put a runner aboard. But two batters later, UNLV catcher Brittney Hillyer gunned Poore trying to take second base, the fourth runner Hillyer threw out in the tourney.

But with two down in the inning, Oregon continued to rally. Ashley Richards hit a line drive to the fence through the right-center gap for a double, and Beth Buskovich traded places with her just afterward with a double to left center to score the winning run.

The loss marked the Rebels' second this season in which they scored first and snapped a four-game winning streak.

UNLV continues tournament play on Saturday afternoon when it faces Jacksonville University at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.