May 8, 2005
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - Rebels score three late unanswered runs to put the Lobos away in game one at Eller Media Stadium. UNLV (40-16, 16-3 Mountain West Conference) had its hands full of New Mexico (15-31, 5-14), but managed to take charge of the game in the fifth inning. The Rebels took the 4-2 game one win, to move ahead of the Lobos two games to one in the season series. Jacque Kerrigan (26-13) picked up her 26th win and eighth in a row with five innings of work. Shannon Crisp relieved Kerrigan to pick up her second save of the season, while tossing two scoreless innings.
After two innings went by with no scoring and only one hit recorded, New Mexico used a gift runner to put the first run on the scoreboard. Ashley Shartzer was hit by Kerrigan's offering to open the third inning. Shartzer was pushed to second on a sac bunt by Amy Ray. Ryanne Hodgins singled to left to advance Shartzer to third. Ashley Allen scored Shartzer on an RBI-single through the right side. Valerie Keeney picked up Allen's grounder and gunned down Hodgins attempting to take third for the second out. Kerrigan got the third out to pop up.
The Rebels answered the Lobos offense, with a single to left by Morgan Bostwick off of Ashley Perkins (4-14). Pauline Glenn moved Bostwick to second with a successful sac bunt. Following a ground out and a walk to Marissa Nichols, Caitlyn Paus singled to the short stop to load the bases. Brittany Meade picked up the first RBI of the day as she was walked to bring home Bostwick. Perkins managed to get the third out before more damage was done.
New Mexico threatened in the fourth, but left two stranded in scoring position following a single and a double down the left field line. But they took advantage of two hits to take a one-run lead. Ray doubled to center to start the fifth. After two outs were recorded, Kristina Schmallen singled up the middle to plate Ray.
UNLV made up the one-run deficit and added one more to it with two hits in the bottom of the fifth. Campbell singled to center and came around to score on Nichols' eighth triple of the season. Meade brought Nichols home for the Rebels' first lead of the game on a sac fly to right field.
Crisp was summoned from the bullpen in the sixth and shut the Lobos down in their final two at-bats. The only hit she gave up was a two-out single in the seventh.
Rosa Ordaz continued her hot-hitting with a pinch-hit double to left center to start the sixth. Keeney replaced Ordaz at second and moved to third on a single by Bostwick. Bostwick stole second to move into scoring position, while Danielle Martinez was at the plate. Martinez singled to right to score Keeney, but was gunned down at second by UNM's catcher following Bostwick being thrown out at the plate attempting to add another run.
Game Notes:
-UNLV moved into a third-place tie for in the single-season wins category with its 40th, tying the 1990 squad. The 17 conference wins are the most ever for UNLV since the MWC began playing softball in 2000.
-Nichols has now scored the most runs in a single-season with her 59th today. She moved into a fifth-place for most RBI in a single-season with 42.
-Nichols moved into 10th-place tie for most triples in a career with her 8th today.
-Kerrigan took sole possession of second-place in the single-season wins with her 26th. She moves into ninth-place with 232.2 inning pitched.
