March 28, 2006
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV softball team (15-22) fell behind the visiting Missouri Tigers (18-13) 4-0 after three innings of play, but found the offense necessary to score 11 unanswered runs in a rain-soaked 11-4 victory Tuesday night. The game was the third of the non-conference series between UNLV and MU, with the Rebels winning the final two games. The first pitch was delayed 45-minutes due to lightning and rain in the area and was halted a second time for 15-mintues in the bottom of the fifth with UNLV at the plate.
Missouri pounced on the scoreboard first with a single run in the first inning. Back-to-back singles put runners at first and second after two hitters. Following the first out of the inning, a fielder's choice putout at second allowed from the runner to move to third, but an errant throw to get the batter out at first went wide of the base and advanced the run home.
MU scored its final three runs of the game in the third in taking a 4-0 lead. A single and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position for an RBI-double. The run prompted a pitching change for the Rebels. Shannon Crisp (7-11) entered in relief of Becky McDonald with no outs and the runner at second. Crisp struck out the first batter she faced and then walked the second. A double to right center brought home the two runners on base. That runner was left stranded on second as Crisp got a fly out and a strike out to end the inning.
UNLV's offensive began in the fourth and lasted through the sixth inning, as the Rebels scored four in the third, three in the fifth and four more in the sixth. The Rebels out hit Missouri, 13-to-7. It was the second straight outing in which UNLV amassed 13 hits.
In the fourth, the Rebels used three hits and one Missouri error to score their three runs. Rosa Ordaz took first on a one-out walk and went to third on a single by Bri Bernardi. Bernardi took second on a wild pitch thrown by Megan Dennis and came home on a pinch-hit double by Lauren von Holst to the left field gap. Brittany Freight plated von Holst with the second consecutive double of the inning. Freight stole third with Brittany Bolinger at the plate and eventually scored as the throw to third by the second baseman caromed off of her helmet and over UNLV's dugout.
With the score knotted 4-4, the rains came back. Missouri was unable to mount any offense in what could have been the final inning of play. UNLV took advantage of the situation and distanced themselves from the Tigers with three runs. Maggie Livreri was hit by a pitch to put the first runner on base. With Crisp at the plate, the rains forced a 15-minute delay. After Crisp's at-bat, Kendall Fearn laid down a sacrifice bunt, but reached first safely on an errant throw by MU's catcher. With runners at first and second, Ordaz brought Livreri home on a single to left. Fearn and Ordaz moved up a base on a wild pitch thrown to Bernardi, who eventually walked. After a fielder's choice ground out, Kendall McSwain came up with the bases loaded. McSwain dropped a single in front of the diving centerfielder, which scored two runs.
The Rebel offense wasn't finished in the game as Bolinger began the inning with a bunt single. Livreri scored Bolinger with a ball hit into the hole at short that was booted and rolled to the left center fence. With Livreri at second, Crisp singled to center. Livreri came around to score and Crisp took second on an errant throw to the plate. Crisp moved to third on a fly out by Fearn. Ordaz walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Kelly Griego and Britney Hillyer hit back-to-back singles through the left side to bring home a run each.
UNLV hits the road for the fourth straight weekend with a trip to Utah for the start of Mountain West Conference action. The Rebels will play two in Provo against BYU on Thursday at 4 pm PST and follow it up with two more against Utah on Friday at noon PST.
