Feb. 17, 2008
UNLV 2, Kansas 1
LAS VEGAS - For the second time in a week, the 23rd-ranked UNLV Rebels (8-1-1) got a walk-off home run to end a game. This time the Rebels were trailing the Kansas Jayhawks (8-3) by a 1-0 margin heading into the bottom of the seventh in the final day of the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic. Jaci Hull, the reigning Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, blasted a 1-1 pitch to right field that cleared the outer fence of Eller Media Stadium. The win gives UNLV a perfect 5-0 record in the Classic, which is the team's best finish in the four years of the tournament.
Stephanie Bregante (5-1) picked up the win in her fifth complete-game outing of the season. Bregante struck out seven, while allowing four hits and one walk. Kansas' lone run of the game was unearned due to a Rebel error in the second inning.
Brittany Hile led off the second and took first base on Bregante's only free pass of the game. Hile took second when Stevie Crisosto's grounder to Hull at short was misplayed. Hile and Crisosto moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt by Ally Stanton. Following a strikeout, Sara Ramirez delivered a single through the hole at short to being Hile home.
Kansas threatened to increase its lead in the fifth inning, but a fluke bounce of the ball ended any hopes of a bigger lead. The Jayhawks got back-to-back singles and a hit-by-pitch to load up the bases with two out. Hile stepped up and hit a ball off the tip of her bat that looked like it was going to harmlessly roll foul down the first-base line, but it spun into fair territory. Caitlyn Paus ranged over from second to field the ball in fair ground and step on first base to record the final out of the frame.
Down to their final three outs, in the seventh, the Rebels hard the 1-2-3 batters coming up. Brittany Bolinger singled up the middle and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Alyssia De La Torre. With first base open and no one out, KU head coach Tracy Bunge chose to pitch to Hull, which was not the norm in the Classic as the opposition gave her nine free passes (six walks, three hit-by-pitches) on the weekend. Hull promptly ended the game with her sixth home run in 10 games.
The home run was sweet redemption for Hull, as on Feb. 19, 2006, KU ended her freshman campaign when she was hit by a pitch that broke her right hand. The Rebels wound up winning the game by a 9-8 margin in eight innings.
The Rebels return to action for a President's Day contest vs. Seton Hall at 10:00 am on Monday, Feb. 18.
