April 24, 2008

Final Stats

OREM, Utah - The UNLV Rebels dropped two nail-biters to the Utah Utes Thursday by scores of 8-7 and 3-2. The games were originally scheduled to be played at Ute Field in Salt Lake City, but were moved thanks to poor field conditions. Utah Valley's MSTAR Field played host to the two frigid games that saw the temperatures hover in the 30s do to the wind chill. Both games featured snow flurries with game one being halted for an hour due to heavy snow fall.

In game one, UNLV scored six runs in its first two at-bats only to watch Utah rally and pull within one at 6-5 through six. The Rebels tacked on a would-be insurance run in the seventh, but it wasn't enough as the Utes scored three runs on three hits and got help from a fielding error to take the game.

Brittany Bolinger led off the first game getting plunked by a Brittany Foster offering. After stealing second, Bolinger came around to score on a double hit by Jaci Hull. Ashli Holland knocked in Hull on a double of her own.

In the second inning, Laura Briones singled home Alyssia De La Torre from second after she had walked and stole a base to get into scoring position. Jessica DeMatteo brought Briones home with a home run down the left-field line to push the score to 5-0. Bolinger followed by reaching on a walk before stealing second prior to Rosa Ordaz's RBI-single to close out the four-run second inning.

Utah got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the second. Meghan Crouse got the Utes on the scoreboard with a run-scoring single with runners on first and second, while Andrea Hoffman later scored on a wild pitch.

The Utes cut the deficit to one with a single run in the fourth and two in the sixth. Dianna Phillips picked up an RBI on a single in the fourth, while Devina Quintero and Kara Foster did the same in the sixth.

Holland stopped the Utes' scoring, momentarily, with an RBI-single in the top of the seventh. With Bolinger sitting on second after hitting a bunt-single and Hull walking, Holland singled up the middle to push the Rebel lead to 7-5.

Utah rallied in the seventh after UNLV recorded the first two outs of the frame. Two walks and a single loaded up the bases for Foster to single home two runs to tie the game. Angie Boardman delivered the back-breaking hit with a single to left that fell in front of Stephanie Bean and was misplayed and allowed the runner at third to score.

Ashley Smuda (15-9) picked up the win for Utah in 5.0 innings of relief. Smuda was brought into the game at the start of the third in relief of Parker. She only allowed one run on two hits. She struck out nine to only walking two.

Heather Slettvet (3-12) took the loss in 3.2 combined innings. Slettvet surrendered five runs (four earned) on seven hits. She struck out two and walked five.

Stephanie Bregante threw 3.0 innings of middle relief for UNLV and gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits, while striking out six to one walk.

Parker was on the hook for the loss, after giving up six runs on five hits, but earned a no-decision when Utah evened the score.

Game two was less offensive as the precursor. The second contest featured only five runs, but the same result.

After two scoreless innings of play, Utah took an early lead with on a single by Sharee Fonoti to score Staci Hemigway, who had reached on a fielding error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Ordaz evened the score at 1-1 in the fourth on a solo home run to right field off of Smuda in the fourth.

UNLV took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on a run-scoring single by Briones. Cheynah Farley took a base-on-balls with two out, stole second and came around on Briones' hit.

Utah evened things up at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth on Fonoti's second RBI-single of the game.

Foster came up big for Utah, in the sixth, with a triple to right field and then tied the game when Kristie Keller executed a suicide-squeeze bunt play for the would-be winning run.

Smuda (16-9) earned her second win on the day in complete-game fashion. She allowed two runs on two hits, while striking out seven.

Traci Odegard (6-5) was handed the loss in 6.0 innings of work. She gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits. She struck out one and walked two.

The Rebels return to action on Friday night (7:00 pm MT/6:00 pm PT) with a single game at BYU.