Feb. 15, 2009
UK 7, UNLV 1
UNR 9, UNLV 0 (5)
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV Rebels (5-4) dropped a pair of ball games on the final day of the 2009 Louisville Slugger Desert Classic at Eller Media Stadium on Sunday. The Rebels fell by a 7-1 margin to the Kentucky Wildcats (3-2), before dropping a 9-0, five-inning affair to the #18/21 Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack. The Rebel offense was stymied on the day, as it could only muster one run on four hits.
In game one, the Wildcats used two first inning, infield singles to get its offense revving against Traci Odegard (2-2). UK scored its first run with help from a sacrifice bunt, while the fourth single of the frame put the visitors up 2-0.
The Wildcats doubled their lead with two more in the second. With runners in scoring position, Natalie Smith laced a single through the right side to bring home the pair of runners.
UK pushed its lead to 6-0 in the sixth on a two-run triple to left-center by Meagan Aull.
The Rebels scored its only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Chey Farley wound up on second after reaching on an error. Alyssia De La Torre moved Farley over to third with a single. Brittany Bolinger then hit a grounder to short that was misplayed and allowed Farley to score.
Stephanie Bregante was called on to throw the seventh and allowed one unearned run. After a Rebel error got the inning going, the bases were quickly loaded following a walk and a single. Bregante wound up walking in the final run of the game.
Chanda Bell (2-0) picked up the win for Kentucky, as she struck out a school record 15 batters. Bell allowed only two hits to UNLV, while walking one. The only run she gave up was unearned.
Odegard was saddled with the loss in 6.0 innings of work. She was touched for six runs on nine hits. She struck out five and walked one.
In game two, UNR and UNLV played to a scoreless first inning, but from then on the Wolf Pack's offense came to life.
A three-run home run by Sam Hunt in the second inning from a Jessica O'Connor (3-1) offering was all the run support that Katie Holverson (4-2) would need in tossing a five-inning, two-hitter.
The Wolf Pack added to its lead in the third on a ground out by Britton Murdock and a single by Kelsey Starr.
UNR added four more runs in the top of the fifth with help from two home runs. Murdock added three more RBI to her stat line, when she took O'Connor deep for a three-run shot. Bregante was immediately summoned from the bullpen in relief, but was rudely welcomed to the game by a solo homer by Starr.
Holverson wound up with four strikouts and two walks in the 5.0 inning outing.
O'Connor suffered her first loss, as a Rebel, in 4.1 innings for work. She was touched for eight runs, five earned, on eight hits with two walks.
The Rebels are back in action next weekend, as they hit the road for the Cathedral City Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. UNLV will open up the Classic with a 3:30 pm, game vs. Nebraska on Feb. 26. The team will play a total of five games at Big League Dreams Complex.
