Feb. 21, 2010
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV Rebels (7-3) took advantage of windy conditions at Eller Media Stadium during the final day of the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic with their 13-2, five-inning rout of the Indiana Hoosiers (2-5) Sunday afternoon. The Rebels fell behind 1-0, before running off nine unanswered runs aided by home runs by Marissa Nichols and Tayler Aleman. Traci Odegard (2-1) held the Hoosiers at bay allowing only two runs on five hits. The victory snapped a two-game skid that UNLV carried into the game.
The Hoosiers struck first with an RBI-double by Sara Olson (1-3) that plated Samantha Heyman for the game's first run.
The Rebels then went on the offensive and scored nine runs split between the first and third innings. They got four in the first and five more in the third.
Nichols tied the game up when she delivered a home run to left, which extended her hitting streak to nine games. Tara Bendt followed with a single and wound up scoring on a hit by Jaci Hull. Aleman, who went 3-for-3, closed out the four-run first with a two-run dinger down the line in left.
Aleman kept the offense revving in the third, as she stepped to the play with the bases loaded and dropped a single into right that scored two runs and ended Olson's day in the circle. Ashli Holland rudely greeted Jessica Dobson to the game with a single up the middle that loaded the bases once again. Laura Briones kept the bases juiced with an RBI-single of her own. Erica Addison then walked to bring in the fourth run of the stanza. Holland concluded the five-run inning scoring on a wild pitch.
IU managed to one run back in the fourth on an RBI-single by Sammy Berenter, but it wasn't enough as the Rebels scored four more times in the bottom of the inning.
UNLV loaded the bases up with help from two walks and a single from Aleman. Holland was then plunked by Dobson for a run, which brought Monica Wright into the game in relief. Two more runs scored when Briones and Addison each collected RBI-singles. The fourth run came in on an error following Addison's hit.
Odegard pitched a complete game with four strikeouts for her second win of the year.
Olson was stuck with the loss in only 2.0 innings of work. She was touched for eight runs on seven hits, while walking two and striking out two.
Dobson and Wright combined for 2.0 innings of relief with five runs (four earned) on five hits.
The Rebels hit the road next weekend with their sixth trip to the Cathedral City Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. UNLV will face Cal Poly (10:00 am) and Texas A&M (3:00 pm) on Feb. 26.
