Feb. 28, 2010
Final Stats
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - The UNLV Rebels (9-6) ended the Cathedral City Classic on a good note with their 5-4 win over the Long Island Blackbirds (7-7) Sunday afternoon in the final game played at Big League Dreams in Cathedral City, Calif. The Rebels maintained as much as a three-run cushion only to witness the Blackbirds pull within one down the stretch. UNLV had to hold off a seventh-inning rally by LIU to preserve the one-run victory as the tying and go-ahead runs were left stranded in scoring position.
The Rebel offense was paced by multiple-hit games from Paige Emerson, Jaci Hull, Laura Briones and Kendall Fearn, who all collected two hits apiece. Only two Rebels were credited with RBI, while five different players crossed home plate.
Emerson began the scoring for UNLV with a tally in the first inning after reaching on a double to left. Hull moved Emerson to third with a single to third. Emerson managed to score when LIU's catcher overthrew second base on a steal by Hull.
The Blackbirds evened things up in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff home run by Mariesha Marker.
UNLV extended its lead to 3-1 with two runs in the second. Fearn began things with a one-out single and motored around the bases on a triple by Tara Bendt, who scored shortly thereafter on a wild pitch.
The Rebels traded runs with LIU in the third. UNLV got notched its score following two Blackbird errors and ended the pitching day for Sarah Reynolds (2-2), who allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits. LIU countered with its run off of four consecutive singles.
The teams each put up one run apiece in the fifth. Briones singled in Hull to put UNLV up 5-3. Bianca Mejia got the run back for LIU with a solo home run to deep center.
LIU began the seventh with a double to left center by Brynn Lewis that spelled the end of Kylie Wagner's (5-1) day in the circle and summoned Jessica O'Connor from the bullpen. Mejia greeted O'Connor with a single up the middle that moved Lewis to third and then home with help from a bobble by Emerson in center. A single and a passed ball moved two LIU runners into scoring position with two outs. O'Connor wound up getting Amanda MacIntosh to foul out to Fearn at first to end the game.
Wagner notched her fifth win of the year in 6.0 innings of work. She allowed four runs (three earned) on 11 hits. She struck out three and walked one.
O'Connor earned the save in one-inning of relief. She was touched for two hits.
Reynolds was stuck with the loss, as she tossed the first 2.2 frames for LIU. She surrendered four runs (two earned) on six hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Two other LIU relievers combined for 4.1 innings pitched with one run on three hits.
The Rebels are back in action next Friday, March 5, with back-to-back games against Portland State (6:00 pm) and Weber State (8:15 pm) during the Eller Media Stadium Classic in Las Vegas.
