April 11, 2010

Final Stats

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV Rebels (26-14 overall, 3-0 Mountain West) extended their season-best winning streak to six games with a 12-11, come-from-behind win over the New Mexico Lobos (10-23, 0-3) Sunday afternoon at Eller Media Stadium. The teams combined for 23 runs, 28 hits and six errors, while fighting winds of up to 30 mph that gusted towards left field all day long. The Rebels trailed the majority of the game, but ultimately, claimed the contest in their final at-bat when Paige Emerson delivered a two-run single to center with the bases loaded. The win gives UNLV head coach Pete Manarino his 900th career victory with 57 coming at the helm of the Rebel program and 843 amassed in 23 years at Long Beach State.

Jaci Hull pushed her name to the top of UNLV's career home run chart with her 47th home run in today's affair. Hull is no stranger to the record books, as she ranks in 13 all-time categories, including leading the runs scored and walks departments.

UNLV, who had been held scoreless in their at bats in the fifth and sixth innings, mustered up a rally in the seventh. The Rebels got walks from Ashli Holland and Laura Briones before Tayler Aleman loaded them up with a single to left off of Kaela DeBroeck (5-9). Emerson then stepped up and delivered the big hit of the game that easily allowed Holland to score, while Korin Cuico, who was pinch-running for Briones, was forced to slide around a tag attempt from UNM catcher Jessica Garcia.

Holland reached safely in all four of her at-bats, as she collected an RBI-double, a three-run home run, a single and a walk. It was her 13th multiple-hit game of the year and second three-hit effort. She added three runs to the stat sheet, as well.

The Lobos owned three different leads throughout the contest with their first coming in a five-run first inning, which was aided by three hits and three Rebel errors. All five runs were unearned.

UNLV fought back with four scores in the bottom half of the first. Tara Bendt manufactured the first run herself with an infield single and coming around to touch home following a passed ball, a throwing error and a wild pitch uncorked by DeBroeck. Kendall Fearn then was issued a base-on-balls and quickly scored from first on a deep RBI-double to the right-center fence by Holland. Alyssia De La Torre added the final two tallies of the inning with a two-run homer to straight-away center.

UNM extended its lead to 7-4 with two runs in the second off of four hits. Stefanie Carramusa led off the stanza with a solo shot to center, which prompted UNLV to summon Kylie Wagner from the bullpen in relief of Traci Odegard. After UNLV recorded two outs, Shenise Cox was walked and stole second to get in scoring position for Jessica Lujan-Dresslar's RBI-single.

The Rebels answered with five runs to take their first lead of the game at 9-7 after two innings of action. Aleman followed Carramusa's lead and hit a solo shot to left to open up the Rebel at-bat and start the rally. Marissa Nichols then hit a one-out single before being joined on the bases by Hull, who was walked with two out. Fearn then hit a single through the left side to plate Nichols and push Hull to second. Holland then smashed a three-run dinger to center to cap the five-run effort.

The game witnessed its first of two ties when UNM scored twice in the third for a 9-9 stalemate. Cristin Anderson brought home Shaunte Duarte, who led off with walk before stealing second, with a single up the middle. Anderson was then thrown out at second on a fielder's choice, which placed Carramusa on first. Danielle Castro then knotted the game with a double to center for the game-tying RBI.

The Lobos took their second lead of the game in the fourth only to see UNLV tie the contest up once again with a score of its own. Lujan-Dresslar picked up the RBI for UNM with a sacrifice fly, while Hull countered with her record-setting home run, which clanged off the lower portion of the light station in right-center.

UNM then took its final lead in the sixth when Cassandra Kalapsa hit a RBI-double to left that scored a pinch-running Sheryl Guillermo from first. Guillermo entered following Katie Gilmore's single to begin the inning.

Jessica O'Connor improved to 11-4 on the year in one inning of relief. O'Connor entered the contest in the seventh with one runner on base and UNLV trailing 11-10. She did not allow the run to score, but gave up one hit and struck out one.

DeBroeck suffered her second consecutive loss to UNLV, as she was on the losing end of Saturday's 8-3 encounter. She registered only one inning of work after entering in the sixth. She was touched for two runs off of two hits and allowed two walks.

UNLV is back in action Saturday (April 17) afternoon at 1:00 pm, with a visit by the San Diego State Aztecs (25-10, 3-0 MWC).