March 11, 2011
Box Score: UNLV 2, UC Santa Barbara 1 (9)
Box Score: San Diego 4, UNLV 1
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UNLV Rebels (12-8) split their pair of games at the Gaucho Classic II Friday in Santa Barbara, Calif. UNLV needed nine innings to defeat the host UCSB Gauchos by a 2-1 score before dropping a 4-1 affair with the San Diego Toreros (6-5). The win over UCSB extended the Rebels' season-best winning streak to five before it was snapped by the USD loss at the Campus Diamond.
The Rebels improved to 4-0 on the year in extra-inning games after the victory over UCSB.
UNLV's offense was led by four players that registered two or more hits on the day. Elena Fata and Paige Emerson both connected for three hits, while Tayler Van Acker and Tayler Aleman each had two.
In the circle, Amanda Oliveto (9-3) picked up a win in nine innings against UCSB, while Kylie Wagner (1-1) was stuck with the loss against USD. Both hurlers tossed complete games.
Game 1 - UC Santa Barbara: After eight scoreless innings of play, UNLV and UCSB combined for three runs in the ninth and final frame of action with a little help from the international tiebreaker that was put into play. UNLV got a two-run single to the left side by Ashli Holland to give her squad a 2-0 lead in the top half of the stanza. UCSB answered back with a run of its own, but left the would-be, game-tying run stranded on the base paths.
Oliveto went the distance for UNLV in nine innings to notch her ninth win on the year. Oliveto struck out seven against no walks and allowed one unearned run off of five hits.
UCSB's Andriana Collins was saddled with the loss and fell to 7-5 after tossing nine innings, as well. Collins gave up two runs (one earned) off seven hits, walked six and fanned four.
Neither team could crack either pitcher, as they combined to leave 18 runners on the bases, 12 of which belonged to UNLV. The Rebels left three batters stranded at third base and two at second before finally scoring in the ninth. Oliveto held the Gaucho offense in-check allowing them only two runners to reach third and second prior to the tiebreaker in the ninth.
In the ninth, Tara Woodall entered the contest as a pinch runner and was placed on second base with the ITB in effect and moved over to third two batters later on a fielder's choice put into play by Stefany Valentino. A ground out by Emerson pushed Valentino to second before Holland's two-run single that plated Woodall and Valentino.
UCSB countered with a single by Kathryn Pilpil after Brooke Putich was placed on second base. Putich scored the Gauchos lone run on a ground out by Keilani Jennings.
Game 2 - San Diego: USD struck for three runs early in the game and never looked back after two innings of action. UNLV got one run back in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by Pauline Monreal. The Toreros added an insurance run in the sixth before staving off a seventh-inning rally attempt by the Rebels.
The Toreros opened the game with two runs in the first inning after a single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Lauren Tomey, who singled up the middle for a quick 2-0 lead off of Wagner.
USD went up 3-0 in the second with help from a fielding error. Jenny Lahitte led off the frame with a single and moved around the bases following a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. Lahitte scored from third when a grounder put in play by Celeste Soto was misplayed at short by Holland.
Monreal cut UNLV's deficit to two runs with her solo blast to right off of Lahitte in the bottom of the second.
The lead moved back to three runs in the seventh when Dana Prelsnik scored on a sacrifice fly by Soto. Prelsnik reached on an error and took second on a wild pitch before taking third on a single by Jessica Tieszen.
UNLV managed to put runners on the corners in the seventh following singles by Christina Montoya and Fata, but was not able to push any runs across before Lahitte got the next two batters out.
Lahitte (2-2) notched the win in seven innings of work. She struck out six, walked one and allowed a run off of seven hits.
UNLV returns to action Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 pm affair with the same USD Toreros from Campus Diamond on UCSB's campus.
