April 7, 2011
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -
Week Nine Release in PDF Format 
Leading Off: After playing 31 games against non-conference competition, the UNLV Rebels open up Mountain West Conference action this weekend. UNLV hits the road for it annual Rocky Mountain pilgrimage to Fort Collins, Colo., and Albuquerque, N.M., April 8-10.
The Rebels open up at Colorado State on Friday at 4:00 pm MT (3:00 pm PT) before playing a pair at New Mexico on Saturday (5:00 pm MT/4:00 pm PT) and April 10 (1:00 pm MT/12:00 pm PT).
UNLV is 5-6 in MWC openers with a 2-2 record in those contests that began on the road. This will be the first time that the Rebels have kicked off their league slate away from Las Vegas since 2008. Overall, the Rebels are 3-8 in their first conference game played on the road dating back to 2000.
On Deck: The UNLV Rebels return to Las Vegas to open up the home portion of their Mountain West Conference schedule against BYU (April 14) and Utah (April 15-16).
Oliveto Claims Second Weekly Award UNLV's Amanda Oliveto has been named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week, for games played from March 28-April 3. This is the second time Oliveto has been bestowed the weekly honor by the league this season.
Oliveto, a 5-9 freshman from Simi Valley, Calif., notched both of UNLV's wins this past weekend in its own Pre-Conference Round-Up. She owned an ERA of 1.17 and a record of 2-0 off of 12.0 innings of work. She also struck out 13. In her first outing, she threw a no-hit, 9-0 shutout against Seattle and struck out six against one walk. The walk occurred in the fifth inning and ended her bid for a perfect game. The no-no was the second consecutive thrown by Oliveto after she had achieved the feat against Cal Poly on March 27. Against Loyola Marymount, she went the distance for another win, 6-2. She struck out seven against four walks and allowed two runs. The runs were the first that she had given up in 17.2 innings of action, while LMU's first hit in the first ended her stretch of not giving one up in 41 batters faced.
Overall, she owns a record of 15-5 and an ERA of 2.10 in 130.0 innings of work. She has made 25 appearances in the circle this season with 16 starts. She has gone the distance in 15 outings and tossed four shutouts. She owns a 1:1 innings pitched to strikeout ratio, as she has fanned 130 batters.
Looking Back A Weekend: The UNLV Rebels went 2-1 last weekend in their own Pre-Conference Round-Up at Eller Media Stadium. UNLV book-ended wins over Seattle (April 1, 9-0) and Loyola Marymount (April 2, 6-2) around a loss to Seattle (April 2, 16-8).
UNLV had six players register at least three hits, while Pauline Monreal and Tayler Aleman led the team with five hits apiece. Monreal hit .556 with two home runs and added eight RBI and two runs. Aleman hit .500 with a double and a home run and also contributed five runs and three RBI. Stefany Valentino led the team in hitting with a .571 batting average (4-for-7).
Amanda Oliveto picked up both wins for UNLV in 12.0 innings of work. Oliveto owned and ERA of 1.17 and struck out 13, as well.
Oh No, Oliveto Throws Two No-Nos: Amanda Oliveto became the fifth pitcher in UNLV softball history to toss a no-hitter when she went the distance in a complete-game shutout of the Cal Poly Mustangs (March 27) two weeks ago. At the time it was the 12th no-no thrown in program lore until she achieved the feat again the next time out against Seattle (April 1) for #13.
She is the fourth Rebel hurler to throw multiple no-hitters (Kim Smith, Lori Harrigan and Amie Stewart) and the fifth to throw one (Smith, Harrigan, Stewart and Karen Carlson).
More impressively, she is the first to throw them consecutively.
The no-hitter against Cal Poly was the first for UNLV since Stewart's against Massachusetts on Feb. 18, 1995 (an 8-0 UNLV win).
Against Cal Poly, she held the Mustang offense in-check. She struck out eight for the third straight outing and sixth time overall this season. Besides the strikeouts, she induced 12 ground ball outs and one fly out. She allowed only four base runners in the game, as she walked one, hit one and two reached via error.
Against Seattle, she nearly recorded UNLV's second-ever perfect game, but walked the first batter she faced in the fifth inning. That was the only runner she allowed to reach base safely, as she struck out six, got three to ground out and six to either fly out or line out.
Turn On Your TVs: The UNLV Rebels will make two appearances on television this season with both taking place in Las Vegas. UNLV's contest against San Diego State on Sunday, May 8 (12:30 pm) will be broadcast live by CBS Sports Network, formerly CBS College Sports Network. A week later, the Rebels tussle with the Colorado State Rams on Saturday, May 14 (1:00 pm) will be aired by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.).
