Feb. 8, 2014
Sportco Kick Off Classic Tournament Page
BOX SCORES: Arkansas 12, UNLV 4 | UNLV 4, UC Davis 3
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team opened up the 2014 campaign with a split of its two games Friday in the Sporco Kick Off Classic played at Eller Media Stadium. The Rebels suffered a 12-4, five-inning defeat to the Arkansas Razorbacks (1-1) in the season opener before rallying for a 5-4 win against the UC Davis Aggies (1-1).
UNLV's offense was paced by a pair of players that tallied three hits apiece on the day. Alyssa Cordova led the Rebels with three RBI and a .750 batting average off a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Cordova belted home runs in both games with a two-run shot against Arkansas followed by a solo blast against UC Davis. Emily Haslinger hit at a .600 clip behind a 3-for-5 effort at the dish. Haslinger knocked in two runs and scored a team-high three runs.
The Rebels sent three pitchers to the circle with Morgan Ettinger picking up her first win in complete-game fashion over the Aggies, while Amanda Oliveto suffered a loss in three innings of work against the Razorbacks. Ettinger threw a combined 8.0 frames and allowed six runs (four earned) off of 10 hits.
In game one, Arkansas struck for two unanswered runs in its halves of the second and third innings to push out to a lead it would never surrender. The Razorbacks loaded the bases in the second prior to an RBI single from Jennifer Rambo to plate the first score of the game. They added a second run an inning later when Kasey Fagan eventually scored off a wild pitch thrown by Oliveto after she had initially reached on a fielder's choice.
The Rebels counted with a run of their own in the bottom portion of the third off a sacrifice fly by Pauline Monreal that scored Emily Haslinger, who got on base after she connected on a one-out single.
Unfortunately, UNLV would not get any closer than one run the remainder of the game, as Arkansas erupted for seven runs off four hits in the fourth. Five different players recorded an RBI in the inning with Fagan and Clarisa Navarro credited with two apiece after hitting a double and a home run, respectively.
The Scarlet & Gray worked the bases loaded in the fourth to get one run back when Haslinger took a base on balls for an RBI.
The teams combined to score five runs in the fifth - all off home runs. Fagan was responsible for Arkansas' three, while Cordova notched the pair for UNLV.
Kelly Young picked up the win for the Razorbacks in only 3.0 innings in the circle. Young was touched for one unearned run and four hits.
Oliveto, on the other hand, took the loss. She allowed six runs (three earned) off four hits in 3.0 innings, as well.
In game two, UC Davis opened up the scoring with a two-run double in the second by Christa Castello only to see UNLV fight back with four unanswered runs of its own. The Aggies added one in the seventh to pull within one, but it wasn't enough.
Trailing by two, UNLV answered with a double by Haslinger and a walk from Monreal to put runners on the base path. Cordova dropped down a sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Garie Blando then knocked in the Rebels' first run with a grounder to second.
After two scoreless innings, the Rebels pulled even in the fifth off a sac fly by Stefany Valentino. Jaexie Balilea led off the stanza with a double and then took third on a Samantha Juarez single.
UNLV broke the 2-all deadlock in the sixth with long balls from Haslinger and Cordova only to see UC Davis answer with a dinger of its own from Lauryn Saunders in the seventh.
Ettinger got the win despite allowing three runs (one earned) off of eight hits.
Leah Munden was saddled with the loss for the Aggies in 5.1 innings of work. She surrendered all four runs and six of the seven hits accumulated by UNLV in the affair.
UNLV returns to action Saturday evening with a 6:00 pm tilt against #3/5 Washington followed by an 8:15 pm encounter with #18/16 Baylor.
Friday's Sportco Kick Off Classic Results
Washington 7, Baylor 4
Baylor 9, San Diego 1 (5 inns.)
Washington 3, San Diego 0
UC Davis 5, Arkansas 4
Arkansas 12, UNLV 4 (5 inns.)
UNLV 4, UC Davis 3
