March 7, 2014
BOX SCORES: UNLV 6, Charleston Southern 1 | UCLA 8, UNLV 0 (5 inns.)
LOS ANGELES (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team began its run at the UCLA/Cal State Northridge Invitational with a 6-1 win over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers before it lost an 8-0, five-inning decision to the #4/3 UCLA Bruins Friday at Easton Stadium. With the split, the Rebels' overall record moved to 7-12 on the year, while the Buccaneers fell to 10-11-1 and the Bruins improved to 18-1.
The Scarlet & Gray's offense was paced by Garie Blando, who led the team in hits (four) and tied for the team lead in batting average (.500) along with Stefany Valentino (3-for-6). Three other Rebels scattered two hits on the day with .286 or better averages.
Against Charleston Southern, UNLV jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead en route to scoring the first five runs of the game in the 6-1 decision.
After Blando led off the game with a fly out to center field, Emilie Valadez and Valentino got the offense revving with back-to-back singles to the short stop. Tayler Van Acker then joined the pair on the bases with a base on balls. Following a fielder's choice play that resulted in an out at the plate, Alyssa Cordova and Francesca Foti were walked consecutively to force two scores.
The Rebels added to their lead with a tally in the third. Cordova led off the frame with a single up the middle and had to wait to after two outs had been recorded to move into scoring position off a single by Samantha Juarez. With Blando at the dish, Cordova stole third and then came home on an RBI single.
UNLV added two insurance runs in the fourth with help from a single and a pair of RBI doubles. Valentino led off with a single and moved up 60 feet off a Van Acker groundout. After the second out had been recorded, Cordova and Foti delivered their run-scoring two-baggers.
The Buccaneers got their only run in the bottom of the fourth when they had a batter hit by a pitch with the bases loaded after Morgan Ettinger (5-1) walked two and surrendered a single.
Ettinger picked up the win - her fifth of the year - in 4.1 innings of work. She allowed only one run off of three hits, while striking out two against four walks.
Amand Oliveto threw the final 2.2 innings of excellent relief for the Rebels. Oliveto entered with a pair on in the fifth and worked out of that jam. In all, she struck out two and gave up one hit.
Against UCLA, the game was scoreless through two innings, but the highly offensive Bruins awoke in the third with two RBI hits (a double and a single) after their fast batter reached off a hit-by-pitch.
In the fourth, Aly Carda and Brittany Moeai knocked in two apiece to push the home team's lead to six.
The Bruins capped off the scoring with two solo homers in the sixth with one each from Mysha Sataraka and Jessica Hall.
Oliveto (2-8) was saddled with the loss after giving up eight runs and eight hits in 5.1 innings of work.
Carda improved to 11-1 in the circle with a three-hit shutout of the Rebels. She struck out 10 against no walks.
UNLV returns to action Saturday with two early games at Easton Stadium against Loyola Chicago (9:00 am) and CSU Bakersfield (11:30 am).
