March 8, 2014
BOX SCORES: Loyola Chicago 10, UNLV 6 | CSU Bakersfield 4, UNLV 1
LOS ANGELES (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team lost both of its games on the second day of the UCLA/Cal State Northridge Invitational Saturday at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. The Rebels dropped their first of the day to the Loyola Chicago Ramblers, 10-6, before a 4-1 loss to the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners. With the two losses, the Scarlet & Gray fell to 7-14 on the year, while the Ramblers and Roadrunners improved to 8-12 and 3-17, respectively.
UNLV's offense was led by five players with at least two hits and a .500 or better batting average. Garie Blando, who scattered four hits during Friday's play, went 5-for-8 at the plate for a .625 clip Saturday. Besides leading the team in hits, Blando topped all in runs (three) and total bases (five). Samantha Juarez and Stefany Valentino had identical .500 averages off 3-for-6 efforts.
In the first game of the day vs. Loyola Chicago, the two squads combined for six runs in the first inning and 10 more over the following five.
The Ramblers kicked off the game with two runs off a pair of RBI singles for a quick 2-0 lead that was short-lived until the Rebels had four score in the bottom half. UNLV countered Loyola Chicago's offense by getting its first two batters (Blando off an error and Valadez off a double) on base. Both of them scored off an RBI single by Valentino and a fielder's choice by Pauline Monreal. The Rebels took the lead when they executed a double steal with Valentino scoring on the play. Emily Haslinger capped the scoring with a run-scoring single.
UNLV increased its lead to three with a tally in the second when Blando, who initially reached on a single, scored from second after Valadez hit a single and then got caught in a rundown.
Unfortunately, the game tilted to Loyola Chicago's favor in the fourth when it scored six times off of four hits and an error.
The Rebels scored their sixth and final run in the fourth when Monreal picked up another RBI with a single. Juarez and Blando hit back-to-back singles and moved into scoring position off a Valentino grounder.
The visitors from Chicago capped the game's scoring in the sixth with a two-run home run.
Ashley Rogers (4-2) got the win for the Ramblers in complete-game fashion. Rogers was touched for six runs (four earned) off of 13 hits, while striking out two against one walk.
Alex Petrolia was tagged with the loss and dropped to 0-4 with five innings of work. Petrolia gave up 10 runs (three earned) off eight hits. She struck out three against four walks.
In the second game vs. CSU Bakersfield, the Roadrunners jumped out to a 3-0 lead through two frames and never looked back. They scored the first run off a suicide-squeeze bunt in the first and then two more off singles in the second.
UNLV got on the board in the third with a sac fly from Van Acker in the third. Blando led off the stanza with a single, stole second base and then took third on a sac bunt.
CSU Bakersfield added an insurance run in the fourth off an RBI double to increase its lead to three runs at 4-1.
Kelsie Monroe (2-8) went six innings for the win after allowing one run off of six hits. Monroe gave way to Lyndsay Klimenko in the seventh for a save.
Morgan Ettinger was saddled with the loss and fell to 5-2 on the year in 3.2 innings of work. Ettinger allowed all four runs off of eight hits. She fanned two and walked one.
UNLV returns to the Easton Stadium diamond one last time on Sunday with an 11:30 am game against the Georgetown Hoyas.
