Box Score: UNLV 4, Louisville 0
Box Score: UNLV 12, UC Davis 4 (6 innings)

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team opened up the 2015 season with a perfect 2-0 mark for the 16th time dating back to the 1987 campaign. The Rebels opened up action at their own Sportco Kick Off Classic with a 4-0 shutout of the Louisville Cardinals (1-1), who received votes in both major top-25 preseason polls, and followed that up with a 12-4, run-rule victory over the UC Davis Aggies (0-2) in six innings.

Coincidentally, the Scarlet & Gray opened up the 2013 season - Lisa Dodd's first at UNLV - against then-#18/18 Louisville and defeated the squad from the Bluegrass State in run-rule fashion, 10-1.

In the first contest, UNLV and Louisville were scoreless through three innings before the hosts opened the floodgates with four runs in the fourth inning. After leaving a pair of runners on base in both the second and third frames, Samantha Juarez and Alyssa Cordova changed things up in the fourth. Louisville's Madi Norman (0-1) started the inning by plunking Samantha Juarez with an offering. Jamie DePippo followed that at-bat with a sacrifice bunt to move Juarez into scoring position moments before Alyssa Cordova homered an 0-2 offering to left field.

The Rebels kept the pedal down after the two-run blast and quickly got runners - Kwynn Cooper and Jade Yadao-Valdez - aboard with back-to-back singles. With both runners in scoring position, Fahren Glackin delivered a choppy single up the middle to plate the duo and extend the lead to four runs.

Those tallies were all Cooper (1-0) needed to pick up her first win of the year in 6.0 innings of scoreless work. She helped herself in the circle by recording a pair of strikeouts and three assists on putouts. She was touched for five hits and walked four.

In the seventh, the Cardinals managed to load the bases behind a walk, a fielding error and a hit-by-pitch against Cooper. Dodd then went to the bullpen and summoned Morgan Ettinger, who got three quick outs off a double play and a groundout to end the game.

The Rebel defense was stellar, as well. From her center field position, Juarez threw out a pair of runners in critical moments of the game. Moments after UNLV had one of its own tagged out in a play at the plate in the bottom of the fourth, the Cardinals had the same happen to themselves when Juarez fielded a ball and threw home to Emily Haslinger to keep the contest scoreless through 3.5 innings. In the seventh and with the bases loaded, Juarez initiated the previously mentioned double play when she caught a fly ball and then doubled up the runner at second base.

Against UC Davis, the Aggies got on the scoreboard early with three hits, including a pair of doubles, and a hit-by-pitch against Ettinger.

UNLV responded with a run of its own when Dana Cruse (0-1) walked three straight batters after initially giving up a single to Garie Blando and striking out two. Cordova was the recipient of the third walk, which gave her RBI number three on the day.

The game remained a one-score affair until the Rebels plated five in the fourth with help from three walks and three hits. The three walks were damaging for Cruse and Alicia Paine with the former responsible for the first two passes. Blando got the hit parade going with an RBI single. Janine Petmecky then had a two-run single, which was followed by an RBI by Halle Rosario on a groundout and another tally from Glackin.

The Aggies were able to get runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, but the Rebels countered each score with three of their own each time. Haslinger was responsible for the three tallies in the fifth with a homer to straightaway center. In the sixth, UNLV sealed the game when the final three - Cordova off a wild pitch and RBI singles by Yadao-Valdez and Blando - put an eight-run differential between the teams.

Ettinger tossed the first three innings for UNLV, and she was touched for two runs off of five hits with two walks against one strikeout.

Francesca Foti entered in relief in the fourth and earned the win, her first of 2015. Foti allowed two runs (one earned) off of two hits. She also walked two and fanned one.

The UCD pitching staff combined to surrender 12 runs off of 13 hits and nine walks. Four of the Aggie hurlers gave up three runs apiece and walked at least one batter.

UNLV returns to action Saturday at 1:30 pm against #11/13 Washington and then again at 3:45 pm vs. Bakersfield.

NOTES: UNLV is now 21-10 in season openers and 26-5 in home openers dating back to 1985 ... UNLV has opened the last 11 seasons at home with the Kick Off Classic, the last nine Sportco has been the title sponsor, and has gone 7-4.