Box Score

RENO, Nev. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team (21-23 overall, 7-6 Mountain West) recorded its fifth straight victory over the Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack (13-29, 3-10) behind a 10-5 decision at Hixson Softball Park Friday afternoon. In fact, the Scarlet & Gray has come out on top in six of the past seven meetings between the Silver State foes. The Rebels' win - the first of three to be played between UNLV and UNR - gives them a leg up towards the three points associated with the sport in the standings for the Governor's Series presented by NV Energy and sponsored by Barrick Gold.

Friday's triumph marked UNLV's sixth consecutive successful outing against MW competition dating back to an April 3 win at Utah State.

The Rebels were paced by three-RBI efforts from Alyssa Cordova, Jamie DePippo and Janine Petmecky. Cordova scattered three hits in the affair, but was only outdone by teammate Samantha Juarez, who went 4-for-4 with a team-high three runs scored. In all, eight players recorded a minimum of one hit, while six scored at least one time.

UNLV jumped out to an early seven-run cushion through 2.5 innings of play behind eight hits and a pair of Wolf Pack errors. Cordova got the scoring started in the first with a two-run single that brought home Juarez and Emily Haslinger after the duo had both reached safely with singles.

Cordova delivered, once again, with an RBI single in the third after one-out singles by Fahren Glackin and Juarez as well as a walk to Haslinger. Glackin scored with ease off the base hit, while Juarez was able to touch the plate after a throwing error by UNR's centerfielder. That hit spelled the end of Megan Dortch's (4-9) day in the circle for the Wolf Pack, who summoned McKenna Isenberg into the contest in relief.

With runners on the corners, DePippo welcomed Isenberg to the game with a three-run home run to left to cap the five-run inning.

UNR slowly crept back into the affair with three runs in the home half of the third and solo tallies in the fourth and sixth to cut its deficit to three runs at 7-4.

The Rebels added some insurance in the seventh off a three-run dinger by Petmecky to left. The round tripper knocked in Juarez and Cordova, who had got the stanza started with a double and a single, respectively.

Kwyn Cooper (9-4) earned the win for UNLV in 3.0 frames of relief work. Cooper allowed one unearned run off of two hits. She struck out two against one walk. Ettinger and Mundell combined for 4.0 innings in the circle with four runs (two earned) off of five hits. The former struck out two and walked one compared to a one-walk effort by the latter.

Dortch was tagged with the loss in only 2.1 innings of her start. She surrendered six runs off of six hits and a walk. Isenberg was touched for four runs off of seven hits with one walk and one strikeout.

UNLV and UNR will return to Hixson Softball Park for game two of the three-game series Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm. Sunday's finale is slated for a 12:00 pm start.

NOTES: With help from a sixth-inning single, Garie Blando extended her season-best hitting streak to 14 games and her on-base streak to 15 ... With help from her four hits and three runs, Juarez has three four-hit and four three-run games this season ... With help from the win, UNLV increased its overall record in the head-to-head series vs. UNR to 18-6.