Box Score

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team (25-30 overall, 11-13 Mountain West) was on the wrong side of a 12-4 decision against the Fresno State Bulldogs (40-14, 20-4) Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Rebels erased a two-run deficit with back-to-back home runs in the fourth before the newly crowned conference champions countered with nine unanswered tallies between the fifth and seventh innings at Eller Media Stadium.

For the second straight contest the Scarlet & Gray got home runs from Alyssa Cordova and Merina Ili. Cordova, who hit a grand slam in Friday night's affair, smashed a pair of solo homers, while Ili had a two-run blast in the season's finale.

The Bulldogs got the scoring started with a two-out, two-run single by Alyssa Villalpando to plate Michelle Solomon and Kierra Willis, who had initially reached via a single and a walk, respectively.

Cordova cut into FS's lead with her first solo shot of the day in the third inning.

The visitors from the San Joaquin Valley upped their lead back to two runs in the fourth off an RBI single by Solomon.

UNLV turned things around in the home half of the fourth with the consecutive dingers. Following a walk to Samantha Juarez, Ili took the first pitch she saw from Jill Compton (28-10) over the fence in left to even the score at 3-all. Cordova handed the Rebels their only lead of the day when she drove a 1-2 pitch out of the park.

FS quickly retaliated with six runs off of six hits and some assistance from two Rebel miscues. Whitney Smith and Solomon posted two RBI apiece, while Villalpando had one more.

In the seventh, Willis and Paige Gumz added some insurance tallies to the visitor's half of the scoreboard with two RBI by the former and one by the latter.

Compton earned the win in the circle behind 4.0 innings of work. She gave up four runs off of three hits, but struck out five against one walk. Taylor Langdon relieved her in the fifth, and she held the Rebels scoreless in three frames of work.

Morgan Ettinger (10-11) was handed the loss in one inning of relief. Ettinger was touched for six runs (three earned) off of five hits. Janine Petmecky, who started the contest for UNLV, went 3.1 innings and gave up three runs off of five hits. Sydney Mundell threw 2.2 innings in the circle and also surrendered three runs off of seven hits.

Prior to Saturday's game, the softball program recognized its three outgoing seniors - Juarez, Lexie McKinnon and Emilie Valadez - as well as five on the Bulldogs' roster.