Softball 3/6/2017 12:00:00 AM

Tuesday Home Contest On Deck for the Rebels

March 6, 2017

GAME NOTES

Creighton at UNLV

Tuesday, March 7

4:00 p.m.

Eller Media Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

Watch Live | LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV finished out its second to last tournament of its non-conference slate at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah, going 3-2 on the weekend to move its record to 12-7 on the season. That mark through the first 19 games is the best start under head coach Lisa Dodd and is also the best for the team since they did it three-straight years from 2009-11.

The Scarlet & Gray opened the Red Desert Classic with three consecutive wins, which included a sweep on day one. Friday's victories featured two close games -- a 2-1 win over Southern Utah and a 3-1 win over Iowa State -- with the offense getting just enough done behind strong pitching. It was again senior Morgan Ettinger who came up big for the Rebels, pitching 11.0 innings over the two games and giving up just one run on six hits with nine strikeouts. She went 4.0 scoreless innings against SUU -- including coming in with no outs and two on in the ninth with UNLV clinging to a one-run lead -- then followed that with a complete-game one-run performance, her fifth seven-inning effort her senior campaign. The wins gave her 10 total for the year, matching her career high for most in a single season. In Saturday morning's win against Utah Valley, freshman Mara Kemmer made her second-ever start in the circle and had her best outing of the year, going 4.0 innings and giving up two runs on six hits with four strikeouts en route to earning her first career collegiate win. The second game of the day pitted the Rebels against Montana for the third time in a week, with Saturday serving as the rubber match after the teams split in Hawai'i the previous weekend. The Grizzlies were able to quiet the Rebel bats in earning a 6-2 victory. The UNLV offense was again cold in Sunday's finale against Binghamton in a 7-2 loss.

After two-straight weekends on the road, the Rebels will be at home for the next six before conference play gets underway the following weekend, March 17-19, at Utah State. First up is a mid-week contest on Tuesday, March 7 against Creighton, who competed in Grand Canyon University's tournament in Phoenix this past weekend and will make the quick trip up to Las Vegas to play UNLV before heading home. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Eller Media Stadium.

NEWS & NOTES

12-7 is the best start under Lisa Dodd through the first 19 games in her five years at the helm. This is also the first time they have started with that record since they did in in three-straight years from 2009-11.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, Dodd picked up her 100th career win in a 8-7 win over Northern Iowa at home. All of her career head coaching wins have come at UNLV, while she became the fourth coach in program history to reach the 100 win mark.
Streaks: The Rebels have two separate four-game win streaks this season and haven't lost more than two in a row. They enter Tuesday's game wtih Creighton on a two-game losing streak, so a loss would give them their longest skid on the season.
Ettinger matches career high for single-season wins: After matching her 2016 season total with two wins in Hawaii to bring her 2017 total to eight, Ettinger added two more wins on Friday at the Red Desert Classic, picking put a 2-1 victory over Southern Utah -- her second over them this year -- and a 3-1 win over Iowa State in her fifth complete game of the year. She did suffer her second loss to bring her overall record to to 10-2. Her 43 strikeouts have now surpassed her 2016 total of 39. Currently, she leads the conference in wins, is fourth in strikeouts and is ninth with a 2.37 ERA.
Fast Starts: The Rebels have scored at least one run in the first inning in 10 out of 19 games this season, with multi-run first innings against Louisville (4), Southern Utah (3) and Northern Iowa (3). The first inning is also their second-highest scoring inning overall, with 17 runs total in the opening frame. They are currently 8-2 when they do manage to score in the first inning. On the flip side, they are 4-5 when their opponent scores in the first inning.
Second and Third the New First?: The Red Desert Classic was the first tournament the Rebels failed to score any runs in the first inning of the five games they played. They did, however, score runs in the second and third innings for three-straight games to open the tournament -- all wins.
While Coach Dodd would likely prefer to win by larger margins, the Rebels have proved they can win the close ones as they are undefeated in one-run games with a 5-0 record.
Comeback Kids: The Rebels had some come-back magic in 2017. Over a seven-game stretch, the Rebels pulled off five come-from-behind wins, with the efforts including a walk-off home run by Janine Petmecky at home against Weber State on Feb. 17 and two late-inning home runs that proved to be the game winners -- one by Justine Federe on Feb. 24 at Hawaii and another by Alyssa Navarro against Montana in Honolulu on Feb. 25.
Fourth-Inning says it all: So far, if the Scarlet & Gray can find themselves ahead or tied on the scoreboard after four innings, there's a good chance they will go on to win the game. Currently, they are undefeated (11-0) when they accomplish that feat. On the other hand, they are just 1-7 when trailing after four innings.
Janine Petmecky's walk-off home run against Weber State on Friday, Feb. 17 was the first for UNLV since former Rebel Garie Blando hit on in a 6-5 victory over Mountain West foe New Mexico on March 27, 2015.
Senior transfer Brianna Gatlin has made an immediate impact in her first season as a Rebel. She recorded a seven-game hitting during the first 14 games of the season and safely reached base in the first 17-straight games -- a streak that ended against Montana on Saturday, March 4 in St. George. Both streaks are the longest by an Rebel this season. She currently leads the team in batting average (.370), hits (20), doubles (5), triples (2) and runs (11). Her batting average also ranks tied for 16th overall in the Mountain West.
In addition to Gatlin, another transfer, sophomore Kiley Harrison continues to be strong on the field. Harrison has made 16 starts in three different positions and is second in RBIs (9) and fourth in batting average (.308).
The freshmen also continue to make their mark on the young season. Mara Kemmer has led the way, taking hold of the leadoff spot. When she's not in right field she has spent time in the circle as a dual threat player for the Rebels. In her first year, Kemmer is hitting .279 with 17 hits, 10 runs scored and 7 RBIs while leading the team in at bats with 61. She's made seven appearances on the mound with two starts, going 1-1 in those outings and recording a overall ERA of 4.39 and 13 strikeouts. She picked up her first career collegiate win on Saturday, March 4 against Utah Valley, going 4.0 innings and giving up just two runs. The duo of Justine Federe and Emily Vela hav also see significant time in their first collegiate seasons. The two have combined for 24 starts, with Federe looking particularly comfortable at the plate, hitting .300 on the season with 15 hits, eight runs scored and eight RBIs.
Petmecky and fellow junior Jade Yadao-Valdez have set tone among the position player returners. Petmecky had another stellar weekend at the plate at the Red Desert Classic, going 7-for-15 (.467) with two doubles, two RBIs, and two runs scored to lead the team. On Saturday alone, Petmecky went 5-for-7 (.714). Yadao-Valdez has also been consistent, hitting .300 with 15 hits, eight runs and five RBIs while owning the hot corner on third base.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON
The Bluejays enter Tuesday's matchup with a 6-12 record in 2017 and having lost three of their last five. The Rebels are looking for their first-ever win over Creighton, who owns a 3-0 edge in the all-time series. This will be the first time the two teams will meet since way back in the 1987 season, when the Bluejays swept the three game series. As a team Creighton has been struggling a bit on offense, hitting just .193, while their pitching staff has seen their own trouble as well with a 4.60 ERA. Tash Coffiel leads the way on offense as she is first in batting average (.298) and doubles and is third in RBIs with six. Bryana Clark has been their best pitcher so far this season, recording a 3-4 record with a team-low 3.73 ERA and 20 strikeouts -- good for second on the team.

-UNLV-

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Players Mentioned

#7 Justine Federe: IN; 5' 2"; Freshman; HS

#4 Brianna Gatlin: SS; 5' 9"; Senior; TR

#11 Kiley Harrison: C/IN; 5' 8"; Sophomore; TR

#32 Mara Kemmer: P; 5' 7"; Freshman; HS

#5 Alyssa Navarro: IN; 5' 5"; Junior; TR

#17 Emily Vela: IF; 5' 2"; Freshman; HS

#45 Janine Petmecky: P/OF; 5' 5"; Freshman; HS

#01 Garie Blando: IF; 5' 6"; Sophomore; 1L

#19 Morgan Ettinger: P; 5' 6"; Freshman; HS

Players Mentioned

#7 Justine Federe
: 5' 2"; Freshman; HS
: IN

#4 Brianna Gatlin
: 5' 9"; Senior; TR
: SS

#11 Kiley Harrison
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; TR
: C/IN

#32 Mara Kemmer
: 5' 7"; Freshman; HS
: P

#5 Alyssa Navarro
: 5' 5"; Junior; TR
: IN

#17 Emily Vela
: 5' 2"; Freshman; HS
: IF

#45 Janine Petmecky
: 5' 5"; Freshman; HS
: P/OF

#01 Garie Blando
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; 1L
: IF

#19 Morgan Ettinger
: 5' 6"; Freshman; HS
: P