RENO, Nev. (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV Softball had its fourth chance in as many Mountain West conference matchups to take the series with a game three win, but the Rebels again found themselves on the losing end of a weekend finale with a 7-2 loss to the Wolf Pack Saturday in Reno. The result moved the Rebels' record to 21-19 overall and 4-8 in league play. With the series win, the Wolf Pack also captured three points in the annual Governor's Series competition between the two schools presented by NV Energy and Barrick Gold.

A day after the Scarlet & Gray exploded for a season-high 12 runs and 20 hits in a come-from-behind victory, the bats never got going as the Rebels managed two runs on five hits against UNR starter McKenna Isenberg - the same pitcher who shut them out in the 2-0 defeat on Friday. Rebel starter Morgan Ettinger, who also got the start on Friday and outside of allowing the first-inning home run seemed like she was getting back on track, couldn't find the same consistency Saturday as she a gave up five runs and was pulled in the second inning. Freshmen Breana Burke and Mara Kemmer teamed up to pitch the rest of the contest, giving up one run each and a combined five hits. Ettinger fell to 12-12 on the year and dropped her 10th-straight decision.

The Rebels scored their first run of the series off Isenberg in the top of the fourth to avoid a second shutout in as many games against the UNR junior. Getting the offense going was none other senior Brianna Gatlin, UNLV's leader at the plate, with a leadoff single. That was followed by a one-out walk to Alyssa Navarro and a Justine Federe single to load the bases. That brought junior catcher Brooke Stover to the plate and she delivered on an RBI groundout to put UNLV on the board. The Scarlet & Gray would get their second run on another Gatlin-Federe sequence as Gatlin knocked another leadoff single and Federe connected on her third double in the last two games to score Gatlin all the way from first. That would be all the Rebels could muster though as Isenberg went the distance to close out the Wolf Pack win.

A bright spot of the weekend was the performances of Gatlin, Federe and Janine Petmekcy in the batters box. Gatlin and Federe combined to go 9-for-22 at the plate with four doubles, three RBI and six runs scored, while Petmecky went 6-for-9 (.667) with two RBI and one run scored.

UNLV will again be on the road next weekend, this time heading to Colorado State for a three-game set, April 21-23. Friday's first pitch is set for 3 p.m. P.T. with Saturday and Sunday's games both beginning at 11 a.m. PT. The Rebels will be looking for their first Mountain West series win of the 2017 campaign.

-UNLV-