LAS VEGAS, Nev. (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV Softball will still be searching for its first Mountain West series win of 2017 when the team returns to action next weekend as the Rebels missed their chance Sunday with a 6-1 loss to Boise State in the series rubber game. The defeat moves UNLV's record to 20-17 overall and 3-6 in league play. The Scarlet & Gray's Sunday struggles also continued with the team's record dropping to 2-7 in weekend finales in 2017.

A day after the offense exploded for eighth runs, the Rebel bats were shut down by the same Boise State pitcher that stymied them on Friday, Christina Washington. While Washington held them to one hit through six innings in the series opener, the Rebels did have more success on Sunday as they scattered seven hits over seven innings.

While the UNLV offense certainly sputtered, it was the defense that did them in as the Rebels committed a season-high seven errors, resulting in five of the six Boise State runs being unearned. The shaky defense started from the get go with the Rebels logging two errors in the opening frame that led to BSU taking a 2-0 lead.

The Rebels got one back with their lone run of the game in the bottom of the second when freshman Justine Federe and Myranda Bueno led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Federe was out on the force at third on a Jadelyn Yadao-Valdez fielder's choice, but Bueno and Yadao-Valdez advanced to third and second, respectively, on a wild pitch. Pinch hit specialist Chrissi Omalza came to the plate and fought off a couple pitches before sending a deep fly ball to center that scored Bueno from third. Their next best chance came in the fifth. Trailing 3-1, Reina Bondi and Saturday's hero Brianna Gatlin connected on a pair of two-out singles, but the rally came to an end when Bondi was thrown out at home trying to take an extra base on a Broncos error.

Freshman Breana Burke, who earned her second win of the season on Saturday in relief, made her first start in the circle of her collegiate career and gave up three runs - all unearned - in 3.1 innings pitched to be tagged with the loss. Senior Morgan Ettinger entered the game in relief for the second straight day and gave up three runs, two of them unearned, in 3.2 innings.

Next up is the annual Governor's Series matchup with in-state rival Nevada, Reno. The 2017 series will take place in Reno April 14-16, with Friday's and Saturday's first pitch at 4 p.m. and Sunday's finale set for 12 p.m.

-UNLV-