5/4/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 4, 2018WHAT A GAME! You'll want to watch these highlights from tonight's 4-3 win over the Bulldogs in Fresno❗️❗️❗️#UsNowLV pic.twitter.com/K7r9otTlc6
— UNLV Softball (@UNLVSoftball) May 5, 2018
FRESNO, California (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV softball went toe-to-toe with league-leading Fresno State (30-19, 13-6) Friday night at Margie Wright Diamond and used a seventh-inning go-ahead run to come out victorious in the 4-3 win on the road. The Bulldogs entered the weekend having lost just five Mountain West contests all year, but the Rebels weren't intimidated and ultimately silenced a rowdy crowd in Fresno.
With the win, UNLV improves to 27-17 overall and 9-10 in league play. The 27 wins are the most for the program since the Rebels went 27-18 in 2011, while the nine MW wins are their most since winning 11 in 2015. The Rebels have also won six of their last eight MW games after a seven-game conference losing skid.
With five regular season games left, the Scarlet and Gray will have a chance at its first 30-win season in seven years.
The Rebels jumped out to an early lead on FS ace Danielle East, who has been lights out during MW play, scoring three runs on five hits off of East over the first two innings. Senior Janine Petmecky got her usual Friday night start in the circle and kept a solid Bulldog offense at bay for a majority of the night, but Fresno State clawed their way back into it with one run in the second, third and fourth innings to even the score at three.
With the game still knotted at three in the top of the seventh, the familiar suspects in Petmecky and freshman Mia Trejo sparked the game-winner after Petmecky hit a triple and Trejo drove her in for the winning run.
Petmecky came out to pitch the seventh and got into a bit of a jam with runners on first and second, but the final Fresno State batter lined out right back to Petmecky to seal her 18th win of the season. It's the most wins since former Rebel pitcher Amanda Oliveto had 18 in 2013, while the right-hander is now tied for second-most wins in a single season with Oliveto and Jacque Kerrigan, who had 18 in 2004. The single-season record is 21, which also came from Oliveto back in 2011.
THE TURNING POINT: After the Bulldogs tied it up at three in the fourth, both teams went scoreless over the next two innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Fresno State singled up the middle with one out, but a big double play started by Trejo at first got the Rebels out of the innings with some pep in their step. In the next frame, Petmecky sent a ball deep into the gap in right center for the triple with one out. After Justine Federe grounded out for the second out, Trejo stepped to the plate and proved once again that she's clutch. With the count 1-2, Trejo shot the ball towards the left side into the gap that the FS shortstop ran down, but the freshman hustled to beat out her throw for the infield single that brought Petmecky home to make it 4-3.
CO-REBELS OF THE GAME: It's hard to choose just one hero in this game. Trejo has had a stellar freshman campaign and has come on particularly strong during conference play. She was responsible for driving in two of the four runs with her 2-for-4 day, which included her second game-winning hit in the seventh inning in a span of six games. She also made several big plays for the Rebel defense throughout the game. Petmecky's performance was just as significant. The senior not only limited the Bulldogs to three runs on their home field, but she also went 4-for-4 with a RBI and the big triple in the seventh to make Trejo's game-winner possible.
STAT OF THE GAME: Defense was on display for both teams during the intense battle as there were a combined four double plays in the game.
QUOTABLE: Head coach Kristie Fox:
With the win, UNLV improves to 27-17 overall and 9-10 in league play. The 27 wins are the most for the program since the Rebels went 27-18 in 2011, while the nine MW wins are their most since winning 11 in 2015. The Rebels have also won six of their last eight MW games after a seven-game conference losing skid.
With five regular season games left, the Scarlet and Gray will have a chance at its first 30-win season in seven years.
The Rebels jumped out to an early lead on FS ace Danielle East, who has been lights out during MW play, scoring three runs on five hits off of East over the first two innings. Senior Janine Petmecky got her usual Friday night start in the circle and kept a solid Bulldog offense at bay for a majority of the night, but Fresno State clawed their way back into it with one run in the second, third and fourth innings to even the score at three.
With the game still knotted at three in the top of the seventh, the familiar suspects in Petmecky and freshman Mia Trejo sparked the game-winner after Petmecky hit a triple and Trejo drove her in for the winning run.
Petmecky came out to pitch the seventh and got into a bit of a jam with runners on first and second, but the final Fresno State batter lined out right back to Petmecky to seal her 18th win of the season. It's the most wins since former Rebel pitcher Amanda Oliveto had 18 in 2013, while the right-hander is now tied for second-most wins in a single season with Oliveto and Jacque Kerrigan, who had 18 in 2004. The single-season record is 21, which also came from Oliveto back in 2011.
THE TURNING POINT: After the Bulldogs tied it up at three in the fourth, both teams went scoreless over the next two innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Fresno State singled up the middle with one out, but a big double play started by Trejo at first got the Rebels out of the innings with some pep in their step. In the next frame, Petmecky sent a ball deep into the gap in right center for the triple with one out. After Justine Federe grounded out for the second out, Trejo stepped to the plate and proved once again that she's clutch. With the count 1-2, Trejo shot the ball towards the left side into the gap that the FS shortstop ran down, but the freshman hustled to beat out her throw for the infield single that brought Petmecky home to make it 4-3.
CO-REBELS OF THE GAME: It's hard to choose just one hero in this game. Trejo has had a stellar freshman campaign and has come on particularly strong during conference play. She was responsible for driving in two of the four runs with her 2-for-4 day, which included her second game-winning hit in the seventh inning in a span of six games. She also made several big plays for the Rebel defense throughout the game. Petmecky's performance was just as significant. The senior not only limited the Bulldogs to three runs on their home field, but she also went 4-for-4 with a RBI and the big triple in the seventh to make Trejo's game-winner possible.
STAT OF THE GAME: Defense was on display for both teams during the intense battle as there were a combined four double plays in the game.
QUOTABLE: Head coach Kristie Fox:
"Janine [Petmecky] pitched an excellent game. We played very good defense and got some key two-out RBIs. We have a formula and when we execute, good things happen. This team competes and leaves it out on the field - you can see it in the way they run out ground balls and have each other's back through failures and successes."
REBEL NOTES:
REBEL NOTES:
* UNLV has won six of its last eight conference games after a streak of seven straight Mountain West losses
* The 27 wins are the program's most since going 27-18 in 2011. The nine conference wins are the most since the team won 11 in 2015
* With five games left, UNLV will have a chance at 30 wins for the first time in seven years
* Janine Petmecky's 18 wins and 126 strikeouts are the most since former Rebel Amanda Oliveto had 18 wins in 2013 and 140 strikeouts in 2014. Petmecky is tied for second in program history for wins in a single season with Oliveto and former Rebel Jacque Kerrigan, who had the same in 2004
* The is the second seventh-inning game-winning hit in the last six games for freshman Mia Trejo, who had the game-winner to seal the series victory over Boise State in game two three weeks ago
UP NEXT FOR THE REBELS: Game two between the Bulldogs and Rebels is set for 3 p.m. Saturday in Fresno.
UP NEXT FOR THE REBELS: Game two between the Bulldogs and Rebels is set for 3 p.m. Saturday in Fresno.
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