RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team bounced back Sunday with a 6-1 win over UC Riverside to close out the weekend at UCR's Amy S. Harrison Classic. Saturday's two-game skid was short-lived as the Rebels' offense found its footing in the blowout victory.

The Scarlet and Gray went 2-2 on the weekend to move to 11-3 overall, marking the second straight year under Kristie Fox they've started with that record through the first 14 games and the fifth time in program history they've started 11-3 or better.

The Rebels were able to avenge a pair of losses they suffered at the hands of UCR in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) Regionals last May in Las Vegas.

While the pitching staff wasn't as sharp as usual in the losses Saturday, junior Charlie Masterson got it back on track against the Highlanders, shutting them down for 6.1 innings, giving up just one run on seven hits with four strikeouts. Freshman Jenny Bressler entered the game in the seventh to get the final two outs and seal the victory.

After being held to three runs over a span of 17 innings, UNLV's offense found its groove again in the fourth inning against the Highlanders, when it exploded for five runs in the frame to essentially put the game away. The Rebels are now outscoring opponents 86-34 this year.

THE TURNING POINT: Leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth, sophomore CC Caccamise drew a walk to begin the inning, but her pinch-runner Julia Vollmer was thrown out trying to steal third after a Myranda Bueno single. With one out, Bueno stole second and back-to-back singles by Lauryn Barker and Lauren Tycksen loaded the bases. That brought up junior Reina Bondi, who singled down the right field line to score Bueno and Barker and make it 3-0. With two outs, Tycksen would make it 4-0 after scoring on a wild pitch, then a Mia Trejo double brought Bondi around to score for a 5-0 lead and a single by Justine Federe brought Trejo home for the 6-0 lead.

STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV held its opponent to two or fewer runs for the eighth time this year.

REBEL OF THE GAME: Masterson turned in the performance the Rebels needed after some struggles on Saturday. The Boulder City, Nevada, native has been a steady arm in the circle so far this season and is now 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA.

QUOTABLES: 
"This team has a short memory and it showed a lot of confidence in the process to turn things around overnight. They battled and definitely showed more focus today, especially at the plate. Charlie pitched a really good game, she executed the game plan and was really hitting her spots. She did a great job keeping the hitters off balance."
- Head coach Kristie Fox

REBEL NOTES: 
* UNLV now leads the all-time series with UCR 12-5
* The Rebels' longest winning streak of the season is six games and longest losing streak is two
* Junior Reina Bondi moved to the two-hole Sunday and it seemed to pay off as she went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored against the Highlanders
* Masterson was the top performer in the circle in California, going 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA, giving up just three runs in 10.1 innings pitched with nine strikeouts
* Junior Justine Federe extended her hitting streak to seven games with a 2-for-3 day against the Highlanders. Federe was one of the top performers at the plate over the weekend as she went 5-for-11 (.455) with three RBI and two runs scored
* After going 5-for-7 on stolen bases this weekend, UNLV is now 30-for-33 in 14 games after swiping just 31 bases all of last season
* Freshman Statia Cermak has made the most of her opportunities at the plate this season as she is 9-for-15 (.600), which includes 5-for-5 with four RBI in pinch-hit situations
* UNLV committed one error against UCR. For the season, the Rebels have only committed an error in five games and have yet to commit more than one in a game