STANFORD, CA (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team put a bow on its final non-conference tournament weekend Sunday by beating Stanford (19-4) for a second straight game at Boyd and Jill Smith Field. The Rebels used another day of stellar pitching and a four-run fifth inning to beat the Cardinal 4-1 on their home field, handing them just their fourth loss of the season - two now courtesy of UNLV. The game was ruled official after six complete innings when rain stopped the game in the seventh.
The Rebels went 4-1 at the tournament and 5-1 on the weekend overall to improve to 19-5 on the season, marking the third-best start through 24 games in program history. The 1995 squad owns the best record at 21-3 and the 1991 team's 20-4 record is second best. The wins also represented another milestone for the Scarlet and Gray, who had been 0-6 against the Cardinal all-time coming into the weekend and now leave the Bay Area with their first two program wins against them.
Like Saturday's first matchup with Stanford, a pitching duel ensued until the late stages of the game. Junior
Breana Burke got the start in the circle and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing just four hits with four strikeouts. Stanford's lone run was charged to Burke after
Jenny Bressler relieved her with two on in the fifth. Stanford's starter Carolyn Lee, who entered the game with 5-1 record and a 1.36 ERA, was cruising too until
Samantha Diaz, who hit the game-winner in Saturday's 1-0 victory - led off the inning with a single. Lee was pulled after that and the Rebels came up with four runs in the inning to take control.
The Rebel pitching staff continues to impress, especially over the last two weekends. Burke, Bressler and
Charlie Masterson have allowed just two runs over the last 38.0 innings pitched with four shutouts in the last six games. The trio has now held their opponents to three runs or fewer for 11 consecutive games and in 19 of 24 games this year. Over that 11-game stretch, the staff has recorded an ERA of 1.00, allowing just 10 runs in 70.0 innings pitched.
The Rebel offense wasn't as dominant in California as it has been early in the season, but it didn't matter as it came up with the timely hits it needed to get the victories. The key for UNLV was single-inning explosions as 14 of 19 runs scored on the weekend came over three total innings - two five-run sixth innings against Bucknell and a four-run fifth against Stanford Sunday.
THE TURNING POINT: After four scoreless innings between the two teams, Diaz punched a single up the middle to start the fifth. Sophomore
Jaclyn Candelas pinch ran for Diaz, then junior
Kiley Harrison and
Myranda Bueno drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with no outs. Freshman
Lauryn Barker was up next and she sent the ball down the line that forced the third baseman to get her out at first instead of the lead runner at home, scoring the first run for UNLV. That brought up junior
Reina Bondi, who sent a rocket to left field that a diving Cardinal outfielder couldn't handle for a two-run triple and 3-0 lead.
Lauren Tycksen finished off the four-run inning with a sacrifice fly to bring Bondi home for a 4-0 lead. Stanford would score one run in the bottom half of the inning on a wild pitch, but never got closer.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Cardinal held the Rebels to four hits or fewer for the second straight game, marking just sixth time that's happened this year. It didn't matter as the Rebels still came up with the victories. UNLV is now 4-2 when being out-hit by its opponent.
CO-REBELS OF THE GAME: Burke pitched another gem to pick up her fourth win of the season. She's now 4-2 with a 1.68 ERA, which leads the team. Bondi capped a stellar weekend in the Bay Area with the two-run triple in the fifth that essentially put the game away. The junior right fielder went 10-for-19 (.526) with eight RBI, a double, a triple and five runs scored in six total games over the weekend.
QUOTABLES:
"I think it was huge for us to be able to bounce back from our loss on Friday night, then come out and get two wins against Stanford. It really gives us the confidence and momentum we needed as we start conference against Boise State next weekend."
- Junior pitcher Breana Burke
"I love the way this team competes and continues to bounce back. They wanted to play these games rain or shine. The energy in the dugout was fantastic and everyone helped play a role in our success over these six games in four days. Our pitching staff is really starting to click and show consistency in their performances. These tough games against a Pac-12 opponent should help prepare us for Boise State in our first Mountain West series next weekend."
- Head coach Kristie Fox
UP NEXT: The Rebels open Mountain West Conference play at home next weekend with a huge three-game series against defending league champion Boise State, who will come to Las Vegas riding a 17-game win streak and an 18-2 overall record.
REBEL NOTES:
* Through 24 games, the Rebels are hitting .332 as a team, with seven players hitting over .300 (Bueno, Trejo, Bondi, Diaz, Federe, Cermak and Tycksen) including two over .400 (Cermak and Tycksen); Tycksen leads the way with a .468 average with 36 hits, 26 run scored and 15 RBI
* Trejo drew her 16th walk of the year against the Cardinal, which is eight more than the next closest Rebel
* Not only was Diaz the hero at the plate in the 1-0 win over Stanford Saturday, Diaz turned four double plays in the field over the weekend
* As a pitching staff, the Rebels' ERA dropped to 1.88 on the season with Burke at 1.68, Bressler at 1.83 and Masterson at 2.23
* Two long hitting streaks came to an end this weekend -
Justine Federe's team-high 15-game streak ended Saturday against Stanford and Tycksen's nine-game streak ended against UMass-Lowell Friday
* UNLV didn't swipe a base for a third straight game, marking just the eight time they haven't stolen at least one in a game. For the season they are 38-42, already surpassing the 31 total they had last year
* Rebels continue to outscore its opponents 138-44
* After a four-error day on Friday, the Rebel defense returned to form the rest of the weekend with no errors over the final three games; they've committed just 10 through 24 games
