LOGAN, UT (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV softball team capped an outstanding weekend in Logan with an absolute rout of Utah State in game three, beating the Aggies 17-0 in five innings to complete the series sweep. The Rebels scored six runs in the first inning and never looked back, while Rebel ace Jenny Bressler came up just two outs short of a perfect game in a one-hit shutout.
UNLV has won four straight to improve to 19-8 overall and 11-1 in the Mountain West, which is tied for first atop the league standings with Fresno State. Rebels have now swept two of their three Mountain West series in 2021.
Utah State's (10-18, 2-7) recent domination (USU had won eight of the last 11 games entering the weekend) of UNLV came to an end as the Rebels captured their first series win over the Aggies since 2015 and first sweep since 2014.
The long ball was the Rebels' best friend in Logan as UNLV hit four more Sunday - including a grand slam by freshman Janyssa Martin - after hitting six in Saturday's doubleheader victories. It was a welcome return of the dingers as UNLV had gone on a dry spell after hitting 15 through the first 13 games - including nine on opening weekend alone - before an 11-game stretch without a single one. Since the series finale at San Diego State, UNLV has hit 12 over the last four games. Even more impressive, only three of the 10 home runs on the weekend were solo shots, with the home runs producing twenty one of UNLV's 29 total runs in the three wins.
The 17 runs Sunday were the most scored by UNLV in four years under head coach Kristie Fox and are the most by a UNLV team since the Rebels won 20-1 in five innings over Santa Clara on March 11, 2016.
Bressler, who has seen many of her career wins come in close pitcher's duels, received substantial run support over the weekend, but the junior still pitched like it was a zero-zero score, taking a perfect game into the fifth inning before giving up a one-out hit. Despite coming up just short in the perfect-game bid, the Canton, Michigan, native was her brilliant self in picking up her sixth win in six league starts and her 11th victory overall on the year. Bressler allowed just the one hit and struck out seven in 4.1 innings before giving way to freshman Jenna Perez for the final two outs of the game.
UNLV jumped all over the Aggies early Sunday as senior Justine Federe plated Maddie Schmidt from second base on a RBI single. A few batters later with the bases loaded, Janyssa Martin delivered on her second grand slam of her freshman campaign to make it 5-0 with only one out recorded. The Rebels added a sixth run in the inning on a groundout RBI by Lauryn Barker. UNLV decided to match that in the second as senior Mia Trejo brought home a run with an RBI single, Samantha Diaz drove in two on her own RBI single and junior catcher Julia Vollmer connected on her first home run since her freshman season - a three-run shot - to make it 12-0 through two innings.
The Rebels picked up a 13th run on a RBI double by Denise Armendariz in the third, then added a 14th in the fourth on a pinch-hit solo home run by freshman Alexsi Barashkoff - her first career hit as a Rebel. Diaz put an exclamation point on the day with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth.
Diaz - who hit five home runs on the opening weekend of the season but hadn't hit any since, collected one in each game against the Aggies, while Federe has hit one in four of the last five games after hitting two through the first 24 games of the year.
UP NEXT: Because of the forfeited San Jose State series, UNLV has not played at home since hosting Boise State, March 20-21 to open Mountain West play. The Rebels will finally get to play at Eller Media Stadium next weekend as they take on New Mexico, April 17-18. A doubleheader is set for Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. with the series finale taking place Sunday at noon.
