LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV's
Jesse Farrell has been named Mountain West Freshman of the Week, the conference announced today.
The freshman catcher batted a .471 (8-for-17) through five games to help the Rebels to a 3-2 week after taking the non conference series 2-1 vs. North Dakota State and splitting a doubleheader against Boise State. Farrell led the squad in RBI with nine and in slugging percentage (.941) and was second in batting average and on-base percentage (.474). In the second game of the series against the Bison, Farrell had a career day tying her career-high in hits going 3-for-4 and marked two new career-highs in RBI (six) and runs scored (three).
In game two of the doubleheader against Boise State, Farrell went 2-for-4 on the day including getting the Rebels on the board in the top of the second inning to cut the Broncos' lead in half, 2-1. She then crossed the plate to tie the game 2-all as
Ariana Martinez singled through the right side. After nearly an hour in a weather delay, the Rebels and Broncos headed into extra innings and in the top of the ninth. In the top of the ninth, with a runner on first and one out, Farrell singled to center to give the Rebels two runners on. UNLV scored the go-ahead run in to take a 4-3 lead and shut down the Broncos in the bottom half to hold onto the victory.
In the opening game of the series against North Dakota State, the Rebels and Bison were scoreless until the top of the seventh inning as NDSU took a 1-0 lead. The Rebels had the top of the order coming up to the plate in the bottom half, which included Farrell to lead things off. Farrell came to the plate and on the second pitch she saw, she roped a double to left center.
Maddie Schmidt put down a beauty of a sac bunt, which moved Farrell to third. Martinez singled to right field, which brought Farrell home to tie the game 1-all. Farrell's run ultimately became the only run the Rebels would score after playing nine innings.
The Rebels bounced back in game two of the series against the Bison, and Farrell's bat stayed hot. In the bottom of the first inning, Farrell got things going again and put the Rebels up on the board on a three-run home run. Her bat stayed consistent as she hit another RBI single to center to tie the game against the Bison 4-all.
Alyssa Trejo then brought Farrell home on a sac fly deep into left field's foul territory to take a 5-4 lead. In the top of the third inning, the Bison had a runner on first and after
Alanna Thiede sat down the batter, Farrell threw directly to first to pick off the runner for the second out of the inning. As the Rebels held the lead 6-5 going into the bottom half of the sixth inning, Farrell then sent her second multi-run homer out of Eller Media Stadium to lift the Rebels to make it 8-5.
In the run-rule finale against NDSU, Farrell tied the game in the bottom of the first inning, 2-2, on an RBI infield single. She then had a sac fly at the warning track in center, to increase the Rebels lead to 15-3 in the bottom of the second inning.
This is the first weekly nod for Farrell and the Rebels this season.
UNLV will stay on home field to face intrastate rival UNR in a three-game MW series beginning on Friday, April 12 and concluding on Sunday, April 14. This game is part of the Silver State Series, presented by America First Credit Union.
