May 13, 2017
Las Vegas, Nev. - The San José State softball team wrapped up its regular-season schedule on Sunday with a 4-2 loss at UNLV, after having the game-tying run at the plate two times in the seventh.
The Spartans (36-17, 16-8 MW) used three pitchers with Katelyn Linford going the first four innings. She scattered four hits and gave up a run in the bottom of the third against the UNLV offense.
The Rebels opened the inning with a pair of hits and, after successive groundouts, plated the first run of the game.
In the top of the fourth, SJSU tied the game on Madison Aurin's third homer of the season. It came on a 1-1 pitch from UNLV starter Morgan Ettinger, who went the distance and earned her 13th win of the season.
Freshman Kacie Gresenz (1-5) replaced Linford in the fifth. She gave up a single, but held UNLV in check by inducing a double play to end the inning. But in the sixth, the Rebels got to her.
She gave up a single followed by homer to left, which gave UNLV (25-27, 8-16) a 3-1 lead. After a walk and back-to-back outs moved the runner to third, the Rebels picked up another run on a double to make it 4-1.
The double spelled the end of the day for Gresenz. Colette Riggs came in, gave up a single, but got out of the inning when UNLV got greedy trying to score the runner from second base. She was cut down at the plate on 4-to-3-to-2 putout.
In the seventh, pinch hitter Kaelin Amrein got a one-out walk. Julia Gallegos, also pinch hitting, then singled to left. Amrein moved to third and scored on a fielding error by the leftfielder, cutting the lead to 4-2 and allowing Gallegos to reach second.
The Spartans brought the tying run to the plate two times after the Gallegos single, but weren't able to complete the comeback.
The Spartans, the 2017 Mountain West Champions, find out tomorrow night who and where they will play in the 2017 NCAA Softball Championship Tournament.
UNLV Rebels 4, San Jose State 2 (May 13, 2017 at Las Vegas, Nev.)
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San Jose State...... 000 100 1 - 2 5 0 (36-17, 16-8)
UNLV Rebels......... 001 003 X - 4 9 1 (25-27, 8-16)
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Pitchers: San Jose State - Linford, Katelyn; GRESENZ, Kacie(5); RIGGS, Colette(6) and
Luna, Alexandra. UNLV Rebels - ETTINGER, M and HARRISON, K.
Win-ETTINGER, M(13-17) Loss-GRESENZ, Kacie(1-5) T-1:45 A-184
HR SJ - Aurin, Madison (3).
HR UNLV - NAVARRO, A (8).
Weather: Sunny and breezy
Game: SJ-LV3