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The UNLV softball team (4-1) quickly put Saturday’s loss to No. 2 Washington behind them and found its offense again in a pair of run-rule wins over Southern Utah and Dixie State to wrap up the Rebel Kickoff Sunday at Eller Media Stadium. All four UNLV wins on opening weekend came by way of run-rule.
The Rebels found themselves trailing 5-0 to the Thunderbirds in the first game, but quickly erased the deficit and exploded for an eight-run fifth to end the game early at 13-5. In the weekend finale, UNLV blanked Dixie State by the same score as it had on Friday – 8-0 – in six innings Sunday.
The long ball was on full display at Eller Media Stadium as the Rebels hit nine total over the five games, with all nine being of the multi-run variety.
Three different Rebels alone — seniors Justine Federe and Samantha Diaz and freshman Janyssa Martin — blasted grand slams, marking the first grand slams under fourth-year head coach Kristie Fox and the first since former Rebel Alyssa Navarro hit one at Colorado State on April 21, 2017. In fact, the three on opening weekend matched the most since UNLV had three during the entire 2015 season and this is just the ninth time since joining the Mountain West in 2000 the Rebels have had three or more in a season.
The Rebel offense is on fire to start 2021 as the team collectively hit .353 behind the standout performances of Diaz and Martin.
Diaz accounted for five of the nine UNLV home runs in the final four games of the weekend after entering the season with 15 total over her three previous years. Diaz launched two two-run shots, two three-run bombs and capped it off with her first career grand slam Sunday.
Martin could not have had a more impressive start to her collegiate career. The freshman outfielder made her first start in the second game of the season Friday and proved she can more than play at this level. In her first career at-bat, Martin sent a two-run opposite field home run over the right field wall then bested that with a walk-off grand slam in Sunday’s victory over Southern Utah. Overall in four starts, Martin hit .727 (8-for-11) with seven RBI, five runs scored and the two home runs. Her defensive talents were also on display as she chased down a pair of well hit balls in right field over the weekend as well.
The UNLV pitching staff was led by junior ace Jenny Bressler, who went 3-1 on the weekend, which included collecting both wins on Sunday. In the three wins, Bressler allowed just one run on seven hits in 11.1 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts – eight of which came in the Sunday shutout against Dixie State. Freshman pitcher Jenna Perez had a solid Rebut debut, allowing just one run on two hits in 4.1 innings of relief.
Game 1 Recap (UNLV vs. Southern Utah): After two and half innings the Rebels actually found themselves in a 5-0 hole to the Thunderbirds, but it didn’t take long to erase the deficit. The Rebels managed to load the bases and Janyssa Martin brought the first UNLV run across the plate with an infield single. With the bases still loaded, it took one swing of the bat from Diaz to tie the game up at five all. It stayed that way until the fifth, when the Rebels exploded for eight runs — all with two outs — to end the game. Martin led off the inning with a single, but looked like she’d be stranded with two quick fly outs after. Three straight walks scoring the go-ahead run was followed by a two-run single, a hit and a hit by pitch to set up another bases loaded opportunity, this time for Martin. On the fifth pitch, Martin launched the ball over the wall in right center and that was that.
Game 2 Recap (UNLV vs. Dixie State): The rematch against Trailblazers was more tightly contested than the first – at least at the start – with both teams going scoreless through the first three and half innings. The Rebels struck first when sophomore Alyssa Trejo connected on a pinch-hit two-out double to score Janyssa Martin from second for the 1-0 lead. UNLV added four more runs in the fifth after a Lauren Tycksen RBI infield single, a passed ball and another Diaz two-run home run. With the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth, Fox pinch hit junior Statia Cermak and she delivered with a two-run single out to centerfield. That was followed by a pinch-hit RBI single by freshman Jasmine Martin in her first career at-bat to make it 8-0 and game over.
UP NEXT: The Rebels will be back at home for weekend two, hosting the UNLV Desert Classic Friday through Sunday at Eller Media Stadium. UNLV will welcome Weber State, Utah and Cal Baptist to town and will kick off the weekend Friday at 3 p.m. against Weber State.