SOFTBALL DROPS HEARTBREAKER TO UNLV IN THIRD ROUND OF THE CAPITAL CLASSIC

3/21/2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – UNLV’s Ashli Holland hit a two-out, three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to help the Rebels erase a two-run deficit and defeat Sacramento State, 9-8, in the third round of the Capital Classic softball tournament Saturday afternoon.

The game was the third of the tournament for both teams, as UNLV (23-9 overall) improved to 2-1. Sacramento State (10-17) dropped to 1-2 at the Capital Classic, a tournament the Hornets are hosting for the 17th consecutive season. Sacramento State and UNLV are two of the seven teams taking part in the four-day, 14-game tournament. The Hornets play their fourth and final game tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. against Dartmouth.

Holland’s home run, which cleared the scoreboard that sits above the left-center field wall, came on a 3-2 pitch as UNLV was down to its last strike. Sacramento State freshman reliever Shelby Voelz began the inning by hitting Jaci Hull and walking Kendall Fearn to place runners at first and second. Voelz recovered to strike out both Korin Cuico and Brittany Meade, but that set up Holland’s dramatic at-bat.

Sacramento State got the leadoff runner (Izmena Cabrera) aboard in the bottom of the seventh, but UNLV reliever Stephanie Bregante retired the next three batters in succession to end the game.

The two teams combined for 17 runs and 17 hits, as Sacramento State had eight hits, including two each Cabrera and Jamie Schloredt. It was Schloredt’s three-run homer (her fifth of the season) in the first inning that gave Sacramento State a 3-2 lead. The Hornets tacked on three more runs in the second on a two-run single from Cabrera, and an RBI-single from Schloredt.

After UNLV scored another run in the top of the fifth, Sacramento State scored twice more in the bottom of the inning (two-run double from pinch hitter Sherry Clark) to take a five-run lead at 8-3.

However, the Rebels scored three runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings to pull out the win. Each of the three Hornet pitchers that appeared in today’s game (Megan Schaefer, Brittani Clifford and Voelz) allowed three runs, and Voelz (4-6) took the loss.

Bregante (7-2) got the win, allowing three hits and two runs in 5.1 innings of relief. Besides Holland, Marissa Nichols and Jaci Hull also homered for the Rebels as the three combined for six of the team’s seven RBIs.

Schloredt finished with four RBIs, Cabrera had two, and Clark finished with a pair of RBIs. Cabrera improved her career-best hitting streak to 10 games as the senior finished 2-for-3.