Presley Barnes delivered the final swing Friday afternoon, but UNLV could not overcome a mid-game surge from UC Davis in the Desert Classic opener.
The Rebels fell 5-1 at Eller Media Stadium, as the Aggies broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning and added three insurance runs in the seventh.
UNLV was limited to one hit. Barnes supplied it with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh.
Fourth inning flips the game
Through three innings, Emma Wardlaw matched zeros with UC Davis starter Caroline Grimes. However, the Aggies broke through in the fourth.
After a leadoff bunt single and a sacrifice, Naomi Kalanetra singled home the first run of the game. Moments later, Rylee Reeves tripled to right-center to score another and make it 2-0.
Wardlaw regrouped and kept the deficit there into the late innings. Wardlaw went the distance, allowing five runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts across 7.0 innings.
Barnes goes deep late
UNLV struggled to generate traffic against Grimes, who struck out five and allowed one hit in a complete-game effort.
The Rebels’ best chance early came in the third when Lyla Gonzalez was hit by a pitch. UNLV could not move her along.
In the seventh, Barnes finally broke through. The catcher turned on a pitch and sent it deep over the right-field wall for a solo homer, cutting the margin to 5-1.
Barnes finished 1-for-2 with the RBI and was also hit by a pitch earlier in the game. Keyannah Chavez drew UNLV’s only walk.
Seventh-inning separation
Before Barnes’ homer, UC Davis created distance in the top of the seventh. A two-out, three-run double to left-center stretched the lead from 2-0 to 5-0.
UNLV was charged with one error, and UC Davis committed one as well. The Rebels struck out five times and left three runners on base.
Up next: UNLV Desert Classic
The Rebels stay home this weekend to host the UNLV Desert Classic at Eller Media Stadium. UNLV will welcome UC Davis, Quinnipiac and Seattle U across five games in three days.
Schedule
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Friday, Feb. 13: UNLV vs Quinnipiac, 6 p.m. PT
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Saturday, Feb. 14: UNLV vs Seattle U, 3 p.m. PT
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Saturday, Feb. 14: UNLV vs Quinnipiac, 6 p.m. PT
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Sunday, Feb. 15: UNLV vs UC Davis, 12 p.m. PT
Weekend promo
Fans in attendance will receive UNLV Softball player trading cards and a 2026 UNLV softball schedule poster all weekend. UNLV will also host postgame autographs after every game, with run the bases following Sunday’s finale.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
