UNLV softball dropped its first two games on the road at the ASU/GCU Invitational on Friday, falling 6-5 to UC Riverside and 9-2 to No. 23 Arizona State at Farrington Stadium. The Rebels moved to 7-10 on the season after the doubleheader.
Game 1: Aki’s Two Blasts, Rally Comes Up One Run Short (UCR 6, UNLV 5)
UC Riverside struck first in the second inning when Trendee Kahunahana doubled to center to drive in a run, then later scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead.
UNLV answered in the fourth. Bri Williams reached and later scored when Charelle Aki launched a two-run homer to left to tie the game at 2-2.
The Highlanders regained momentum in the fifth with three runs. Aubrey Marx delivered an RBI single, and Leilani Juan followed with a two-run single to make it 5-2. UC Riverside added another run in the sixth on an Arianna Saldivar RBI double to push the lead to 6-2.
UNLV responded again in the bottom of the sixth as Aki homered for the second time in the game, bringing the Rebels within 6-4. In the seventh, Taryn Calderon drew a leadoff walk and later scored on Williams’ two-out RBI single to left, but UC Riverside recorded the final out to preserve the one-run win.
Game 2: Early Homers Set the Tone for Arizona State (ASU 9, UNLV 2)
Arizona State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on two two-run home runs, one by Tiare Ho-Ching and another by Kaylee Pond.
UNLV got on the board in the third inning when Maddie Scott’s fielder’s choice brought home a run on a throwing error. The Rebels cut it to 4-2 in the fourth when Keyannah Chavez homered to center.
The Sun Devils answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs on a pair of RBI doubles and an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 7-2. Arizona State added two more in the fifth to close out the scoring.
Up Next
UNLV continues play Saturday at GCU Softball Stadium, opening the day against Eastern Illinois at 9:30 a.m. PT before facing UC Riverside again at 12:15 p.m. PT.
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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.
