The UNLV softball team carried a scoreless game into the sixth inning Sunday before Loyola Marymount pulled away for a 7-0 win in the Red & Black Classic finale at Eller Media Stadium.
The loss dropped UNLV to 12-13 overall. The Lions scored twice in the sixth, then added five more in the seventh to break open what had been a tight pitchers’ duel for most of the afternoon.
Lauren Fettic kept the Scarlet & Gray in the game deep into the contest. Fettic worked 6.1 innings, allowed eight hits and five runs, walked one and struck out three before Yanina Sherwood finished the final two outs. Until the sixth, Fettic had matched LMU pitch for pitch and kept UNLV within striking distance.
However, Jessie Gilbert and the Lions never gave the Rebels much room to breathe. Gilbert tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out five over seven innings.
Chavez provides the spark
UNLV’s best look came from Keyannah Chavez, who collected two of the team’s three hits and delivered the Rebels’ first triple of the season.
Chavez singled in the first inning, then lined a triple to left-center in the sixth. Presley Barnes added the other UNLV hit with a single, but the Rebels could not string together the timely hit they needed. Taryn Calderon drew the team’s only walk, while Barnes and Lyla Gonzalez were both hit by pitches.
The Rebels put runners on in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings. Still, Gilbert kept escaping trouble and stranded six UNLV baserunners.
Game turns in the sixth
LMU finally broke through in the top of the sixth.
Avery Francis doubled and later scored, and Scarlett Carlson added an RBI double as the Lions moved in front 2-0. Then the seventh got away from UNLV. Loyola Marymount piled up five more runs on five hits, highlighted by Izzy Jamgotchian’s home run and RBI knocks from Taelor Walker, Analiah Lummus and Carlson.
That late surge spoiled what had been a strong defensive and pitching effort for much of the day. The Rebels were charged with one error, and their best chance to shift momentum never materialized after Chavez’s triple in the sixth.
Numbers that mattered
Chavez finished 2-for-3 and accounted for two-thirds of UNLV’s hits. Barnes went 1-for-2, while Fettic took the loss and moved to 5-5 after striking out three in 6.1 innings. Sherwood allowed two runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
For LMU, Francis went 2-for-4 and scored twice, while Carlson drove in two runs. The Lions finished with 11 hits after collecting eight over the final two innings.
Up next
UNLV opens Mountain West play on the road next weekend with a three-game series at San Jose State.
The Rebels face the Spartans on Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. PT, return Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m. PT, and wrap the series Sunday, March 15 at 12 p.m. PT. All three games will be played in San Jose, California.
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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.
