The UNLV softball team carried an early lead into Mountain West play Friday night, but San Jose State answered late to hand the Rebels a 5-2 loss in the conference opener at Spartan Softball Field.
UNLV dropped its third straight and moved to 12-14 overall, 0-1 in league play. The Scarlet & Gray got on the board first when Mantha Hatzenbeller opened the third inning by sending the first pitch she saw over the center-field wall for a solo homer and a 1-0 lead.
That advantage held through three innings behind Lauren Fettic, who kept San Jose State quiet early. But the Spartans flipped the game in the fourth and never gave it back.
Momentum turns in the middle
San Jose State tied it in the fourth when Leataataofiti Sherlin dropped down a bunt that turned into an RBI fielder’s choice. Moments later, Taylor Chillingworth added another run on a fielder’s choice to put the Spartans in front 2-1.
The Spartans added on in the fifth. Reina Zermeno singled and later scored on Sherlin’s infield single, then Shay McDowell followed with an RBI single through the right side to make it 4-1.
San Jose State pushed the lead to 5-1 in the sixth after loading the bases. Isabella Sandoval drew an RBI walk for the final Spartan run.
UNLV threatened to answer in the seventh. Diamond Sefe led off with a double to left, Natalie Turner followed with a single, and Lyla Gonzalez worked a walk to load the bases with one out. Taryn Calderon then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run and trim the deficit to 5-2.
That was as close as the Rebels got. San Jose State brought Delaney Faus back into the circle, and she closed out the final two outs to seal it.
Numbers that mattered
Sefe paced UNLV at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Hatzenbeller finished 1-for-3 with the solo homer, while Bri Williams doubled and Aki, Calderon and Turner each added a hit.
Fettic took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. She struck out four. Raegen Everett worked the final 1.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits with two walks and a strikeout.
San Jose State managed seven hits, with Zermeno scoring twice and Sherlin driving in two runs.
Up next
UNLV will try to even the series Saturday when the Rebels return to San Jose State for game two. First pitch is set for 3 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.
