The UNLV softball team closed the regular season the right way Saturday, beating UNR 7-4 on Senior Day at Eller Media Stadium to complete a rivalry sweep.
UNLV improved to 31-20 overall and 18-7 in Mountain West play. The Rebels also locked in the No. 2 seed for the Mountain West Softball Championships and earned a first-round bye.
Chavez starts it fast
Keyannah Chavez gave UNLV an early jolt in the first inning, launching a two-run homer to right that scored Natalie Turner for a 2-0 lead.
UNR answered with Hannah Di Genova’s solo homer in the second, but the Rebels came right back. Maddie Scott doubled, Rachel Cook singled and UNLV loaded the bases before Turner and Chavez drew back-to-back RBI walks to make it 4-1.
The Wolf Pack pushed back with two runs in the third on Haylee Engelbrecht’s double, then tied it in the fourth on Di Genova’s second homer.
Fifth inning decides it
UNLV took control for good in the fifth.
Turner opened the inning with a bunt single, and Chavez followed with a single down the right field line. Diamond Sefe then lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Turner for a 5-4 lead.
After Amelia Weber reached on an error, Presley Barnes delivered the biggest hit of the inning. Barnes doubled to right-center on the first pitch, bringing home Chavez and Weber to stretch the lead to 7-4.
Pitching closes the door
Emma Wardlaw earned the win in relief, improving to 3-4 after allowing one run over 2.1 innings. Yanina Sherwood handled the final two innings for her third save, allowing one hit while striking out two.
Chavez led the offense by going 2-for-3 with a homer, three RBI, two runs and a walk. Turner also went 2-for-3 with an RBI, two runs and a walk. Barnes drove in two, while Scott added a double and scored.
Seniors honored
After the win, UNLV honored its six seniors: Chavez, Scott, Sefe, Turner, Weber and Bri Williams.
Up next
UNLV opens the Mountain West Softball Championships as the No. 2 seed Thursday at 6 p.m. PT in Reno. The Rebels will face the winner of No. 3 UNR and No. 6 Colorado State.
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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.
