Utah Softball Drops 8-4 Decision to UNLV

Thursday, April 28

Salt Lake City

4:00 PM

University of Utah

UNLV

4/28/2011 12:00 AM | Softball

April 28, 2011

Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY - Freshman right fielder Tara Glover hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning but the University of Utah softball team lost to UNLV, 8-4, Thursday in a Mountain West Conference game at Ute Field.

Utah (27-19, 5-2 MWC) had its four-game MWC win streak snapped by the Rebels.

Glover hit her second career home run, and her second in the last three games, to push three Ute runs across home plate as part of Utah's four-run sixth inning. The Grants Pass, Ore., native has 23 RBI this season with six coming against conference opponents.

Four other Utes had hits in the game, including Brooke Olson's first triple of the season. The Bluffdale, Utah native now has hit three triples over her career. Whitney Holm registered an RBI single for her team-leading 31st RBI of the 2011 season. Designated player Brittany Parker and left fielder Sandi Bowles also came up with base hits for the Utes.

Starting pitcher Generra Nielson had her streak of 10 consecutive victories snapped with the loss. She allowed eight earned runs on 15 hits in 6.2 innings while striking out four and walking five.

The Rebels struck first when Ashli Holland hit a one-out single and a two-run home run was hit by Tayler Aleman over the left-center field fence. Utah fell to 7-9 this season when its opponents score first.

Olson tripled the first pitch she saw over the head of UNLV's right fielder, but unfortunately the Rebels were able to get a strikeout, groundout and pop out to escape the threat without surrendering a run to the Utes.

UNLV scored two more runs in the top of the second inning when Holland lined a double down the left-field line to push Paige Emerson and Amber Peterson across the plate to give the Rebels a 4-0 lead.

The Rebels had the bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning with one out but Nielson got a strikeout and a fly out to center field to keep UNLV off the scoreboard. UNLV scored its fifth run in the top of the fifth frame when Heather Harrison slapped a single up the middle that allowed Stefany Valentino to score from second base. The Rebels hit another single to left field but Bowles got the Utes out of the inning by throwing Pauline Monreal out at the plate.

Utah answered by scoring four unanswered runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bowles singled to the right side of the UNLV right side and Olson reached on a fielder's choice. Glover then belted an 0-1 pitch over the center-field wall for her second career home run, a three-run shot that brought the Utes within two runs, 5-3. Chalese Fankhauser then got aboard after a miscue by the Rebel third baseman and Palauni drew a walk to once again put runners on first and second base. After pinch runner Taylor Austin was forced out on a fielder's choice, Holm blooped a single over the head of UNLV's first baseman that allowed Fankhauser to plate Utah's fourth run of the frame.

Harrison cranked UNLV's second three-run home run of the game over the left-field wall to give the Rebels some insurance runs as well as set the final margin at 8-4.

The Utes host San Diego State in another MWC home game tomorrow at 4 p.m. MT. Follow along with the play-by-play call and live audio at utahtutes.com.