The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) softball team lost 4-3 to San Jose State in the final game of their Mountain West opening series on March 15 at Spartan Softball Complex.
The close defeat leaves the Rebels with a record of 13-15 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while the Spartans improve to 10-16 overall and 2-1 in the Mountain West. The game saw five different UNLV players collect hits, with freshmen Taryn Calderon and Lyla Gonzalez each driving in a run. Junior Charelle Aki and sophomore Mantha Hatzenbeller both drew walks for UNLV. Sophomore pitcher Yanina Sherwood recorded a season-high five strikeouts over her 3.1 innings pitched.
After two scoreless innings, San Jose State took control in the third inning by scoring four runs on back-to-back singles. In response, Calderon singled and later scored on an error after stealing second base during the fourth inning, putting UNLV on the board. The Rebels mounted another rally in the seventh inning as Diamond Sefe and Natalie Turner led off with singles, followed by a walk from Hatzenbeller that loaded the bases. Gonzalez then hit an infield single to bring home a run, narrowing the deficit to two runs. Another Spartans’ error allowed UNLV to get within one run before a pop-up ended their comeback attempt.
Sefe led UNLV offensively throughout the series, batting .625 with five hits—including a double—an RBI, one walk, and two runs scored. She is currently on a three-game hitting streak. Hatzenbeller contributed with both a triple and a home run over the weekend and led her team with two RBIs.
Pitchers Lauren Fettic, Emma Wardlaw, Sherwood, and Raegen Everett all appeared for UNLV during the series against San Jose State. Bri Williams extended her on-base streak to sixteen consecutive games.
Looking ahead, UNLV will return home for a four-game homestand starting with Utah Tech on Tuesday, March 17 at 4 p.m., followed by a three-game Mountain West series against San Diego State from March 20 through March 22.
