UNLV roundup: Baseball team sweeps New Mexico in twin bill

Jack-Thomas Wold drove in two runs without a hit in the first game and then scored five runs while going 3-for-4 with a home run in the second game, helping UNLV to a Mountain West baseball doubleheader sweep over host New Mexico on Saturday.

The Rebels (27-23, 14-12) won the opener 4-2 behind 3 1/3 innings of perfect relief by Paul Richy. They took the second game 18-8 via a 25-hit attack that featured eight players with multiple hits and six with multiple RBIs, handing the Lobos (20-27-1, 8-15-1) their fourth straight loss.

In the first game, Wold drove in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder in the first inning and had a sacrifice fly in UNLV’s two-run third, and the Rebels never trailed.

Bryson Stott went 2-for-3, drew two walks and scored three runs for UNLV, which was outhit 8-5 in the opener. Dillon Johnson went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in the third.

Justin Watari and Jeff Deimling each went 2-for-3 with a double in the opener for New Mexico.

Cameron Jabara (2-5) started the opener for the Rebels and allowed two runs on eight hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out one. Richy fanned two over the final 3 1/3 innings, notching his first save.

Lobos starter Justin Slaten (4-5) gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits and five walks and struck out eight over 8 2/3 innings.

Max Smith, Edarian Williams and Johnson each had four hits in the nightcap for the Rebels. Wold and Stott had three hits apiece, and Stott had two of UNLV’s five doubles.

Williams and Austin Pfeifer each drove in three runs, Smith, Wold, Grant Robbins and Seth Mullis each had two RBIs, and Pfeifer, Robbins and James Gamble had two hits apiece.

Connor Mang went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, Hayden Schilling went 3-for-6 with a triple, three runs and two RBIs, and Watari went 2-for-2, drew four walks and scored four runs in the second game for New Mexico, which was outhit 25-16.

SOFTBALL

At Eller Media Stadium, Samantha Diaz hit a two-out, two-run homer in the fourth inning to back Jenny Bressler and Charlie Masterson, who combined to pitch a four-hit shutout, leading the Rebels to a 2-0 win over New Mexico that capped a three-game sweep in the teams’ regular-season finale.

UNLV (36-14, 14-9 Mountain West) won its fourth straight and eighth in its last nine games to notch the program’s most wins since the 2007 team totaled 37. The Rebels finished third in the league standings behind Colorado State and San Jose State.

With the Rams gaining the Mountain West’s automatic postseason berth, UNLV’s fate is in the NCAA Division I softball committee’s hands. The Rebels are bidding for their first postseason appearance since 2009. The 64-team bracket will be announced on ESPN2 starting at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Bressler (23-5) allowed one hit and one walk over 4 1/3 innings, Masterson gave up three hits over the final 2 2/3 innings, and each notched four strikeouts as UNLV dealt the Lobos (12-41, 3-21) their 12th straight loss.

The Rebels mustered three hits off New Mexico starter Kiana Spencer (6-18), and two played a role in the scoring. Justine Federe led off the UNLV fourth with a single and scored on Diaz’s home run.

Spencer went the distance, issuing one walk while striking out two. Aleyah Wilbon doubled for the Lobos’ lone extra-base hit.

TRACK AND FIELD

At Clovis, Calif., Avi’Tal Wilson-Perteete repeated as champion in the 800-meter run, the best of 15 top-eight finishes for the Rebels, who placed third in the four-day, 11-team Mountain West Outdoor Championships.

Colorado State won the team title with 159.5 points, followed by San Diego State (121), UNLV (99.5), UNR (78.5) and Boise State (75) in the top five. Next were Utah State (70), Fresno State (64), Wyoming (64), New Mexico (47.5), Air Force (30) and San Jose State (9).

Wilson-Perteete finished the 800 in 2 minutes, 3.56 seconds. Jasmyne Graham was second in the 100 hurdles in a personal-best and program-record 13.07 seconds and fourth in the 400 hurdles (1:02.14) and ran the third leg of the fourth-place 400 relay, which finished in 45.30 seconds.

Jonon Young was second in the triple jump (40 feet, 8.75 inches), and Jada Hicks was third in the 100 hurdles (13.13 seconds).

Kaysha Love battled through injuries to place fifth in the 100 (11.71 seconds) and sixth in the 200 (24.12 seconds).