April 2, 2010
Box Score
Complete Stat Packet: UNLV 9, Idaho State 8 (8 innings) 
St. George, UT --- After Idaho State University came back to score the tying run in the seven and then go ahead 8-2 in extra innings, all they needed was three more outs. Sadly for ISU, they were remarkably unattainable. UNLV scored seven times in the eighth inning on just three hits as the UNLV Rebels gladly accepted a gave that they tried to give away, beating the Bengals 9-8 in extra innings.
The fact that it ended 9-8 is shocking in and of itself, as it was just 2-2 after seven, but the teams combined for 13 runs in the eighth inning.
The game started out as a pretty good pitchers duel, but the Bengal offense came to life in the nick of time, headed by a couple of key hits from a pair of unlikely sources. Down 2-1 entering the top of the seven, the Benglas got a leadoff single from Jessica Baca, her third hit of the day to start things off. Baca's hit came against Jessica O'Connor, who relieved starter Traci Odegard and failed to pick up second save of the year.
Jocelyn Horton pinch ran and went to second on a Brittany Olsin walk. That brought up Terah Blackwell, who was just 3-for-34 for the season, but ripped a single to center to tie the game and give her a second hit in the game. ISU left the bases loaded, and Kandis Clesson got out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings, ISU's first such contest of the season.
With Megan Miller placed on second to start the inning, ISU rolled off their largest ever extra inning in school history, scoring six times. Erin Olander walked to make it 1st and 2nd with no outs, and then Courtney Darby got ISU's first pinch hit of the year, a run scoring single to make it 3-2. Baca then reached on an error, advancing Olander and Jennifer Martensen, who reentered to run for Darby. After a fielder's choice, Blackwell again struck gold, knocking in two with her third hit of the day, making it 5-2.
After Emily Hu reached to load the bases again, Taylor Marchione made it 6-2 with a single and then Desirae Hoffman added another hit to make it 8-2 with still only one out, but Miller grounded out and Olander popped out to end the inning, and amazingly it wasn't enough offense.
In the bottom of the frame, UNLV loaded the bases with no one out before Marissa Nichols made it 8-5 with a three-run bases-clearing triple, and she scored with Tara Bendt singled her home to make it 8-6. After a walk, Kandis Clesson came out of the game and Nora Maschue relieved, but she was wild. She walked Kendall Fearn ona 3-2 pitch to load the bases before Ashli Holland hit a sacrifice fly to left that not only scored Bendt, but advanced Fearn to second and Hull to third. Then Maschue, who threw a school record six wild pitches in her last outing, threw a wild pitch to score the tying run, and then Clesson returned but also threw a wild pitch allowing the winning run for UNLV.
What's crazy is the game was a pitcher's duel for seven innings, with Clesson and Odegard pitching well. Clesson was in command until the fifth, when Jaci Hull was hit by a pitch to opening the inning. After a sacrifice, Ashli Holland uncorked her third home run of the year to give UNLV a 2-1 lead.
That home run erased Jessica Baca's solo shot in the top half of the inning that cleared the left field fence. It was her second long ball of the season. The hit was one of three on the day for Baca, who also singled to lead off the seventh and kick start the rally that lead to the wild eighth inning.
The winning pitcher for UNLV was Kylie Wagner, who relieved in the middle of the eighth and allowed three earned runs, but it was good enough. Maschue faced just two batters and was saddled with the loss. For ISU, they knocked out 12 hits, three each by Baca and Blackwell. ISU had just 18 hits over the previous six games.
The Bengals have a quick turnaround, as they face Cal State Bakersfield later on Friday.
NOTES: The six runs in the eighth was a school record for most runs in an individual extra inning, but the seven allowed was also a record for runs allowed in an extra frame ... ISU had scored just four runs over the previous 42 innings before scoring six in the eighth inning .. Maschue now has 11 wild pitches, but eight in her last 1.2 innings ... Terah Blackwell's batting average leaped .070 points as she doubled her hit total.
