UNLV roundup: Trent sets pace in home golf tournament

UNLV sophomore Jack Trent shot 5-under-par 67 on Sunday to share the lead after the first round of the three-round Southern Highlands Collegiate men’s golf tournament, and the host Rebels were tied for fourth in the 15-team field, five strokes back.

Freshman David Rauch was alone in fourth, two strokes behind Trent, for UNLV, which shot even-par 288. Fourth-ranked Georgia Tech paced the field, which includes five teams ranked among Golfweek’s top 10 and eight among the top 22.

Stanford was second at 4-under 284 and No. 6 Oklahoma third at 287. The Rebels were tied with No. 9 California No. 22 Texas Tech.

Trent, who had seven birdies and two bogeys, shared the lead with Georgia Tech sophomore Noah Norton, and Stanford junior Henry Shimp was third at 4-under 68.

Also for UNLV, senior Harry Hall was tied for 45th in the 81-player field at 3-over 75, junior Justin Kim was tied for 60th at 77, and sophomore J.J. Gresco was tied for 69th at 78.

Competing as individuals for the Rebels, junior Justin Chong and senior Alex Jordan were tied for 30th at 74, freshman Chris Ebster was tied for 60th at 77, and freshman Marco Trstenjak was 81st at 85.

BASEBALL

At Fresno, Calif., freshman Edarian Williams hit a third-inning grand slam on an 0-and-2 pitch to power the Rebels to a 7-3 victory over Fresno State in a game rescheduled from Saturday because of rain.

In Sunday’s regularly scheduled game, Carter Bins hit a tying home run and a go-ahead RBI single in the Bulldogs’ 6-4 win.

After Bradley Spooner worked two-thirds of an inning Saturday for UNLV (6-6, 2-1 Mountain West), Ryan Hare (2-1) inherited a 1-0 deficit and shut out Fresno State (6-3, 1-2) on one hit and no walks and struck out seven over 4 1/3 innings.

Williams finished the first game 2-for-4 and scored twice, and Vince Taormina, James Gamble and Max Smith also had two hits apiece for the Rebels, who held a 10-5 edge in hits. Freshman Duke Pahukoa hit a two-run single in UNLV’s three-run ninth.

In the second game, Bins went 3-for-4 with a double. His solo home run in the fourth tied the score at 3, and he added a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth. McCarthy Tatum went 3-for-4 with two doubles, including a two-run double in the fifth, for the Bulldogs.

Bryson Stott, who drew three walks in the first game for the Rebels, went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a double in the second game.

Williams, Dillon Johnson and Gamble also had two hits in the second game for UNLV, which matched Fresno State’s 12 hits.

Rebels second-game starter Chase Maddux (0-1) allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk in 4 2/3 innings.

SOFTBALL

At Conway, S.C., Stavi Augur hit a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning to back Kaitlin Beasley-Polko, who struck out eight over seven innings, leading Coastal Carolina past the Rebels 2-1 in the Chanticleer Showdown finale.

Beasley-Polko (9-2) took a shutout into the sixth, when UNLV (14-4) tied the score at 1 on a home run by Lauryn Barker. The Chanticleers (15-4) regained the lead in the bottom of the inning, when Courtney Dean singled and scored on Augur’s double.

Chelsea D’Avilar homered in the third for Coastal Carolina, which halted the Rebels’ four-game win streak.

UNLV starter Breana Burke held the Chanticleers to one run on one hit and one walk and struck out three over four innings. Jenny Bressler (7-2) gave up one run on three hits and no walks and struck out two over the final two innings.

Beasley-Polko went the distance, permitting one run on six hits and one walk.

Lauren Tycksen went 2-for-3 with a stolen base for the Rebels, who held a 6-4 edge in hits.

UNLV has matched the second-best 18-game start in the program’s 35-year history, behind only the 15-3 start of the 1995 team.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

At Tucson, Ariz., En-Pei Huang won in singles and was part of a doubles win for the Rebels (8-4) in their 4-2 loss to Arizona (8-3).

Huang won 7-6 (3), 6-1 at No. 4 singles and teamed with Aiwen Zhu for a 6-3 victory at No. 1 doubles. Izumi Asano won 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 at No. 2 singles for UNLV. Zhu’s match at No. 1 singles was not completed.