In a thrilling rivalry showdown at the 2026 Mountain West Softball Tournament, the Nevada Wolf Pack finally got their long-awaited revenge against in-state foes UNLV, storming to a 13-6 victory in the winner's bracket. Just a week after being swept by the Rebels in Las Vegas, the third-seeded and host Wolf Pack came out swinging—literally—out-hitting UNLV 18-9 in a game full of momentum swings and clutch plays.
The matchup featured a marquee pitching duel to start, with MW Pitcher of the Year Lauren Fettic making her third start against Nevada in just seven days. On the other side, Wolf Pack starter Tess Bumiller took the circle less than a day after being knocked out of warmups by an errant throw to the head. Despite looking shaken early—hitting her first two batters in the bottom of the first—Bumiller channeled her inner grit, retiring the next three hitters to escape the inning scoreless.
Nevada struck first in the second inning when Haylee Engelbrecht and Talia Tretton ripped back-to-back doubles. But with two runners on and one out, Fettic induced an inning-ending double play to snuff out the rally. UNLV answered immediately, plating two runs on a two-out, two-run double from Bri Williams to take a 2-1 lead after two frames.
The Wolf Pack tied it up in the third with back-to-back two-out doubles from Katie Wetteland and Hannah Di Genova, then loaded the bases on walks. But a spectacular diving catch by UNLV's Keyannah Chavez in deep left field robbed Nevada of a potential three-run hit, keeping the game tied. UNLV reclaimed the lead in the bottom half on a Presley Barnes RBI single and a solo home run from Mantha Hatzenbeller that sent Bumiller out of the game in frustration.
But the Wolf Pack erupted in the fourth, scoring five runs on a barrage of doubles to seize control. The offense kept rolling from there, as Nevada's bats stayed hot and the Rebels simply couldn't keep pace. With the win, Nevada advances in the winner's bracket, proving that sometimes the best revenge is a powerful offensive outburst on your home turf.