Steve Puterski / LVN Photo
The Mountain West title is up for grabs.
The University of Nevada softball team swept its first conference series since 2009 with a 10-1, six-inning drubbing of New Mexico on Sunday at Lobo Field in Albuquerque.
The Pack return home Friday against rival UNLV in the first game of a three-game set at 3 p.m. at Hixson Park.
With the win, which was Nevada’s fifth in a row, the Wolf Pack stands at 27-19 (7-5 MW), while New Mexico is 19-28 (3-9 MW). After losses by San Diego State and Colorado State on Sunday, the Pack are now a half game out of the Mountain West lead.
The last conference sweep for the Pack came against Utah State in the Western Athletic Conference on April 24-25, 2009.
On Sunday, Erin Jones homered for the second time in the series as part of a five-run fourth. The inning also included a three-run double from Megan Sweet, and put the wheels in motion for the six-inning win. After the offensive outburst, the Pack led 5-1.
Five more in the sixth put the contest out of reach, sealing the victory alongside solid pitching from Megan Dortch. The sophomore from Reno won to move to 10-9 on the year, giving up no earned runs in six innings and lowering her ERA to 3.59.
Former Fallon star Sara Parsons went 0-for-3 with an RBI.
The Pack won 6-4 on Saturday and 9-6 on Friday. Parsons tallied a single and her seventh stolen base of the season on Friday.
As for the conference title race, Colorado State and San Diego State are tied for the lead. The Rams fell, 5-0, to Fresno State on Sunday, while the Bulldogs fell, 5-3, to Boise State.
Nevada, meanwhile, is tied with Fresno State for third place.
The Bulldogs and Aztecs open a three-game series on Friday in San Diego, while Colorado State visits Boise State.
Notes: Dortch is the second Nevada pitcher to win at least 10 games this season. Karlyn Jones has 15 victories to lead the Pack. … Nevada has now doubled 92 times in 47 games and hit 42 home runs.