March 11, 2000

LAFAYETTE - The UNLV Rebel softball team split two games in day one of the USL Mini-Tourney on Saturday. The Rebels defeated Eastern Illinois 8-2 in game-one and fell to No. 15 La-Lafayette 8-0 in the second contest. The Rebels are now 12-8 on the season and will face both teams again on tomorrow.

In game one, UNLV scored two runs in the second inning that began with a single to left field by Geney Orris. Debbie Hatch singled up the middle and Cassi Dysert loaded the bases with a walk. Erica Vollweiler RBI singled to score Orris and keeping the bases full. Charelle Ainslie drove in her 12th RBI of the year with a single to left field.

Eastern Illinois answered with one run in the second and third, but could not produce much offense against the pitching of Nicole Truax. Truax allowed two runs on two hits, striking out five, walking two, and committing two errors. She improves to 6-3 on the season.

The Rebels expanded the lead in the fourth inning with four runs. Dysert, who returns to the lineup after recovering from weight training injury, started the fourth inning rally with a single to the shortstop. She then advanced to second and third on two consecutive wild pitches. Ainslie reached on an error that consequently scored Dysert. Racheal Goodpaster, who is also back in the lineup after injuring her knee in a second base collision February 26, singled to left field. Nicole Miller belted her 4th homerun and 20th RBI of the season to put the Rebels back in the lead for good (6-2). UNLV would then seal the victory in the sixth with two more runs.

In the shortened five inning second game, the Lady Cajuns kept the Rebels scoreless. Vollweiler and Linda Garza compiled the only hits of the game for the Rebels. La-Lafayette's Kim Dunlap pitched a complete 2-hit game, striking out five in the process.