Feb. 16, 2001

ALBUQUERQUE - The UNLV baseball team (4-5) dropped a 10-1 decision to Missouri (2-1-1) in the opening game of the Applebee's Baseball Fiesta in Albuquerque on Friday afternoon.

UNLV never led in the game. The Hustlin' Rebels held Missouri scoreless through three but gave up ten runs over the next four innings.

Missouri broke the 0-0 deadlock in the fourth, putting two runs on the board with three stolen bases and a pair of hits. The Tigers pulled further ahead in the fifth, scoring three runs off four hits before UNLV could shut down their attack.

The Rebels tried to make a comeback in the bottom of the fifth, but Missouri held them off.

Tony Schuler led off the inning for UNLV with a double to left field and advanced to third on a Brad Beasley single to center field. Missouri walked Jason Reuss to load the bases and John Cruz brought Schuler home with a sac fly to right field.

Garrett Shitanishi hit a single to load the bases a second time, but Dave Denton grounded into a double play that ended the inning.

The Tigers didn't let up on the attack, scoring another pair of runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh. UNLV's offensive output was held to a single hit in each the seventh and ninth innings.

Giovanni Pupo (1-2) started on the mound for the Rebels. He pitched 5.2 innings and gave up seven runs, six earned, to pick up his second loss on the season.

Missouri's Drew Endicott (1-0) pitched 7.0 innings and gave up one earned run with five strikeouts to pick up his first win of the year.

Jason Reuss, the only Rebel with more than one hit in the game, finished the day 2-for-2 and walked once. He hit a double, his first of the year, down the left field line in the seventh. Senior Trent Kitsch was held hitless for only the second time this season.

UNLV plays Kansas State on Saturday at 12:00 MST on day two of the Applebee's Baseball Fiesta. The game should be broadcast live on KSHP AM 1400 and streamed live through the internet at www.unlvrebels.com.