Feb. 17, 2001
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The UNLV baseball team lost to Kansas State 20-9 at the 2001 Applebee's Baseball Fiesta in Albuquerque on Saturday. The Hustlin' Rebels are now 4-6 for the season, while the Wildcats move to 5-2.
UNLV started the game with a pair of hits from leadoff batter John Cruz and Garett Shitanishi. Cruz made it to third on Shitanishi's single and then scored on a balk. Not to be outdone, the Wildcats put two on the board in the bottom of the inning.
Both teams went scoreless in the second and then the Rebels made a move in the third, scoring four runs off five hits.
Zach Strong hit a solo home run to start the inning and bring UNLV back to the top of the order. Cruz and Shitanishi repeated with another pair of singles, setting the stage for Trent Kitsch, who brought Cruz home with an RBI single. David Trujillo followed suit with an RBI single to score Shitanishi. Kansas State then allowed Kitsch to score on a wild pitch before finally retiring the next three batters in order.
The Wildcats once again retaliated, this time nearly tripling UNLV's output. Kansas State scored 11 runs off just six hits in the third inning.
The Rebels struggled to put runs on the board until the eighth when Kitsch hit a grand slam, scoring Shitanishi, Strong and Jason Reuss. It was Kitsch's second home run on the season and his first grand slam.
Kansas State mixed up its lineup and scored seven more runs before leaving the game. UNLV went through five pitchers, none of whom pitched more than 2.1 innings. Courtney Hall (1-2) picked up the loss, giving up seven runs on six hits to start the game. Ben Scheinbaum pitched 0.2 innings and gave up six runs, only three earned. Doug Thornton gave up three runs, two earned, in 2.1 innings. Brad Maloff pitched two innings and gave up three runs, all unearned, while C.J. Martin finished the final inning and gave up one run on two hits. Martin's lone run was unearned.
Kansas State's Luke Robertson earned the win, pitching 6.2 innings and giving up five runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts.
Kitsch proved to be the Rebels most productive hitter on the day. He went 2-for-5 with five RBIs and scored twice. Cruz finished 3-for-6 with two runs scored. Shitanishi finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
UNLV wraps up play in the Applebee's Baseball Fiesta on Sunday morning against tenth ranked Nebraska. Game time is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. PST. Sunday's game will not be broadcast on radio or the Internet.
