March 27, 2001

CEDAR CITY, Utah - The UNLV softball team split a pair of games with Southern Utah on Tuesday. The Rebels took the first game of the double header 6-2 and the Thunderbirds won game two, 2-1. UNLV moves to 17-15 while Southern Utah stands at 12-21.

The Rebels opened a 1-0 lead in the second inning of game one on a single by junior Arica Painter, scoring freshman Lisa Moses from second. The Rebels added another run in the third inning as freshman Carrie Bayless reached on a two-out error by the Thunderbirds' third baseman. Junior Samantha Kimura belted a double to the gap, scoring Bayless for a 2-0 advantage.

SUU cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third inning but the Rebels returned the favor in the sixth inning, scoring four runs to take a 6-1 lead. Southern Utah managed only one run in the seventh inning, making the final score, 6-2. Painter finished the game 4-4 and junior pitcher Nicole Truax won her seventh game of the year and her seventh complete game.

Game two began with Southern Utah taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The game remained 1-0 until the Rebels equalized the game in the top of the fifth on a two-out single by Moses, scoring senior Marisa Martinez from second. The Rebels were unable to get anything else across through the seventh. Southern Utah came to bat in the seventh with the game tied at one apiece. With runners at second and third and only one out, the lead-off hitter, Hana Michieue hit a deep sacrifice fly to right field, scoring the game-winning run from third.

The Rebels will return home to begin Mountain West Conference play this Saturday with a double header against San Diego State beginning at noon at the Rebel Diamond.