Feb. 10, 2002

LAS VEGAS - Jason Reuss placed a hit deep into center field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to score Garett Shitanishi in a 10-9 defeat of Nevada, Reno on Sunday afternoon.

The Rebels are off to a 4-2 start on the season after taking two of the three-game series, while UNR falls to 3-3.

Eighth inning reliever Joe Maruffi (1-0) threw 2.0 innings to earn the win. He threw three strikeouts and gave up one hit against seven batters.

Wolf Pack reliever Bryan Johnson (0-1) took the loss.

UNLV put together a string of six hits to go up 5-0 in the second inning, but allowed Reno to come back with three of their own in the third.

David Trujillo smashed a two-run homer over the left field wall in the fifth, putting the Rebels back up by four, but again UNR battled back.

The Wolf Pack put one on the board in the sixth, then scored five runs off four hits in the seventh.

UNLV managed one run in the bottom of the seventh but came into the ninth down 9-8.

Steve Goldberg reached on a walk then advanced on a wild pitch before Shitanishi brought him home with a single to tie the game. UNR's freshman pitcher Johnson loaded the bases before giving up the final run on the hit by Reuss.

Catcher Robert VanKirk led the Rebels offensively, going 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI. Brent Johnson also finished 3-for-5.

Trujillo went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs.

Reuss, Ryan Ruiz, Eric Nielsen and Tony Schuler each contributed a pair of hits in the contest, while Shitanishi and Goldberg each posted one.

UNR was led by right fielder Josh Laidlaw who finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

UNLV travels to Cal State Fullerton for a three-game series with the 15th ranked Titans Feb. 15-17.