April 12, 2002

Box Score

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Senior pitchers Nicole Truax and Geney Orris combined to pitch a four-hit shutout of Colorado State on Friday, but the UNLV softball team's hopes for a sweep of the doubleheader were foiled when the Rams' Maren Christensen hit a three-run homer to win the nightcap.

The Rebels (22-28, 2-6) cruised to a 2-0 victory in the opener as Truax scattered just three singles in more than five innings of work. The senior star sat down 11 of the first 12 batters she faced and allowed only one runner to reach second base.

The offense made her job even easier, scoring once in the second on Carrie Bayless' RBI single, and once more in the third on a sac fly by Morgan Bostwick.

Orris spelled Truax with one out in the fifth and slammed the door on CSU (17-20, 4-4). She retired five of six, giving up only a meaningless two-out single in the bottom of the seventh.

The Rebels looked poised to continue their hot play in the day's late game. A one-out double by Melissa Inouye set up the scoring with runners at second and third. Amber Campbell and Bayless came through in the clutch, each batting a ball to score a run and put the Rebs up 2-0.

The lead for Rebel starter Jackie Kerrigan was short-lived, however. A one-out double in the third and a walk set up the heroics for Christensen, who dropped a long shot just over the left field fence.

It was a pitchers' duel from that point as together both teams collected just five more hits. The Rebels' found an opportunity in the sixth after Pauline Glenn led the inning off with a single and a subsequent fielding error put two runners on base. But the tying run was quashed at third after three straight outs ended the threat.

The Rebels will continue their current road swing with a Mountain West Conference doubleheader at New Mexico on Sunday, April 14 at 12:00 p.m. MDT.