May 10, 2003

Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - With a 13-5 victory over New Mexico on Saturday afternoon, the 16th-ranked UNLV baseball team can now call the regular season Mountain West Conference championship its own. It is a sharp contrast to the previous four meetings this season, as all four games were one-run affairs.

The Rebels hold a five-game lead in the conference standings with four to play. It is the first-ever regular season championship for a UNLV baseball team. The closest any team came was the 1996 team that took second to Long Beach State in the Big West Conference.

The win improves the Rebels to 39-13, 22-4 in Mountain West Conference play. The Lobos fall to 33-21, 16-10 in league play.

Giovanni Pupo (4-1) earned the win for the Rebels. He gave up two unearned runs off four hits in 6.2 innings of work. Starter Matt Luca left in the second inning due to injury. He threw 1.1 hitless innings before leaving.

Khris Gross (6-3) picked up the loss. He threw 3.1 innings, giving up six runs off six hits.

Fernando Valenzuela hit his 11th home run of the season and finished the game 4-for-6 with five RBI and one run scored.

Ryan Ruiz and Garett Shitanishi added three hits each. Ruiz went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Shitanishi finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.

Brent Johnson went 2-for-6 with a pair of singles. Peter White went 2-for-4 with four runs scored.

UNLV and New Mexico will wrap up the three-game series at noon on Sunday. The Rebels will be going for the six-game season sweep over the Lobos.