UNLV baseball finishes sweep

Dean Juipe

Monday, April 10, 2000 | 9:18 a.m.

Perhaps reflecting the Rebels' general lack of success this season, the UNLV baseball team caught its fans by surprise Sunday. It seems no one in the crowd had the foresight to bring a broom.

If anyone had, they could have waved it in the direction of the field, where the Rebels completed their first three-game sweep of the season by defeating San Diego State 8-3 at Wilson Stadium. The victory improved UNLV's record to 10-25, including 3-10 in the Mountain West Conference.

"Maybe the baseball gods are smiling on us now," said head coach Rod Soesbe. "We were snakebit earlier in the season, losing close games that affect your confidence. But it's fun to play the way we did this weekend."

Riding Justin Fairbanks' seven-plus innings of solid pitching, the Rebels strung together four consecutive innings in which they scored at least one run and handed the Aztecs their 18th loss in 38 games.

Taking advantage of three SDSU errors, the Rebels bunched their eight hits and pulled within a half game of fifth-place Air Force in the six-team Mountain West. John Cruz and Michael Ford provided two hits apiece, and first baseman Trent Kitsch homered for the third straight game.

"I haven't changed anything, it's just that I'm not swinging at so many bad pitches," Kitsch said of his power-packed weekend, which raised his season totals to seven home runs and 20 RBIs. "I'm a lot quieter in the box. I'm not as eager and I'm letting the ball come to me."

His two-run homer in the fifth broke a 1-1 tie and put UNLV ahead for good.

* UNLV NOTES: The Rebels, who had lost 14 of 16 coming into the weekend, have 20 games remaining in the regular season. ... Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. was in uniform and working in spite of his father's announcement earlier in the day that he has a form of blood cancer. Mel Stottlemyre, 58, is the pitching coach for the New York Yankees. ... Outfielder Tony DeMarco was hurt in Friday's series opener and missed the final two games of the series. He'll have an MRI today to determine the extent of his right elbow injury.