Rebels blanked by Lobos after no-hit softball win

Friday, May 12, 2000 | 11:44 a.m.

The University of New Mexico followed the trend of the day by blasting an early home run to defeat UNLV, 7-0, in the Mountain West Conference Softball Championship Thursday at Salt Lake City.

New Mexico improved to 37-17 while UNLV fell to 18-40. The Rebels were to meet BYU in a loser's bracket game this afternoon.

The Lobos scored five times in the second inning, four of those coming on a grand slam by Danielle Cassara, her 10th homer of the season.

UNLV's Nicole Truax was tagged with the loss and slipped to 8-22.

The Rebels' Geney Orris pitched a no-hitter in the first game of the tournament earlier Thursday to lead fifth-seeded UNLV to a 14-3 victory over No. 3 San Diego State.

The Rebels' Racheal Goodpaster blasted two home runs in a game delayed two hours due to snow.

UNLV scored three times in the first inning on back-to-back home runs by Goodpaster and Orris. The Rebels added another run before SDSU got on the board with three runs, two unearned, in the second. UNLV added five runs in the fourth and five more in the sixth to invoke the mercy rule.

San Diego State starting pitcher Sandra Durazo, who led the conference with a 1.86 ERA during the regular season, allowed 11 hits and eight runs in 3 2/3 innings.