In Brief

COLLEGES

UNLV baseball drops Lobos, will face TCU in MWC tourney

The UNLV baseball team scored four runs in the third inning, knocking off second-seeded New Mexico 6-3 Wednesday in the winners' bracket of the Mountain West Conference Tournament in San Diego.

UNLV, seeded fifth, trailed 2-1 entering the third, but got rolling after Richie Jimenez reached on a single and Hunter Beaty was hit by a pitch. Jarred Frierson followed with an RBI single, and after Drew Beuerlein's sacrifice bunt, Brandon Bayardi walked to load the bases.

The runners advanced on a balk, scoring Beaty, and with two outs, R.J. Arnold delivered a two-run single to give the Rebels (29-27) a 5-2 lead.

The Lobos (35-19) got one run back in the bottom of the third, but Frierson added an RBI on a fielder's choice in the fourth. Rebels starter Matt Hutchison made it hold up, going 8 1/3 innings.

UNLV will face top-seeded Texas Christian at 7 p.m. today.

Also: UNLV women's tennis player Kristina Nedeltcheva extended 26th-ranked Andrea Remynse of UCLA to three sets over three hours before succumbing 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships in Athens, Ga.

Nedeltcheva, ranked 45th, went 28-10 this season and finished her college career with a 90-40 record, the fourth-most wins in school history.

Florida International's Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 49 games with a leadoff double in the ninth inning of a 7-1 loss to South Alabama at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Wittels, already with the second-longest streak in Division I history, is nine games from tying Robin Ventura's record.

CYCLING

International union seeking investigation of Landis' claims

The International Cycling Union asked national members in four countries to investigate riders and officials based on claims of doping made by Floyd Landis.

The UCI said the investigations concern Australia's Matthew White, Belgium's Johan Bruyneel -- the longtime team manager of Lance Armstrong -- Canada's Michael Barry and France's John Lelangue to establish if they broke anti-doping rules.

The UCI stressed that ordering the probes did not "in any way" imply it believes Landis' accusations. Landis has alleged that Bruyneel and Armstrong tried to cover up a failed drug test in 2001 by the seven-time Tour de France winner.

The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported Tuesday that U.S. authorities examining the Landis allegations are looking into whether they should expand their probe to include other charges involving fraud.

Also: Lance Armstrong will compete in the Tour de Luxembourg next week as part of his rescheduled preparations for the Tour de France.

Armstrong crashed in last week's Tour of California and pulled out, missing key time in the San Bernardino Mountains to hone his stamina for the pinnacle of his season in July.

MISCELLANEOUS

Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic will run under Churchill lights

The Breeders' Cup, set for Nov. 5 and 6, will finish its first day of racing under the lights at Churchill Downs.

The $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic will run the evening of Nov. 5. Churchill Downs and the Breeders' Cup released a statement saying that it will mark the first time the race will use the artificial lights at the historic racing venue.

Also: Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Boucher returned to practice after suffering a knee injury and hopes he can back up Michael Leighton in the Stanley Cup Finals, which begin Saturday in Chicago.

Boucher was the Flyers' postseason starter until he sprained a ligament in his left knee in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Leighton took over and had three shutouts in the East finals to lead the Flyers to their first Stanley Cup Finals in 13 years.

Actor Jack Nicholson will wave the green flag at the start of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.