March 13, 1999
LAS VEGAS - UNLV defeated BYU 27-5 on Saturday, March 13, to salvage the final game of the WAC three-game series at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. BYU won the first two games 12-11 on Thursday, March 11, and 6-2 on Saturday, March 12.
UNLV, 10-15 overall and 4-2 in the WAC, recorded season highs on Saturday with 27 runs and 23 hits against the Cougars. BYU, 10-13 overall and 5-4 in the WAC, scored four runs in the top of the first inning. UNLV then outscored BYU 27-1 over the rest of the game. UNLV took advantage of six BYU errors to score 10 unearned runs.
Junior All-American outfielder Ryan Ludwick was 4-for-7 with a career-high 7 RBI's. Junior designated hitter Tony DeMarco was 3-for-6 with 4 RBI's. UNLV had 6 sacrifice flys. Freshman right-hander Joe Maruffi improved to 2-0. He pitched 5 innings, allowed 4 hits, 5 runs (only 1 over his last four innings), 5 walks and 4 strikeouts. UNLV's staff allowed only 1 run and 2 hits over the final 8 innings.
On Thursday, BYU scored five runs in the top of the first inning and held on for a 12-11 victory. Second baseman Ryan Pond led BYU with a 2-for-4 performance, 2 home runs and 3 RBI. Catcher Ryan Freeman was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI. Senior left fielder Chris Adolph led UNLV with a 3-for-6 performance.
UNLV had the tying and winning runs on in the bottom of the ninth inning and Ludwick hit a fly ball to right field to end the game.
On Friday, freshman right-hander Curtis Rodriguez, 2-2, recorded the first complete game against a Rebel team this season as BYU won 6-2. He allowed 8 hits, 2 runs, 5 walks and 2 strikeouts. Junior right-hander Andy McCulloch, 2-3, pitched well for the third straight start. He pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 runs. The game was scoreless through four and a half innings. UNLV led 2-1 and BYU scored five runs over the final three innings.
UNLV, which has won six out of its last nine games, will close out its 19-game homestand on Monday, March 15, against Southern Utah at 3:05 p.m. in a nonconference game. The game will be broadcast on KSFN 1140-AM radio with Scott Robbs and Scott Taylor.
UNLV then will embark on the longest roadtrip in school's history with a 17-day, 13-game trip. UNLV will play six games at the Aggie Continental Airlines Classic in College Station, Texas, on March 19-22; at No. 1 Rice in a WAC three-game series on March 26-28; at Hawaii Pacific in a nonconference game on March 30; at Hawai'i in a WAC three-game series on April 1-3.
