March 11, 2002

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV baseball team dropped a 12-5 decision to BYU in the first of a three-game series on Monday night to open conference play for both teams. The loss drops UNLV to 10-11 on the season, while BYU improves to 6-11.

Courtney Hall (0-4) picked up the loss, giving up 10 runs, of which, only four were earned. He also struck out five and walked two.

BYU's Scott Koffman (2-2) earned the win. He pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on three hits.

Seven Rebels finished with a single hit each. Brent Johnson extended his hitting streak to eight games with a 1-for-4 outing. Brad Hertel picked up two RBIs with a single to center field in the seventh, scoring Ryan Ruiz and Robert VanKirk.

The Cougars were led by Green Valley High School graduate Dave Jensen, who finished 4-for-5 with one RBI and three runs scored.

UNLV wraps up play with BYU in doubleheader action on Tuesday. The first game is slated to start at 3 p.m.