April 26, 2008
Final Stats
OGDEN, Utah - Drew Beuerlein singled in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning as UNLV baseball scratched out a 4-3 Mountain West Conference win against Utah on Saturday night at Lindquist Field.
Michael Brenly led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, and then move up to second on a passed ball. Following a ground out, Beuerlein singled back up the middle off of Ute reliever Robert Chimpky, scoring Brenly for a 4-3 lead. That would be enough for UNLV closer Adam Moser, who despite giving up a leadoff walk, retired the next three Utah hitters to earn the win.
UNLV improved to 19-22 on the year and 8-9 in MWC games while Utah dropped to 15-21 overall and 4-9 in league games. The game was played in Odgen instead of Salt Lake City due to scheduling conflicts at McCovey Field, where the Utes normally play their home games.
From there both starting pitchers took over, as Corey Hales and Brian Budrow engaged in a scoreless dual over the next four innings. Hales only allowed two batters to reach second in the span while Budrow gave up just two hits through the seventh inning. Hales worked seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits, and Budrow pitched into the eighth before leaving with one out, as he was charged with three runs on seven hits while striking out seven.
Utah took its first and only lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth, with Jesse Shriner leading off with a single and then scoring an out later on a double on a double down the left-field line by Austin Jones.
UNLV took a 3-2 lead in the eighth on a bases-loaded, two-out single by Jesse Wight that scored Bryan Resnick and Jared Frierson, and then the Rebels quickly got the first two outs in the bottom of the frame. But then Cooper Blanc singled, stole second and then came around to score on Frierson's error, knotting the game at three.
That set the stage for Beuerlein's clutch hit in the ninth, and then Moser finished the game by working a scoreless ninth. J.J. Sferra and Wight each had a pair of hits, accounting for half of UNLV's eight in the game. Shriner finished the game with three hits for Utah, which collected seven as a team and committed three errors.
UNLV and Utah conclude their series tomorrow, with the rubber match of the three-game series set to start at 12:00 p.m. (PDT) at Lindquist Field.
