May 7, 2009
Final Stats
PROVO, Utah - In a game where runs were easy to come by for both teams, UNLV came up a little bit short, losing to BYU, 15-12, in the opener Thursday night of a three-game Mountain West Conference series at Larry H. Miller Field.
The two teams combined for 33 hits, including five home runs, and runs were scored in every inning but the first and ninth in the wild affair that also saw the squads combine for seven errors.
UNLV drops back to .500 at 25-25 overall and is now 9-10 in MWC play, with Tanner Peters (5-5) taking the loss as he gave up 11 runs, seven earned, on eight hits in 2.1 innings on the mound. Corey Hales came on in relief and completed the game, giving up four runs on six hits while striking out four and walking three. BYU improved to 25-21 overall and Jordan Muir (1-2) came out of the bullpen to earn the win, giving up just one hit and not allowing a run in 2.2 innings of work.
Following a scoreless first BYU starter Nathan Bunch was tagged by the Rebels for three runs in the top of the second on five straight hits, with Scott Berke driving in two with a triple to center field to start the rally. Anthony Morel laced a double to center field that scored Berke and UNLV had an early 3-0 lead.
The advantage would not last long, however, as the Cougars scored eight runs to springboard ahead, 8-3, and it would be a lead that they would not relinquish despite the Rebels repeatedly scoring runs. In the bottom half of the second BYU took advantage of two UNLV errors, as well as two-RBI hits from Chad Nacapoy, Stetson Banks and Michael Bowen, who hit a two-run home run.
Each team scored a trio of runs in the third inning, with Jesse Wight launching a solo home run as part of the Rebel rally and Nacapoy and Sean McNaughton each going deep for the Cougars in their half. UNLV scored two runs in the fourth and fifth while BYU just go single runs in those frames, and after the Rebels scored a run in the sixth on a wild pitch, they would pull to within one in the top of the seventh.
Ryan Thornton, who earlier had hit a two-run home run in the fifth, led off the seventh with a double and Wight drove him with a single to right, pulling the Rebels to within 13-12. Wight moved into scoring position on a groundout, but Muir came in and got a ground out and strike out to end the threat.
From there BYU scored a run in the bottom of the seventh and another in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to three runs, and the only hit the Rebels got the rest of the way was a single by J.J. Sferra in the eighth.
Eight of the nine Rebel starters had at least one hit on the evening, paced by Sferra and Wight who each had four, while Thornton chipped in three hits and three runs scored. BYU got three hits each from McNaughton and Nacapoy, who finished the game with five RBI.
UNLV and BYU continue their series tomorrow, with the first pitch from Larry H. Miller Field set for 6:00 p.m. (PT), and fans can watch the game on BYU TV, which is Cox Cable channel 352 in Las Vegas, as well as DirecTV channel 374 and Dish Network channel 9403.
