March 25, 2010

Final Stats

PROVO, Utah - UNLV baseball nearly rallied late, scoring two runs in the top of the ninth inning to pull within one, but the Rebels could not come all the way back and lost at BYU, 12-11, in a Mountain West Conference game Thursday night at Larry H. Miller Field.

R.J. Arnold drilled a two-run home run that made the score 12-11 with no outs in the ninth, but Cougar reliever David McNight retired the next three UNLV batters to end the game. The Rebels fell to 14-9 overall after losing their conference opener, with starter Tanner Peters (2-2) taking the loss after he gave up 10 runs on 12 hits in five innings of work. BYU improved to 9-11 overall and 2-2 in conference games, with Kevin Sloan (3-0) earning the win and McNight picking up his fourth save.

It was a high-scoring affair, with the Rebels churning out 12 hits at the plate while the Cougars collected 17 base knocks, which lead to numerous scoring opportunities for both teams, and each side took full advantage.

Trailing by two runs heading into the top of the third, the Rebels plated four in the top of the third, with Drew Beuerlein and Brandon Bayardi contributing RBI singles to cap the burst, which gave UNLV a 4-2 advantage. That lead would be short lived, however, as the Cougars put four runs of their own on the board in the bottom half of the frame, giving them a lead that they would not relinquish, despite UNLV's repeated efforts.

The Rebels scored twice in the fourth and added another run in the sixth before using the long ball in the eighth and the ninth innings to nearly come all the way back. With no one out and a runner on, Beuerlein connected on a deep drive to right field that made it 10-9 BYU, but like in the ninth inning, UNLV would then see its next three batters record outs, keeping the margin at one run.

Beuerlein, who extended his hitting streak to 17 games, finished the game going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while four other Rebels in the lineup each had two hits on the evening. Alex Wolfe led BYU at the plate, going 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs.

UNLV and BYU continue their series tomorrow night, with the first pitch slated to be thrown at 5:30 p.m. (PT), and senior Stephen Singer will take the mound for the Rebels.