March 26, 2010
Final Stats
PROVO, Utah - UNLV baseball loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but BYU got out of the jam to hold on to an 8-4 victory Friday night in a Mountain West Conference matchup at Larry H. Miller Field.
The Rebels, who fell to 14-10 overall and 0-2 in league games, trailed by four entering the final frame but used a double, a hit batter and a single to load the bases, bringing Richie Jimenez to the plate. Cougar starter Matthew Neil got a ground out to end the game, moving his team's record to 10-11, 3-2 in conference action, and Neil improved to 3-2 with the complete-game victory.
Trailing by three runs entering the top of the fourth, the Rebels got back into the game by playing two runs, cutting their deficit to just one at 3-2. Following a single by Jarred Frierson and then a double by Brandon Bayardi, senior Kyle Kretchmer drove both in with a single to center field.
But the Cougars answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, giving them a 6-2 lead and ending the day for UNLV starter Stephen Singer. The senior took the loss, dropping him to 1-3 overall, but he was let down by his defense, as four of the six runs he allowed were unearned, and UNLV committed four errors on the night.
UNLV scored twice in the top of the seventh to cut the margin to two at 6-4, as Bayardi tripled to lead off the inning and then scored on an error, and then Travis Feiner scored later in the frame on a fielder's choice.
That would be as close as the Rebels would get, however, as the Cougars added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run home run by Byrce Ayoso that made it 8-4.
The Rebels finished the game with eight hits, although none came off the bat of Drew Beuerlein, who saw his 17-game hitting streak come to an end. BYU had 15 hits on the evening, with five different players collecting two hits each.
UNLV and BYU will wrap up their series tomorrow, with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m. (PT), and Matt Hutchison takes to the mound to help the Rebels avoid the series sweep.
