PROVO -- Ben Saylor and Adrian Molina came up with big hits in the eighth inning to lead BYU to a 5-2 victory over Lewis-Clark State Tuesday at Larry H. Miller Field.

The Cougars (24-8-1, 10-2 Mountain West Conference) took advantage of a three-run eighth frame to propel their victory over a pesky Warriors' squad. LCS, now 28-6, came into the game ranked second in NAIA division baseball.

The game started out a pitching duel, with Cougars' starter Matt Jensen mowing through the first five innings, striking out a BYU season-high 13 batters while only giving up three hits. The Warriors' pitcher Kyle Wright was up to the challenge, matching Jensen inning to inning. BYU head coach Vance Law was impressed with LCS.

"[Lewis-Clark starting pitcher] Wright is one of the tougher pitchers we have faced this season," he said. "He had a great split-finger pitch that kept us off balance all day."

BYU started the scoring in the second when Kory Knell, Saylor and Molina strung together three consecutive singles to go up 1-0. Meanwhile, Jensen cruised until the sixth inning when Lewis-Clark tied the score. The Warriors' Dustin Fuller doubled and was knocked in on a RBI single by Joey Dyche.

LCS took a one run lead in the seventh inning when Josh Celigoy led off the inning with a walk and came around to score. Relief pitcher Justin Su`a entered the game and struck out the side to end the Warriors' threat.

BYU responded in its half of the seventh, manufacturing the tying run. Saylor struck out but reached first on a passed ball. He was sacrificed to second and took third base on a wild pitch. Sean McNaughton plated him as he got an infield single with two outs in the inning.

The Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning. Ryan Chambers singled up the middle to lead off and he was followed by a Knell walk. That is when Saylor ripped a RBI single to right that gave BYU its decisive run. Molina then came to bat and had an excellent at-bat, fouling off four pitches with two strikes before smoking a double into the left-center ally. The RBI double scored two and gave the Cougars a 5-2 victory.

BYU was led by Molina who went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Su`a added five strikeouts to Jensen's 13, two off the school record of 20 by Todd Newman in 1986 vs. Notre Dame.

The Cougars return to MWC play Thursday, when they host San Diego State at Miller Park. Game time is 7 p.m. (MDT). Play-by-play audio coverage will be available on KOVO radio 960 AM.

BYU 5, LC St. 2

LCS 000 001 100--2 9 4

BYU 010 000 13x--5 10 2

Wright, Kissock (8) and Keck. Jensen, Su`a (7) and Nelson.

WP--Su`a (4-1)

LP--Wright (3-1)

2B--McNaughton (B), Morris (L), Fuller (L), Molina (B), Celigoy (L)

Lewis-Clark State at Brigham Young Univ.
Apr 12, 2005 at Provo, Utah (Larry H.Miller Field)
Lewis-Clark State 2 (28-6)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Vogel 2b/ss..............  4  0  0  0   0  3  2  5   3
Fuller ss................  3  1  1  0   0  0  2  2   0
 Castenon 2b.............  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  2   0
Dyche cf.................  4  0  1  1   0  1  0  0   0
Keck c...................  4  0  0  0   0  3  4  1   0
Celigoy 1b...............  3  1  1  0   1  2  9  4   0
Balmer 3b................  4  0  2  0   0  2  2  1   0
Morris dh................  4  0  1  0   0  3  0  0   0
Stevenson rf.............  4  0  3  1   0  1  1  1   0
McLeod lf................  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
 Currin ph...............  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   2
 Benton lf...............  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   2
Wright p.................  0  0  0  0   0  0  4  4   0
 Kissock p...............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Totals................... 35  2  9  2   1 18 24 21   7
Brigham Young Univ. 5 (24-8-1)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
McNAUGHTON, Sean 2b......  5  0  2  1   0  1  0  1   2
VILLEZCAS, Marcos ss.....  4  0  1  0   0  0  2  1   0
NAKAYAMA, Apana dh.......  4  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   2
TAYLOR, Brandon 3b.......  3  0  1  0   0  0  0  1   0
CHAMBERS, Ryan lf........  4  1  1  0   0  0  0  0   3
KNELL, Kory rf...........  3  2  1  0   1  0  2  0   0
SAYLOR, Ben 1b...........  4  2  2  1   0  1  4  1   0
MOLINA, Adrian cf........  3  0  2  3   0  1  0  0   0
NELSON, Casey c..........  3  0  0  0   1  1 16  1   1
 CLOWARD, Casey c........  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0
JENSEN, Matthew p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   0
 SU'A, Justin p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Totals................... 33  5 10  5   2  4 27  6   8
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Lewis-Clark State... 000 001 100 -  2  9  4
Brigham Young Univ.. 010 000 13X -  5 10  2
-------------------------------------------
E - Fuller 2; Stevenson; McLeod; JENSEN 2. DP - Warriors 1; BYU Cougars 1.
LOB - Warriors 7; BYU Cougars 8. 2B - Fuller; Celigoy; Morris; McNAUGHTON;
MOLINA. HBP - TAYLOR. SH - MOLINA. SB - Stevenson; SAYLOR. CS - Dyche.
Lewis-Clark State      IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Wright..............  7.1  9  5  4  2  4 30 34
Kissock.............  0.2  1  0  0  0  0  3  3
Brigham Young Univ.    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
JENSEN, Matthew.....  6.0  6  2  2  1 13 23 24
SU'A, Justin........  3.0  3  0  0  0  5 12 12
Win - SU'A (4-1).  Loss - Wright (4-1).  Save - None.
WP - Wright; SU'A. HBP - by Wright (TAYLOR). PB - Keck.
Umpires - HP: Al White  1B: Blake Jensen  3B: Blyden Loutensock
Start: 3:08 pm   Time: 2:38   Attendance: 815
JENSEN faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Brigham Young University 2005 Season
Lewis-Clark State at Brigham Young Univ. - Play-by-Play
Apr 12, 2005 at Provo, Utah (Larry H.Miller Field)
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Lewis-Clark State... 000 001 100 -  2  9  4
Brigham Young Univ.. 010 000 13X -  5 10  2
-------------------------------------------
Lewis-Clark State starters: 6/2b Vogel; 30/ss Fuller; 9/cf Dyche; 21/c Keck; 29/1b
Celigoy; 25/3b Balmer; 37/dh Morris; 18/rf Stevenson; 11/lf McLeod; 15/p Wright;
Brigham Young Univ. starters: 15/2b McNAUGHTON; 10/ss VILLEZCAS; 24/dh NAKAYAMA;
3/3b TAYLOR; 22/lf CHAMBERS; 12/rf KNELL; 25/1b SAYLOR; 1/cf MOLINA; 8/c NELSON;
21/p JENSEN;
Lewis-Clark State 1st - Vogel struck out swinging. Fuller grounded out to 3b.
Dyche popped up to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 1st - McNAUGHTON doubled down the rf line. VILLEZCAS out
at first 1b to p; McNAUGHTON advanced to third. NAKAYAMA reached on a fielder's
choice; McNAUGHTON out at home 3b to c. TAYLOR hit by pitch; NAKAYAMA advanced to
second. CHAMBERS grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 2nd - Keck struck out looking. Celigoy struck out swinging.
Balmer struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 2nd - KNELL singled to right field. SAYLOR singled to
right field, out at second rf to 3b; KNELL advanced to second, advanced to third on
a fielding error by rf. MOLINA singled to left field, advanced to second on a
fielding error by lf, advanced to third, RBI; KNELL scored. NELSON walked.
McNAUGHTON grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b; NELSON out on the play. 1
run, 3 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 3rd - Morris doubled to right field. Morris advanced to
third on a throwing error by p. Stevenson struck out swinging. McLeod struck out
looking. Vogel struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 3rd - VILLEZCAS out at first 1b to p. NAKAYAMA out at
first 1b to p. TAYLOR singled down the lf line. CHAMBERS grounded out to p. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 4th - Fuller flied out to rf. Dyche struck out swinging.
Keck struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 4th - KNELL reached on a throwing error by ss. SAYLOR
reached on a fielder's choice; KNELL out at second 2b to ss. SAYLOR stole second.
MOLINA struck out swinging. NELSON popped up to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1
LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 5th - Celigoy struck out swinging. Balmer singled to left
field. Morris struck out swinging. Stevenson singled up the middle; Balmer advanced
to third. Currin pinch hit for McLeod. Currin struck out swinging. 0 runs, 2
hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 5th - Benton to lf for Currin. McNAUGHTON struck out
swinging. VILLEZCAS grounded out to 2b. NAKAYAMA out at first 1b to p. 0 runs, 0
hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 6th - Vogel grounded out to 2b. Fuller doubled down the lf
line. Fuller advanced to third on a throwing error by p. Dyche singled to center
field, RBI; Fuller scored. Keck struck out swinging, interference; Dyche out at
second c to ss, caught stealing. 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 6th - TAYLOR reached on a fielding error by ss. TAYLOR
out at first p to 1b, picked off. CHAMBERS grounded out to 2b. KNELL flied out to
rf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 7th - Celigoy walked. Balmer singled through the right
side; Celigoy advanced to second. SU'A to p for JENSEN. Morris struck out swinging.
Balmer advanced to second; Celigoy advanced to third on a wild pitch. Stevenson
singled to left field, RBI; Balmer advanced to third; Celigoy scored. Benton struck
out swinging. Stevenson stole second. Vogel struck out swinging. 1 run, 2 hits, 0
errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 7th - SAYLOR struck out swinging, reached first on a
passed ball. MOLINA grounded out to p, SAC, bunt; SAYLOR advanced to second. SAYLOR
advanced to third on a wild pitch. NELSON struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b.
McNAUGHTON singled to shortstop, RBI; SAYLOR scored, unearned. VILLEZCAS singled to
shortstop; McNAUGHTON advanced to second. Vogel to ss. Castenon to 2b for Fuller.
NAKAYAMA reached on a fielder's choice; VILLEZCAS advanced to second; McNAUGHTON out
at third 2b to ss to p to c. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 8th - Castenon grounded out to ss. Dyche flied out to rf.
Keck grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 8th - TAYLOR lined out to ss. CHAMBERS singled up the
middle. KNELL walked; CHAMBERS advanced to second. SAYLOR singled to right field,
RBI; KNELL advanced to third; CHAMBERS scored. Kissock to p for Wright. MOLINA
doubled to left center, 2 RBI; SAYLOR scored; KNELL scored. NELSON out at first p to
2b to 1b; MOLINA advanced to third. McNAUGHTON popped up to 3b. 3 runs, 3 hits, 0
errors, 1 LOB.
Lewis-Clark State 9th - CLOWARD to c for NELSON. Celigoy doubled to left
field. Balmer struck out swinging. Morris struck out looking. Stevenson singled to
center field; Celigoy advanced to third. Benton popped up to ss. 0 runs, 2 hits,
0 errors, 2 LOB.

Two of the nation's winningest baseball teams square off Tuesday when BYU hosts Lewis-Clark State at 3 p.m., at Larry H. Miller Field.

The Cougars, 23-8-2, host the Warriors, who bring a 28-5 record and a No. 2 ranking in the NAIA division to Provo.

You can nearly count on just two hands the teams who have beaten these two teams. In BYU's case it is UC Irvine, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, New Mexico, and UNLV, all teams which it has also beaten, and Oregon State. For the Warriors, their losses have been only to British Columbia, Portland, Washington State, Oregon Tech and Eastern Oregon.

LCSC has also beaten Utah Valley State, 18-3, and the Warriors will play at UVSC the day after competing at BYU. Lewis and Clark State has won 13 NAIA National championships (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003).

After the Cougars play LCSC, BYU then hosts San Diego State in a three-game Mountain West Conference series starting on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Matt Jensen (4-0, 4.18) is scheduled to start on the mound for BYU against LCSC on Tuesday. Reigning MWC Pitcher of the Week, Dave Horlacher (3-1, 2.94), will start for BYU on Thursday. Brandon Christiansen (3-0, 4.00) is the Cougars' starting pitcher for Friday. Saturday's BYU hurler is yet to be determined due to the ankle injury to Blake Torgerson (4-2, 5.36).

Friday's BYU-SDSU game at 7 p.m., will also be televised live nationally on BYUTV and locally by KBYU channel 11 with Jay Monsen and Gary Sheide calling the action.

This weekend at Miller Park there will be doubleheaders with BYU baseball and softball. The Cougar softball team hosts Colorado State at 5 and 7 p.m., then on Saturday it hosts New Mexico at 2 and 4 p.m.

BYU's baseball team is now receiving votes in two of the four national baseball polls, again in the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) and now the Sports Weekly/ESPN College Baseball Coaches Poll.

A multi-page release can be found by downloading the PDF file at the top of this story, which gives a detailed analysis of the Cougars.