PROVO -- Michael Bowen’s back-to-back three-run homers fueled a BYU offense that defeated Utah Valley 12-5 at Larry H. Miller Field Tuesday night.

Bowen finished the game 2-for-4 with six RBI and was complimented by Brandon Relf who was a home run shy of the cycle, batting 3-for-3.

“A lot of our offense came out of Bowen who had a tremendous game, and a lot of guys contributed like Relf,” BYU head coach Vance Law said. “I was disappointed with the way we started, but this is a good team and they believe in each other.”

Bowen’s first long ball capped off a five –run fourth inning that swung the momentum of the game in favor of the Cougars. In the first three innings, four errors allowed four Utah Valley runs forcing BYU to a 2-4 deficit.

Kent Walton led off the fifth with a single up the left side and scored on a standup double from Steve Parker. A single from Relf followed by a walk loaded the bases for Jonathan Cluff who grounded out, but scored a run. Bowen’s three-run roundtripper gave way to a 7-4 Cougar lead.

The Cougar offense continued to generate runs, as Relf doubled and scored on Kasey Ko’s single up the middle. Cluff walked to set the table for Bowen, who launched long ball over the centerfield wall to tally his second three-run homer of the night.

With an hard hit off the bottom of the centerfield wall, centerfield-replacement Stetson Banks hauled around all four bags for an inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning.

Nathan Bunch earned the win for the Cougars, allowing no earned runs through six innings. He advanced to 3-0 on the season through five appearances. Three BYU hurlers split the remaining three innings, allowing one earned run as fielding issues persisted.

The Cougars take their 14-8 overall record and 4-2 Mountain West Conference record to play the 20th-ranked New Mexico, who currently leads the Conference. They kickoff a three-game series Thursday at 6 p.m. in Albuquerque.

Utah Valley Univ. at BYU
Mar 24, 2009 at Provo, Utah (Larry H.Miller Field)
Utah Valley Univ. 5 (6-15)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Rickenbach,Jake ss.......  4  2  1  0   1  1  1  3   4
Jones,Ryan 2b............  5  0  0  0   0  0  2  6   0
Brinkerhoff,Jace 3b......  5  1  2  1   0  0  1  2   0
Burgess,Billy rf.........  4  0  1  0   0  1  2  0   0
 Bargewell,Dick rf.......  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Benson,Chris 1b..........  4  0  0  0   0  1 12  0   2
Hinckley,Josh dh.........  2  1  1  0   1  0  0  0   1
 Kallunki,Goose ph.......  0  0  0  0   1  0  0  0   0
Arendse,Kevin c..........  3  1  0  0   1  0  6  1   0
Anderson,Cole cf.........  4  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   1
Doxey,Kirk lf............  4  0  3  1   0  0  0  1   0
Sargent,Brock p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Beecher,Kyle p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Jensen,Jory p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  2   0
 Smith,Justin p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Whatcott,Brian p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Totals................... 36  5  8  2   4  4 24 16   8
BYU 12 (14-8)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
McNAUGHTON, Sean lf......  4  0  1  0   0  0  1  1   0
 NIELSEN, Dane lf........  0  0  0  0   1  0  1  0   0
LAW, Andrew 2b...........  3  0  0  0   1  0  4  3   1
 LAW, Adam 2b............  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  1   2
WALTON, Kent dh..........  2  2  1  0   1  0  0  0   2
 SLOAN, Kevin ph.........  2  0  0  0   0  2  0  0   0
PARKER, Steve 3b.........  3  1  2  2   0  0  1  2   0
 WHITNEY, Brock ph/3b....  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
RELF, Brandon ss.........  3  3  3  0   0  0  0  4   0
 VARGAS, Dan ph/ss.......  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  2   0
KO, Kasey 1b.............  1  1  1  1   2  0  6  0   0
 BILLS, Thomas 1b........  1  0  0  0   0  0  7  0   0
CLUFF, Jonathan cf.......  2  2  0  1   1  0  3  0   0
 BANKS, Stetson cf.......  1  1  1  1   0  0  0  0   0
BOWEN, Michael rf........  4  2  2  6   0  1  1  0   0
MUSSO, J.T. c............  2  0  1  0   0  0  2  0   0
 AYOSO, Bryce ph/c.......  2  0  1  0   0  1  1  1   0
BUNCH, Nathan p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 SHUTT, Justin p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 HARDESTY, Shawn p.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 NEIL, Matthew p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Totals................... 35 12 13 11   6  6 27 17   5
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Utah Valley Univ.... 121 000 100 -  5  8  1
BYU................. 110 540 10X - 12 13  5
-------------------------------------------
E - Doxey,K(3); PARKER 2(6); WHITNEY(1); RELF(11); MUSSO(2). DP - UVU 1;
Cougars 1. LOB - UVU 8; Cougars 5. 2B - Brinkerhoff(9); Hinckley,J(5);
McNAUGHTON(5); PARKER(3); RELF(4); MUSSO(3). 3B - RELF(2). HR - BANKS(3);
BOWEN 2(2). SB - Doxey,K 2(8); LAW, An.(11); WALTON(6); KO(1).
Utah Valley Univ.      IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF  NP
--------------------------------------------------
Sargent,Brock.......  3.0  5  6  6  3  0 12 15  52
Beecher,Kyle........  1.1  4  4  4  2  0  8 10  40
Jensen,Jory.........  2.0  3  2  2  0  2  9  9  36
Smith,Justin........  0.2  1  0  0  1  2  3  4  17
Whatcott,Brian......  1.0  0  0  0  0  2  3  3  10
BYU                    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF  NP
--------------------------------------------------
BUNCH, Nathan.......  6.0  6  4  0  2  2 24 26  94
SHUTT, Justin.......  1.0  1  1  0  1  1  5  6  20
HARDESTY, Shawn.....  1.0  1  0  0  1  1  4  5  23
NEIL, Matthew.......  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  3  3  14
Win - BUNCH (3-0).  Loss - Sargent,B (1-4).  Save - None.
Pitches/strikes: Sargent,B 52/31; Beecher,K 40/24; Jensen,J 36/25; Smith,J
17/10; Whatcott,B 10/8; BUNCH 94/60; SHUTT 20/11; HARDESTY 23/12; NEIL 14/12.
Umpires - HP: Jeff Richardson  1B: Lew Carleton  3B: Chad Veater
Start: 6:06 pm   Time: 2:46   Attendance: 1342
Weather: 41 degrees, windy
Game notes:
Sargent,B faced 4 batters in the 4th.
Play-by-Play
Utah Valley Univ. 1st - Rickenbach,J singled to center field (1-2).
Jones,R reached on a fielder's choice (0-1); Rickenbach,J advanced to second on
a throwing error by 3b, advanced to third. Brinkerhoff grounded into double
play 3b to 2b to 1b (1-1); Jones,R out on the play; Rickenbach,J scored,
unearned. Burgess,B grounded out to 2b (2-2). 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 0
LOB.
BYU 1st - McNAUGHTON grounded out to 2b (1-2). LAW, An. grounded out to
ss (1-2). WALTON walked (3-2). WALTON stole second. PARKER singled, out at
second lf to 3b to 2b, RBI (1-1); WALTON scored. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 2nd - Benson,C struck out swinging (1-2). Hinckley,J
walked (3-1). Arendse,K walked (3-2); Hinckley,J advanced to second. Anderson,C
reached on a fielding error by 3b (2-2); Arendse,K advanced to second;
Hinckley,J advanced to third. Doxey,K singled to left field, RBI (0-0);
Anderson,C advanced to second, out at second lf to 3b to 2b; Arendse,K advanced
to third; Hinckley,J scored, unearned. Doxey,K stole second; Arendse,K scored
on a throwing error by c, unearned. Rickenbach,J struck out swinging (3-2).
2 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 2nd - RELF tripled to right center (3-2). KO walked (3-2). CLUFF
grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b (0-0); KO out on the play; RELF
scored. BOWEN grounded out to ss (1-2). 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 3rd - Jones,R popped up to 2b (2-2). Brinkerhoff
singled to center field (1-1). Burgess,B singled to shortstop (0-2);
Brinkerhoff advanced to second. Benson,C flied out to cf (0-1); Brinkerhoff
advanced to third. Burgess,B advanced to second; Brinkerhoff scored on a
fielding error by ss, unearned. Hinckley,J grounded out to ss (1-1). 1 run,
2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
BYU 3rd - MUSSO grounded out to 3b (0-0). McNAUGHTON grounded out to 2b
(0-1). LAW, An. grounded out to 2b (1-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 4th - Arendse,K grounded out to 2b (0-1). Anderson,C
flied out to cf (1-1). Doxey,K singled to left field (3-1). Doxey,K stole
second. Rickenbach,J flied out to rf (3-1). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
BYU 4th - WALTON singled to left field (1-0). PARKER doubled down the lf
line, RBI (0-1); WALTON scored. RELF singled to right field (0-1); PARKER
advanced to third. KO walked (3-1); RELF advanced to second. Beecher,K to p for
Sargent,B. CLUFF reached on a fielder's choice, RBI (0-1); KO out at second 2b
to ss; RELF advanced to third; PARKER scored. BOWEN homered to center field, 3
RBI (0-0); CLUFF scored; RELF scored. MUSSO doubled to left center (2-2).
McNAUGHTON grounded out to 2b (1-2); MUSSO advanced to third. LAW, An. walked
(3-1). LAW, An. stole second. WALTON flied out to rf (1-1). 5 runs, 5 hits,
0 errors, 2 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 5th - Jones,R grounded out to ss (1-1). Brinkerhoff
flied out to lf (1-1). Burgess,B flied out to cf (1-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0
errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 5th - PARKER popped up to 3b (1-1). RELF doubled to left center
(1-0). KO singled to center field, RBI (2-2); RELF scored. KO stole second.
CLUFF walked (3-2). Jensen,J to p for Beecher,K. BOWEN homered to center field,
3 RBI (1-1); CLUFF scored; KO scored. AYOSO pinch hit for MUSSO. AYOSO struck
out swinging (3-2). McNAUGHTON doubled, advanced to third on a fielding error
by lf (0-0). LAW, An. flied out to rf (2-2). 4 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 1
LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 6th - AYOSO to c. Benson,C grounded out to ss (0-0).
Hinckley,J doubled down the lf line (1-0). Arendse,K reached on a fielder's
choice (0-0); Hinckley,J out at third ss to 3b. Anderson,C popped up to 2b
(1-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 6th - SLOAN pinch hit for WALTON. SLOAN struck out swinging (2-2).
WHITNEY pinch hit for PARKER. WHITNEY grounded out to p (0-0). VARGAS pinch hit
for RELF. VARGAS fouled out to c (1-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 7th - NIELSEN to lf for McNAUGHTON. LAW, Ad. to 2b for
LAW, An.. WHITNEY to 3b. VARGAS to ss. BILLS to 1b for KO. BANKS to cf for
CLUFF. SHUTT to p for BUNCH. Doxey,K grounded out to 3b (2-1). Rickenbach,J
walked (3-2). Jones,R reached on a fielder's choice (0-1); Rickenbach,J
advanced to second on a throwing error by 3b. Brinkerhoff doubled down the lf
line, RBI (2-0); Jones,R advanced to third; Rickenbach,J scored, unearned.
Burgess,B struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b (1-2). Benson,C grounded
out to 2b (0-0). 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
BYU 7th - BILLS grounded out to p (1-2). BANKS homered to center field,
RBI (1-2). Smith,J to p for Jensen,J. BOWEN struck out looking, out at first c
to 1b (1-2). AYOSO singled up the middle (2-1). NIELSEN walked (3-2); AYOSO
advanced to second. LAW, Ad. struck out swinging (0-2). 1 run, 2 hits, 0
errors, 2 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 8th - HARDESTY to p for SHUTT. Kallunki,G pinch hit
for Hinckley,J. Kallunki,G walked (3-2). Arendse,K grounded out to p (0-0);
Kallunki,G advanced to second. Anderson,C struck out swinging (1-2). Doxey,K
singled to third base (3-2). Rickenbach,J grounded out to ss (3-1). 0 runs,
1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
BYU 8th - Bargewell,D to rf for Burgess,B. Whatcott,B to p for Smith,J.
SLOAN struck out swinging (0-2). WHITNEY grounded out to p (1-1). VARGAS struck
out swinging (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 9th - NEIL to p for HARDESTY. Jones,R grounded out to
ss (2-2). Brinkerhoff flied out to lf (0-2). Bargewell,D grounded out to p
(0-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Before BYU’s baseball team travels to play nationally ranked New Mexico, it first hosts Utah Valley University on Tuesday evening.

BYU, 13-8 overall, has its first of two games against UVU, 6-14, in a contest that starts at 6 p.m. Prior to that game at Miller Park, BYU’s softball team opens its home season at 4 p.m., versus Boise State. This is the first of six back-to-back softball/baseball contests at Miller Park.

Tuesday's baseball contest is also a designated "Y Game," where student-athletes compete to see how many attend from the respective Cougar teams.

For the baseball portion of Tuesday, BYU will start freshman Natahn Bunch (2-0, 4.50), while the Wolverines will counter with St. George junior Brock Sargent (1-3, 7.77). The rematch of the BYU-UVU game will be on April 27 in Orem.

Following Tuesday’s BYU-UVU contest, the Cougars return to Mountain West Conference action when they take a 4-2 league record to New Mexico. The Lobos, 22-3 overall and 3-0 in the MWC, are ranked 21st by Baseball America and 20th by Collegiate Baseball.

The BYU-UNM games will be broadcast live locally over KSRR Radio (1400 AM). Game times at Albuquerque are Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m., with a noon start on Saturday.