Record-setting Rebels Win, 19-6

PROVO -- UNLV set a record 28 hits Thursday night, handing BYU its worst loss since 1999, defeating the Cougars 19-6.

The 28 hits is a new Mountain West Conference record, bettering the old mark by one. It was the most runs given up by BYU since the Rebels downed them 27-5 in 1999 at Las Vegas.

The Rebels climbed to 25-23 on the year and 10-12 in the MWC, while the Cougars fall to 10-11 overall and 17-25 in league.

Even without MWC Player of the Week David Trujillo, the Rebels found a way to keep their bats hot. After going 9-for-16 last week with five home runs and helping UNLV score 57 runs in four games, Trujillo will sit out this series with a hairline fracture of the hand suffered on Sunday afternoon against New Mexico. Since last week, UNLV has scored 76 runs in five games.

"They are a good team," said BYU Coach Vance Law. "We didn't do what we needed to. We need to try to avoid the big inning."

Garett Shitanishi made up for the loss of Trujillo's bat by tying an MWC record with six hits in six at bats. Shitanishi also had three runs scored and two RBI on the game. The Rebels followed Shitanishi's lead and nearly set a second record of their own. UNLV came within one double of the MWC game record with nine two-baggers on the night.

The game started off on pace to lower everyone's ERA with just one run scored in the first three innings. After loading the bases against sophomore pitcher Jeff Mousser in the top of the first, UNLV was kept to just one run after an assist by center fielder Doug Jackson. With Brent Johnson already across the plate and Eric Nielsen trotting home from second, Jackson caught Derek Amundsen overextended past second base. Jackson threw to Cameron Coughlan just moments before Nielsen could cross the plate, getting the Cougars out of the inning before the second run could score.

Sophomore Cougar Dave Jensen extended his hitting streak to 14 games in the bottom of the first by beating out an infield hit to second base. Junior Matt Carson followed with a shot to center field, but both were stranded on base by UNLV pitcher Robbie Van who allowed just four earned runs on 12 hits in 6.2 innings.

With the score just 1-0 in favor of UNLV going into the third inning, the Rebel bats came back to life. UNLV scored 15 runs on 16 hits in the fourth and fifth innings. UNLV chased Mousser and reliever Jeff Stone from the mound in the fifth inning. Jake Chrisman came in to fight the fire on the Rebels' bats. Chrisman struck out two and walked one in 3.2 innings giving up four runs.

The Cougars, with Ryan Adams scheduled to pitch, next take the field Friday at 7 p.m., in game two against the Rebels. BYU had swept the Rebels at Las Vegas in the first three games this season.

UNLV at Brigham Young Univ.
                May 02, 2002 at Provo, UT (Larry H.Miller Field)
UNLV 19 (25-23,10-12 MWC)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
RUIZ, Ryan ss............  6  0  3  2   1  1  2  3   0
JOHNSON, Brent cf........  6  3  4  2   0  0  3  0   3
WICKMAN, Joe lf..........  5  2  3  1   0  0  1  0   0
 REUSS, Jason rf.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
NIELSEN, Eric rf/lf......  2  2  1  1   2  1  2  0   0
AMUNDSEN, Derek dh.......  6  2  3  3   0  2  0  0   1
SHITANISHI, Garett 2b....  6  3  6  2   0  0  0  7   0
SCHULER, Tony 3b.........  6  1  3  2   0  1  0  0   2
VANKIRK, Robert c........  5  4  3  3   1  1  4  0   0
 NEPA, James c...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0
GOLDBERG, Steve 1b.......  5  2  2  1   1  1 13  0   0
VAN, Robbie p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  4   0
 WATTS, Donnie p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 GANN, Jake p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 47 19 28 17   5  7 27 14  10
Brigham Young Univ. 6 (17-25-1,10-11 MWC)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
JACKSON, Doug cf.........  5  1  1  0   0  0  1  3   0
COUGHLAN, Cameron 2b.....  5  1  1  1   0  1  4  2   1
JENSEN, Dave 1b..........  5  1  2  2   0  1  7  2   1
CARSON, Matt rf..........  3  1  1  1   1  1  2  1   0
ITRI, Rob 3b.............  5  0  1  0   0  2  0  0   2
WIENS, Ranger ss.........  5  0  2  1   0  1  3  3   0
STUBBLEFIELD, Jake dh....  4  1  2  0   0  0  0  0   0
BIRKELAND, Lars c........  3  0  1  0   1  0  5  1   4
 WILKES, Adam c..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  4  0   0
YI, Han lf...............  3  1  1  1   1  0  0  2   1
MOUSSER, Jeff p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 STONE, Jeff p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 CHRISMAN, Jacob p.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  1  1   0
 WARD, Matt p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 38  6 12  6   3  6 27 16   9
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
UNLV................ 100 690 102 - 19 28  2
Brigham Young Univ.. 000 041 100 -  6 12  2
-------------------------------------------
E - NIELSEN; SHITANISHI; JACKSON; BIRKELAND. LOB - Rebels 10; BYU Cougars 9.
2B - JOHNSON 3; WICKMAN, Jo 2; AMUNDSEN 2; VANKIRK 2; JENSEN; YI. 3B - RUIZ.
HR - VANKIRK(3). HBP - JOHNSON; WICKMAN, Jo; NIELSEN 2. SF - CARSON M.. SB -
SHITANISHI.
UNLV                   IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
VAN, Robbie.........  6.2 12  6  4  2  3 31 34
WATTS, Donnie.......  1.1  0  0  0  1  1  4  5
GANN, Jake..........  1.0  0  0  0  0  2  3  3
Brigham Young Univ.    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
MOUSSER, Jeff.......  4.0 13  7  6  2  3 22 25
STONE, Jeff.........  0.1  5  6  6  1  0  5  7
CHRISMAN, Jacob.....  3.2  7  4  4  1  2 15 18
WARD, Matt..........  1.0  3  2  2  1  2  5  6
Win - VAN (5-5).  Loss - MOUSSER (7-4).  Save - None.
WP - VAN; MOUSSER; CHRISMAN. HBP - by MOUSSER (NIELSEN); by STONE (WICKMAN, Jo);
by CHRISMAN (NIELSEN); by CHRISMAN (JOHNSON). BK - VAN 2.
Umpires - HP: Jeff Jenkins  1B: Bill Boyd  3B: Terry Balser
Start: 7:00   Time: 3:21   Attendance: 913
Game notes: Game 1 of 3...Garett Shitanishi ties MWC record with six hits and UNLV sets new MWC record with 28 hits, old 27 by SDSU vs. UNM, 2000