Top-seeded New Mexico Eliminated by Cougars, 6-3

LAS VEGAS -- Top-seeded New Mexico was eliminated by BYU Friday afternoon, 6-3, to start the third round of the Mountain West Conference Baseball Tournament.

Senior pitchers Micah Mangrum and Rusty Gray combined for the victory and save in holding the Lobos at bay in the 91-degree heat to advance for a rematch Friday evening against San Diego State.

"I was going to leave it all out there and put it on the table," said Mangrum in what may be his final appearance for the Cougars. "When they got on I focused harder and seemed to bear down more."

Doubles in the second inning by Matt Carson, Seth King and Cameron Coughlan gave BYU a 3-0 lead. A 643 double play with two Lobos on and one out spared Mangrum in the second.

Las Vegas native Nick Day led off with a BYU single in the third and he ran the bases well enough to score off Kainoa Obrey's single. Another double play cut short a Lobo rally after Troy Cairns scored following his leadoff double in the third.

Another leadoff runner scored for UNM as more drama unfolded in the fourth. With two outs, BYU second baseman Nate Mathis' tag on Mark Okano was stripped to move runners to third and second before the inning ended.

Day scored again through alert base-running after being hit by a pitch in the fifth after Carson beat out a doulble play in the fifth. Mangrum struck out Dusty Young to end the sixth with two men on. Again with two men on in the seventh and no outs, Mangrum struck out MWC Player of the Year Aaron Sisk for the second time.

Rusty Gray replaced Mangrum in the eighth with two on and no outs. After Carson made a diving catch on the right field line, Gray struck out the next two Lobos looking and Aaron Stanley was ejected for arguing the call.

"The name of the game is pitching and if we got that we had a chance to win," said BYU Coach Vance Law. "Micah came right out in the first inning and went after people and that set the tone for the game. We played solid and turned a couple of key double plays."

Mangrum ended his season with an 8-8 record as a starter with a career 16-19 mark in 61 appearances. Regular season league champion UNM finishes with a 35-21 record. BYU takes a 29-28 record into Friday evening's game with San Diego State.

The Automated ScoreBook
                       Brigham Young Univ. vs New Mexico
                May 19, 2000 at Las Vegas, Nev. (Wilson Stadium)
Brigham Young Univ. 6 (29-28)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
COUGHLAN, Cameron dh.....  5  0  2  2   0  1  0  0   2
PETERSON, Craig 1b.......  3  0  0  0   1  0  9  1   1
 HAGUEWOOD, Ty 1b........  1  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   0
DAY, Nick cf/lf..........  3  2  1  0   1  2  2  0   0
DAVIES, Michael c........  5  0  2  0   0  0  7  0   2
CARSON, Matt rf..........  4  1  1  1   0  1  2  0   1
OBREY, Kainoa 3b.........  3  2  2  1   1  1  1  1   1
WHITLEY, Aaron lf........  4  0  2  0   0  0  0  0   0
 GREENE, Nick cf.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
KING, Seth ss............  4  1  1  1   0  0  3  5   0
MATHIS, Nate 2b..........  4  0  1  1   0  0  1  5   0
MANGRUM, Micah p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  1  1   0
 GRAY, Rusty p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 36  6 12  6   3  5 27 13   8
New Mexico 3 (35-21)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
STANLEY, Aaron lf........  5  0  2  1   0  1  4  0   2
 KITAMURA, Jared lf......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
CANDELARIA, Scott 1b.....  5  0  1  0   0  0  2  1   0
SISK, Aaron 3b...........  5  0  1  0   0  2  2  1   0
DENNIS, Dee dh...........  4  1  0  0   1  0  0  0   3
LITTLE, Jake c...........  3  1  1  0   2  1  5  2   1
SEVIERI, Donny rf........  4  0  1  0   0  1  1  0   0
OKANO, Mark cf...........  4  0  3  1   0  0  4  0   0
YOUNG, Dusty ss..........  4  0  1  0   0  1  2  0   3
CAIRNS, Troy 2b..........  4  1  2  0   0  1  5  0   2
ABELL, Joe p.............  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  2   0
Totals................... 38  3 12  2   3  7 27  6  11
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Brigham Young Univ.. 031 010 010 -  6 12  1
New Mexico.......... 001 100 010 -  3 12  1
-------------------------------------------
E - MATHIS; ABELL. DP - Cougars 2. LOB - Cougars 8; Lobos 11. 2B - COUGHLAN;
CARSON; KING; CAIRNS. HBP - DAY; CARSON. SB - CANDELARIA. CS - DAY; WHITLEY.
Brigham Young Univ.    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
MANGRUM, Micah......  7.0 10  3  3  3  4 30 33
GRAY, Rusty.........  2.0  2  0  0  0  3  8  8
New Mexico             IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
ABELL, Joe..........  9.0 12  6  6  3  5 36 41
Win - MANGRUM (8-8).  Loss - ABELL (2-2).  Save - GRAY (3).
WP - ABELL. HB - ABELL 2. BK - GRAY.
Umpires - Home:Dan Pedersen  1st:Ray Belfiore  2nd:Bill Speck  3rd:Dale Luker
Start: 11:01   Time: 3:06   Attendance: 250
Game notes:
Game three for BYU-UNM is Game #7 in the Mountain West Conference
Tournament.  BYU plays Friday evening vs. San Diego State
MANGRUM faced 2 batters in the 8th.