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No. 2 BYU Rallies Past No. 5 New Mexico to Open Day Two of the MWC Baseball Championship The Cougars improved to 36-18 overall and advance to play the winner of the TCU vs. UNLV game.
May 24, 2007
CLICK HERE for recaps, box scores, live stats, photos and MORE! LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Second-seeded BYU scored three runs in the seventh inning to get past fifth-seeded New Mexico 5-3 in the first game of the second day of the Mountain West Conference Baseball Championship at Earl E. Wilson Stadium Thursday.
The Cougars, who were also the first higher-seeded team to win a game in this year's tournament, improved to 36-18 overall and advanced to play the winner of the TCU vs. UNLV game later in the day. The Lobos, who fell to 27-29, dropped into the losers' bracket and will play later on Thursday vs. San Diego State in an elimination game at 7 p.m. PT.
BYU starting pitcher Jake Wortham allowed only five hits and three runs through 7.2 innings to raise his record to 8-4 on the season. Matt Jensen came in with two runners on and, after an infield single loaded the bases, got the final out in the eighth en route to his fourth save. Stephen Smith, who allowed all 11 Cougar hits through seven, took the loss to drop to 6-9.
With the Lobos leading 3-2 in the seventh, two errors helped BYU take control. A leadoff single by Stephen Wells got the Cougars started. He then stole second and went to third on catcher Adam Courcha's throwing error on the play. Apana Nakayama then hit a chopper to the right side of the infield but first baseman Daniel Stovall's throw home was off the mark for another error as Wells scored the tying run. After Kent Walton got on with a single, third baseman Steve Parker delivered the key blow in the game with a two-RBI double into the left-centerfield alley to end the scoring.
UNM had retaken the lead with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. Leftfielder Jay Russell led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and then advanced to third on a groundout. Wortham was called for a balk, however, which brought Russell, who had three hits on the day, home with the go-ahead run.
BYU tied the game one inning earlier when Wells poked a one-out single into right and Nakayama followed by crushing his team-leading 11th homerun of the season over the right-centerfield fence.
New Mexico struck first with a two-out rally in the second inning. After a walk and a single by the Lobos, Max Willett drove home Courcha with the first run with a single. A double-steal resulted in Russell coming home to make it 2-0. |
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