LAS VEGAS -- Ben Saylor hit two of four homers Friday for BYU and Justin Su'a pitched well in relief to get a come-from-behind victory over UNLV, 11-9.

The Cougars, now 23-7-1 and 10-1 in the Mountain West Conference, won again in windy Las Vegas, while UNLV fell to 14-21 and 8-3.

Saylor put BYU ahead for good with his eighth-inning homer and Su'a pitched over three hitless innings before surrendering a couple hits and runs in the ninth.

"I really wanted to get a ball up in the zone to score our guy at third, but the wind took care of it for me," said Saylor of his second homer.

Ryan Chambers led off with a double in the eighth and he advanced to third when Kory Knell failed to make contact on a bunt attempt. Chambers then scored on Saylor's homer to center, giving BYU an 8-7 lead with one out.

"That's been the mark of this ballclub, we just don't quit. When they score, we score," said BYU Coach Vance Law. "I know how tough the wind can be, playing in Chicago. When Ben hit his in the air, I thought it would carry out of here and it did."

Cougar freshman Sean McNaughton, victimized by the wind with a couple of pop-up errors, extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a double in the eighth to extend the score to 9-7.

Adrian Molina knocked a first-pitch offering off the top of the light standard for a lead-off homer in the seventh inning as the Cougars closed the gap, 7-6. Molina also made a great diving catch for the first out of the third inning.

Three consecutive hits, including back-to-back doubles by CJ Lang down the left field line and Ryan Bird off the centerfield wall in the sixth gave UNLV its last lead, 7-5 lead.

Several dingers flew out in the windy conditions to provide many lead changes.

Knell tied the game at five-all with a two-run homer in the sixth with two out.

Justin Tellam led off with a homer to left field in the fourth to give the Rebels the lead again, 4-3.

Saylor hit a two-out, two-run homer 375-feet plus in right-center field to tie the score three-all in the fourth.

Zeke Parraz hit a three-run homer to left field in the third to give the Rebels a 3-1 lead with two outs.

Chambers got a wind-aided double in the second for BYU's first hit of the game, but got trapped in a rundown for the second out of that inning. Molina doubled down the rightfield line to drive in Knell for the game's first run.

"Justin (Su'a) threw great for the last few innings," said Law. "Cloward (Casey) told me his ball was really bitting."

The Cougars were without the services of the their second-leading hitter Jeff Hiestand who has been bothered by a wrist injury.

UNLV hosts BYU on Saturday at 2 p.m. PDT for the finale of the three-game series.

BYU at UNLV
Apr 08, 2005 at Las Vegas, Nev. (Earl E. Wilson)
BYU 11 (23-7-1,10-1 MWC)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
McNAUGHTON, Sean 2b......  5  0  1  1   0  1  1  2   0
VILLEZCAS, Marcos ss.....  4  0  0  0   1  2  1  4   0
NAKAYAMA, Apana dh.......  5  0  1  0   0  1  0  0   2
TAYLOR, Brandon 3b.......  5  1  1  0   0  0  1  2   2
CHAMBERS, Ryan lf........  4  4  4  0   1  0  2  0   0
KNELL, Kory rf...........  5  2  2  3   0  1  4  0   0
SAYLOR, Ben 1b...........  5  2  3  4   0  1  8  0   0
MOLINA, Adrian cf........  4  2  3  3   0  0  3  0   0
CLOWARD, Casey c.........  5  0  2  0   0  1  6  0   3
CHRISTIANSEN,Brandon p...  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 BEUS, Lance p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 SU'A, Justin p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   0
Totals................... 42 11 17 11   2  7 27  8   7
UNLV 9 (14-21,8-3 MWC)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
SIBLEY lf................  5  1  1  0   0  2  2  0   0
CRUZ 3b..................  3  1  1  0   1  0  0  3   1
PARRAZ ss................  5  2  2  3   0  1  2  5   0
BONNELL 1b...............  5  1  1  1   0  0  8  0   0
TELLAM c.................  5  1  3  2   0  2  7  1   2
FRY dh...................  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 BERANEK ph..............  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   1
 WALKER ph...............  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   1
BIRD rf..................  4  1  1  0   0  0  2  0   1
LANG 2b..................  4  1  1  1   0  0  3  1   0
KOWALSKI cf..............  3  1  1  1   1  0  3  0   0
PUPO p...................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 HUSEMAN p...............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 CHALFANT p..............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 39  9 11  8   2  6 27 11   6
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
BYU................. 010 202 132 - 11 17  3
UNLV................ 003 112 002 -  9 11  0
-------------------------------------------
E - McNAUGHTON 2; CHAMBERS. DP - BY 1. LOB - BY 7; LV 6. 2B - McNAUGHTON;
CHAMBERS 2; MOLINA; CLOWARD; TELLAM; BIRD; LANG. HR - KNELL; SAYLOR 2;
MOLINA; PARRAZ; TELLAM. HBP - CRUZ. SF - MOLINA. SB - KNELL; SIBLEY;
KOWALSKI. CS - CLOWARD.
BYU                    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
CHRISTIANSEN,Brandon  5.0  6  5  5  2  2 20 23
BEUS, Lance.........  0.1  3  2  2  0  0  4  4
SU'A, Justin........  3.2  2  2  0  0  4 15 15
UNLV                   IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
PUPO................  6.0  7  6  6  1  5 25 26
HUSEMAN.............  1.1  6  3  3  1  0  9 10
CHALFANT............  1.2  4  2  2  0  2  8  9
Win - SU'A (2-1).  Loss - HUSEMAN (1-2).  Save - None.
HBP - by CHRISTIANSEN (CRUZ). BK - SU'A. PB - TELLAM.
Umpires - HP: Bruce Bayne  1B: Dan Ignosci  3B: Tom Chandler
Start: 6:30   Time: 2:50   Attendance: 498
Game notes:
BYU at UNLV - Play-by-Play
Apr 08, 2005 at Las Vegas, Nev. (Earl E. Wilson)
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
BYU................. 010 202 132 - 11 17  3
UNLV................ 003 112 002 -  9 11  0
-------------------------------------------
BYU 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; 9/c CLOWARD; 31/p CHRISTIANSEN;
UNLV starters: 22/lf SIBLEY; 1/3b CRUZ; 10/ss PARRAZ; 11/1b BONNELL; 36/c TELLAM;
2/dh FRY; 34/rf BIRD; 5/2b LANG; 12/cf KOWALSKI; 20/p PUPO;
BYU 1st - McNAUGHTON popped up to 1b. VILLEZCAS grounded out to ss. NAKAYAMA
flied out to lf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 1st - SIBLEY grounded out to ss. CRUZ walked. PARRAZ grounded into
double play 2b to ss to 1b; CRUZ out on the play. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
BYU 2nd - TAYLOR flied out to cf. CHAMBERS doubled. KNELL reached on a
fielder's choice; CHAMBERS out at second p to 3b to 2b. SAYLOR singled; KNELL
advanced to second. MOLINA doubled, RBI; SAYLOR advanced to third; KNELL scored.
CLOWARD struck out looking. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
UNLV 2nd - BONNELL grounded out to 3b. TELLAM singled. FRY flied out to lf.
BIRD flied out to rf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 3rd - McNAUGHTON struck out looking. VILLEZCAS struck out looking.
NAKAYAMA lined out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 3rd - LANG flied out to cf. KOWALSKI grounded out to 2b. SIBLEY singled.
SIBLEY stole second. CRUZ hit by pitch. PARRAZ homered, 3 RBI; CRUZ scored; SIBLEY
scored. BONNELL flied out to cf. 3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 4th - TAYLOR grounded out to 3b. CHAMBERS singled to right field. KNELL
struck out. SAYLOR homered, 2 RBI; CHAMBERS scored. MOLINA grounded out to ss. 2
runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 4th - TELLAM homered, RBI. FRY flied out to rf. BIRD flied out to rf.
LANG popped up to 1b. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 5th - CLOWARD popped up to 2b. McNAUGHTON flied out to rf. VILLEZCAS
flied out to rf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 5th - KOWALSKI walked. SIBLEY flied out to cf. CRUZ singled; KOWALSKI
advanced to third. PARRAZ struck out. BONNELL singled, RBI; CRUZ advanced to second;
KOWALSKI scored. TELLAM struck out looking. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
BYU 6th - NAKAYAMA struck out looking. TAYLOR flied out to lf. CHAMBERS
walked. KNELL homered, 2 RBI; CHAMBERS scored. SAYLOR grounded out to ss. 2 runs,
1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 6th - BEUS to p for CHRISTIANSEN. BERANEK pinch hit for FRY. BERANEK
grounded out to ss. BIRD doubled. LANG doubled, RBI; BIRD scored. KOWALSKI singled,
RBI; LANG scored. SU'A to p for BEUS. SIBLEY struck out. KOWALSKI stole second. CRUZ
grounded out to ss. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 7th - MOLINA homered, RBI. HUSEMAN to p for PUPO. CLOWARD singled.
McNAUGHTON flied out to cf. CLOWARD out at second c to ss, caught stealing.
VILLEZCAS walked. NAKAYAMA singled; VILLEZCAS advanced to second. TAYLOR reached on
a fielder's choice; NAKAYAMA out at second ss to 2b; VILLEZCAS advanced to third.
1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
UNLV 7th - PARRAZ reached on an error by 2b. BONNELL popped up to rf. PARRAZ
advanced to second on a balk. TELLAM struck out. BERANEK struck out. 0 runs, 0
hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
BYU 8th - CHAMBERS doubled. CHAMBERS advanced to third on a passed ball.
KNELL grounded out to ss. SAYLOR homered, 2 RBI; CHAMBERS scored. MOLINA singled.
CLOWARD doubled; MOLINA advanced to third. CHALFANT to p for HUSEMAN. McNAUGHTON
doubled, RBI; CLOWARD advanced to third; MOLINA scored. VILLEZCAS struck out.
NAKAYAMA grounded out to 2b. 3 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
UNLV 8th - BIRD flied out to lf. LANG popped up to 3b. KOWALSKI grounded out
to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 9th - TAYLOR singled. CHAMBERS singled; TAYLOR advanced to third. KNELL
singled, RBI; CHAMBERS advanced to third; TAYLOR scored. SAYLOR struck out; KNELL
stole second. MOLINA flied out to cf, SAC, RBI; CHAMBERS scored. CLOWARD grounded
out to 3b. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
UNLV 9th - SIBLEY struck out. CRUZ popped up to 2b. PARRAZ singled. BONNELL
reached on an error by 2b, advanced to second; PARRAZ scored, unearned. TELLAM
doubled, advanced to third on an error by lf, RBI; BONNELL scored, unearned. WALKER
pinch hit for BERANEK. WALKER grounded out to p unassisted. 2 runs, 2 hits, 2
errors, 1 LOB.

Both UNLV and BYU are tied for first place at 8-1 in the Mountain West Conference as the two baseball teams meet this Thursday at Las Vegas.

BYU (21-7-1) has a three-game series at UNLV (14-19).

"One of us will have a chance to set the tone for the rest of the season," said BYU Coach Vance Law of the series with the Rebels.

The Cougars are ahead of school record pace in doubles, averaging 2.86 with its tally of 83 in 29 games. The first-time NCAA statistics of the season come out next Monday after the UNLV-BYU series.

BYU will start Dave Horlacher (2-1, 3.60) in Thursday's game against Matt Luca (3-4, 3.88). Cougar Brandon Christiansen (3-0,3.38) will start Friday's game against Koji Pupo (3-0, 3.25). Both games Thursday and Friday will start at 6:30 p.m., PDT. And in Saturday's 2 p.m., tilt, BYU will throw freshman Blake Torgerson (4-1, 5.23) against Derek Rodriguez (1-4, 5.05).

BYU is hoping to be at full strength going into the series with UNLV now that Jeff Hiestand is back after missing three of the last six games with a wrist injury and two players, Ben Saylor and Casey Nelson, missed most of last week's games with strep.

All of the BYU-UNLV games will be broadcast live on KOVO Radio (960 AM).

Following the series with UNLV, the Cougars return to host Lewis and Clark State on Tuesday at 3 p.m., before hosting pre-season favorite San Diego State in a three-game series.

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.