SALT LAKE CITY -- Only one win separates BYU from the Mountain West Conference title as the Cougars beat UNLV, 7-2, Friday afternoon to advance to the conference final.

BYU got another strong outing from All-MWC pitcher Dave Horlacher who threw a complete game, surrendering only seven hits to the Rebels. The Cougars improve to 39-17-1 with the victory, just one win short of the team goal of 40.

Using the long ball, BYU took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. Ben Saylor led off the top of the frame with a towering home run to straightaway centerfield. The homer cleared the 420-foot sign on the centerfield wall off the black monster. Two batters later Ryan Chambers hit a round-tripper, his second of the tournament and 12th on the season. Chambers' 12 long balls put him in second place on the team behind Brandon Taylor's 20.

In the third, the Cougars loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning to chase UNLV starter Efren Navarro Jr. from the game. Reliever Eric Brock got out of the jam only allowing one run to come across the plate. Marcos Villezcas scored the run when Taylor bounced into a double play.

The Rebels, now 31-27, bounced back in their side of the third, getting back-to-back hits to score a run. A nice double play helped get BYU out of the inning without surrendering any further runs.

In the bottom of the fifth UNLV cut the Cougars' lead to 3-2 on a solo home run by Mike Cruz on a two-strike count. UNLV head coach Buddy Gouldsmith said Horlacher was the difference in the game.

"Horlacher threw a lot of strikes and only walked three guys," Gouldsmith said. "The thoughest thing about facing BYU is they have a maturity on that team that makes it hard to shake them up."

BYU's bats were held in check by Brock. He allowed base runners in every inning but benefited from double plays. The Cougars hit into three double plays during the middle innings.

Finally in the eighth inning BYU was able to get to the Rebels' bullpen. After two walks to begin the inning, Brock left the game. With Brock out, the floodgates opened for the Cougars. Saylor hit a RBI single to score Apana Nakayama. Kory Knell added a RBI with a sacrifice fly to deep center. The biggest blow off a BYU bat was Casey Cloward's two-run triple down the right field line to extend the lead to 7-2.

BYU head coach Vance Law said the eighth inning was decisive in the game.

"It was a tight game until the eighth inning," he said. "We squandered a couple of chances early on, but we were able to get a great eighth inning to pull ahead."

The Cougars will go for the MWC championship Saturday at 3 p.m. (MDT) against the winner of the San Diego State, UNLV game on Friday night. Live audio will be available on KOVO radio 960 AM and via the Internet at www.byucougars.com.

BYU 7, UNLV 2

BYU 021 000 040--7 13 0

UNL 001 010 000--2 7 1

Horlacher and Nelson. Navarro Jr., Brock (3), Tabeek (8), Chalfant (8) and Tellam.

WP--Horlacher (6-2)

LP--Navarro Jr. (4-4)

2B--Fry (U), Nakayama (B), Knell (B)

3B--Cloward (B)

HR--Saylor (B), Chambers (B), Cruz (U)

Brigham Young Univ. at UNLV
May 27, 2005 at Salt Lake City, Utah (Franklin Covey Field)
Brigham Young Univ. 7 (39-17-1)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
McNAUGHTON, Sean 2b......  5  0  1  0   0  1  2  1   1
VILLEZCAS, Marcos ss.....  5  1  2  0   0  0  2  2   0
NAKAYAMA, Apana dh.......  3  1  2  0   2  0  0  0   0
HIESTAND, Jeff rf........  2  0  0  0   2  2  3  0   1
TAYLOR, Brandon 3b.......  4  1  0  0   1  1  2  1   2
SAYLOR, Ben 1b...........  5  2  2  2   0  0  5  0   3
KNELL, Kory lf...........  3  0  1  1   0  1  3  0   0
CHAMBERS, Ryan cf........  4  2  3  1   0  0  7  0   1
NELSON, Casey c..........  3  0  1  0   0  0  2  0   0
 LAW, Andrew pr..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 CLOWARD, Casey c........  1  0  1  2   0  0  1  0   0
HORLACHER, Dave p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 35  7 13  6   5  5 27  4   8
UNLV 2 (31-27)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
SIBLEY cf................  4  0  2  1   0  1  0  0   0
 KOWALSKI cf.............  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0
CRUZ 3b..................  4  1  1  1   0  1  0  2   1
PARRAZ ss................  2  0  1  0   2  0  4  5   0
BONNELL 1b...............  4  0  2  0   0  0 10  0   1
BIRD rf..................  4  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   4
TELLAM c.................  4  0  0  0   0  1  5  1   0
BERANEK dh...............  3  0  0  0   1  0  0  0   0
LANG 2b..................  4  0  0  0   0  0  3  5   0
FRY lf...................  4  1  1  0   0  0  2  0   1
NAVARRO Jr. p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 BROCK p.................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 TABEEK p................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 CHALFANT p..............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 33  2  7  2   3  3 27 13   7
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Brigham Young Univ.. 021 000 040 -  7 13  0
UNLV................ 001 010 000 -  2  7  1
-------------------------------------------
E - LANG. DP - BYU Cougars 1; LV 3. LOB - BYU Cougars 8; LV 7. 2B -
NAKAYAMA; KNELL; FRY. 3B - CLOWARD. HR - SAYLOR(9); CHAMBERS(12); CRUZ(4).
SH - HIESTAND. SF - KNELL. SB - TAYLOR. CS - McNAUGHTON.
Brigham Young Univ.    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF  NP
--------------------------------------------------
HORLACHER, Dave.....  9.0  7  2  2  3  3 33 36 135
UNLV                   IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF  NP
--------------------------------------------------
NAVARRO Jr..........  2.0  4  3  2  2  3 11 13  58
BROCK...............  5.1  5  1  1  1  1 16 18  69
TABEEK..............  0.1  3  3  3  1  0  3  5  16
CHALFANT............  1.1  1  0  0  1  1  5  6  18
Win - HORLACHER (6-2).  Loss - NAVARRO Jr. (4-4).  Save - None.
WP - HORLACHER; TABEEK. Pitches/strikes: HORLACHER 135/88; NAVARRO Jr. 58/34;
BROCK 69/37; TABEEK 16/8; CHALFANT 18/9.
Umpires - HP: Jason Rogers  1B: Kelly Gonzales  2B: Rich Padilla  3B: Phil
Gonzales  Start: 3 p.m.   Time: 2:59   Attendance:
NAVARRO Jr. faced 3 batters in the 3rd.
Brigham Young Univ. at UNLV - Play-by-Play
May 27, 2005 at Salt Lake City, Utah (Franklin Covey Field)
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Brigham Young Univ.. 021 000 040 -  7 13  0
UNLV................ 001 010 000 -  2  7  1
-------------------------------------------
Brigham Young Univ. starters: 15/2b McNAUGHTON; 10/ss VILLEZCAS; 24/dh NAKAYAMA;
16/rf HIESTAND; 3/3b TAYLOR; 25/1b SAYLOR; 12/lf KNELL; 22/cf CHAMBERS; 8/c NELSON;
11/p HORLACHER;
UNLV starters: 22/cf SIBLEY; 1/3b CRUZ; 10/ss PARRAZ; 11/1b BONNELL; 34/rf BIRD;
36/c TELLAM; 18/dh BERANEK; 5/2b LANG; 2/lf FRY; 35/p NAVARRO Jr.;
Brigham Young Univ. 1st - McNAUGHTON flied out to 2b (2-2). VILLEZCAS singled
to right field (1-1). NAKAYAMA singled to right field (2-1); VILLEZCAS advanced to
second. HIESTAND struck out swinging (2-2). TAYLOR struck out swinging (2-2). 0
runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
UNLV 1st - SIBLEY flied out to cf (2-1). CRUZ flied out to rf (1-0). PARRAZ
singled to left field (3-2). BONNELL singled to left field (1-2); PARRAZ advanced to
second. BIRD reached on a fielder's choice (1-2); BONNELL advanced to second; PARRAZ
out at third 3b unassisted. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 2nd - SAYLOR homered to center field, RBI (2-1). KNELL
struck out swinging (2-2). CHAMBERS homered to left field, RBI (1-1). NELSON
grounded out to 2b (1-2). McNAUGHTON flied out to rf (0-1). 2 runs, 2 hits, 0
errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 2nd - TELLAM struck out swinging (1-2). BERANEK grounded out to ss
(0-2). LANG lined out to ss (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 3rd - VILLEZCAS reached on a throwing error by 2b (1-0).
NAKAYAMA walked (3-1); VILLEZCAS advanced to second. HIESTAND walked (3-2); NAKAYAMA
advanced to second; VILLEZCAS advanced to third. BROCK to p for NAVARRO Jr.. TAYLOR
grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b (3-2); HIESTAND out on the play; NAKAYAMA
advanced to third; VILLEZCAS scored, unearned. SAYLOR grounded out to ss (0-1). 1
run, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
UNLV 3rd - FRY doubled down the rf line (1-1). SIBLEY singled to right field,
RBI (0-0); FRY scored. CRUZ grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b (1-1); SIBLEY
out on the play. PARRAZ walked (3-1). BONNELL singled to left field (3-2); PARRAZ
advanced to second. BIRD flied out to rf (0-0). 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2
LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 4th - KNELL grounded out to 2b (1-0). CHAMBERS singled to
second base (3-2). NELSON grounded into double play ss to 1b (0-1); CHAMBERS out on
the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 4th - TELLAM fouled out to 1b (2-2). BERANEK flied out to lf (2-2). LANG
flied out to cf (2-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 5th - McNAUGHTON singled up the middle (1-0). McNAUGHTON
out at second c to ss, caught stealing. VILLEZCAS lined out to 2b (2-1). NAKAYAMA
doubled to right field (3-1). HIESTAND struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 2 hits,
0 errors, 1 LOB.
UNLV 5th - FRY popped up to 2b (0-0). SIBLEY struck out swinging (0-2). CRUZ
homered to left field, RBI (2-2). PARRAZ walked (3-1). BONNELL flied out to cf
(0-0). 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 6th - TAYLOR grounded out to 3b (2-2). SAYLOR grounded
out to 2b (3-2). KNELL doubled down the lf line (0-1). CHAMBERS lined out to ss
(3-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
UNLV 6th - BIRD flied out to cf (0-0). TELLAM flied out to lf (2-1). BERANEK
flied out to lf (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 7th - NELSON singled up the middle (1-0). LAW pinch ran
for NELSON. McNAUGHTON grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b (1-0); LAW out on
the play. VILLEZCAS grounded out to ss (1-0). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
UNLV 7th - CLOWARD to c for LAW. LANG grounded out to 3b (2-2). FRY flied out
to cf (0-0). SIBLEY singled through the left side (0-0). SIBLEY advanced to second
on a wild pitch. CRUZ struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 8th - NAKAYAMA walked (3-1). HIESTAND grounded out to 3b,
SAC, bunt (2-1); NAKAYAMA advanced to second. KOWALSKI to cf for SIBLEY. TABEEK to p
for BROCK. NAKAYAMA advanced to third on a wild pitch. TAYLOR walked (3-0). TAYLOR
stole second. SAYLOR singled to left field, RBI (1-2); TAYLOR advanced to third;
NAKAYAMA scored. KNELL flied out to cf, SF, RBI (3-1); TAYLOR scored. CHAMBERS
singled to right field (0-0); SAYLOR advanced to third. CLOWARD tripled to right
field, 2 RBI (0-1); CHAMBERS scored; SAYLOR scored. CHALFANT to p for TABEEK.
McNAUGHTON struck out looking (3-2). 4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
UNLV 8th - PARRAZ lined out to 2b (0-1). BONNELL fouled out to 3b (1-0). BIRD
flied out to cf (0-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 9th - VILLEZCAS singled to right field (1-1). NAKAYAMA
flied out to lf (0-0). HIESTAND walked (3-0); VILLEZCAS advanced to second. TAYLOR
flied out to lf (1-0); VILLEZCAS advanced to third. SAYLOR flied out to cf (0-1).
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
UNLV 9th - TELLAM flied out to rf (3-2). BERANEK walked (3-1). LANG flied out
to cf (1-1). FRY grounded out to 1b unassisted (0-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1
LOB.

Good news and bad news came out of last week's regular season finish at San Diego as BYU readies to play Thursday in the Mountain West Conference Tournament at Salt Lake City.

The good news: the Cougars earned the No. 2 seed with a solid second-place finish in the league and on Thursday will play the highest remaining seed out of Wednesday's tourney games at 11 a.m.

The bad news: outfielder Adrian Molina is out for the remainder of the season. The junior from San Diego received permission to remain behind from the team last week in order to participate in a family baptism. Molina suffered a broken hand in a car accident when he was knocked unconscious.

BYU, 37-17-1 overall and 21-9 in the MWC, finished two games behind first-place UNLV, who also received a first-round bye in this week's league tourney. The Cougars' starting pitcher for Thursday's game is TBA, depending on the opponent.

Lefty Lance Beus (2-1, 5.50) presents a number of problems for some opponents. Junior Dave Horlacher (5-2, 3.99) has been BYU's starter for the past 14 weekends. The Cougars have three pitchers each with six victories: Matt Jensen (6-1, 2.53), Justin Su'a (6-2, 4.89) and Blake Torgerson (6-2, 6.46).

This year's BYU team has been a part of 13 broken records on the national, league and school scene. Brandon Taylor has three of those records to his credit, Jensen has two, Horlacher, Molina and Casey Cloward each own a record and the Cougar team has set three records.

If BYU wins on Thursday, its next game would be Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. If the Cougars lose on Thursday morning, they would play again that night at 7 p.m. in the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tourney.

The Cougars are hopeful of a good showing at the tourney. The tourney champion gets the league's automatic berth to next week's NCAA Regionals. BYU has submitted a bid to host one of those regionals starting next Thursday. If the Cougars falter in securing the automatic berth, they are hopeful their record is worthy of at at-large selection in tourney action that could start next Friday.

The Cougars have a 13-8 record in the MWC Tournament. BYU lost its first two games last year when the tourney was in Las Vegas; posted a 2-2 mark in 2003 at Albuquerque; won the tourney in 2002 in Provo; won the tourney in 2001 at San Diego; and had a 2-2 record in 2000 at Las Vegas.

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.