Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LAS VEGAS (May 23, 2006)---It's BYU versus Utah on Wednesday after both teams won first round games Tuesday in the Mountain West Conference Baseball Tournament.
The Cougars, now 31-26, defeated the Air Force Academy, 7-5, after Utah upset San Diego State earlier in the day. It sets up the fourth meeting in less than a week between the Cougars and Utes after BYU swept Utah in three games last week at Salt Lake City.
The BYU-Utah game time will be Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., PDT, in a matchup that can be heard live on KOVO Radio (960 AM) or live via links on www.byucougars.com.
"They pitched and played well," said BYU Coach Vance Law of Air Force's play on Tuesday. "We played well enough to preserve a lot of our pitching staff.
"Utah swung the bats well in their game (San Diego State, 8-5) and it will be a huge game for us against them."
But first BYU had to get past the pesky Falcons who avoided a lopsided defeat in their 21st consecutive loss.
The battle plan for Air Force was to pitch its three normal starters three innings apiece.
With two out and two on in the second, AFA took a two-run lead off Jon Polston's double which rolled past a diving Saylor in right field. The Falcons were able to capitalize that inning when Jason Griggs got aboard on a rare Marcos Villezcas throwing error which could have closed the inning.
BYU tied the game, two-all in the bottom of the second off a sacrifice fly by Casey Nelson which scored lead-off batter Kasey Ko and a fielder's choice by Stetson Banks to bring in Kent Walton. Walton hit a gap single to left center and Blake Crosby walked to load the bases.
Saylor gave BYU it's first lead, 4-2 in the third, with a two-run home run off a changeup to right field, his 20th of the season.
Saylor was robbed of a run-scoring hit in the fourth because the Academy shifted its second baseman to mid-right-center well onto the outfield grass for a couple Cougars. BYU scored its lead-off batter for the third inning in a row when Crosby singled and scored of a groundout by Carter.
Geno Salazar, the Falcon shortstop was put to the turf prior to the Cougars' sixth-inning at bat on an infield warmup throw to second. He remained in the game after a delay of several minutes. Walton scored with two outs from first base off a hard liner by Crosby, with the game-winning RBI, giving BYU a 6-2 lead.
The Falcons loaded the bases to start the sixth off a hit batsman, a walk and by beating out a sacrifice bunt attempt, then scored a run off Clay Derbinay's single. AFA's fourth run came off a double play. Polston's single up the middle scored the fifth run and chased James Platt from the mound in favor of Anthony Bingham with a 6-5 lead.
Banks advanced to second in the sixth when the throw from the outfield off his single was behind him and allowed him to advance to second. He was stranded as the first lead-off batter not to score since the first.
After a leaping flyout to Carter as the first of two outs, Bingham had a hit glance off his leg. AFA brought in a pinch hitter, so Coach Vance Law countered by bringing in lefty Cortland Andrews to pitch. Andrews got AFA to ground out to him on the first pitch.
Walton knocked an insurance homer, his fifth, a solo in the seventh to left field to make the score, 7-5. Andrews then slammed the door retiring AFA in order then final two innings.
That helped Platt get his first victory of the season in 18 appearances, while Andrews earned his second save of the year in 20 outings.
