LAS VEGAS — Great hitting by BYU couldn't overcome its pitching struggles against UNLV as the Cougars lost for the only time all week, 18-8, on Saturday afternoon.
Adrian Molina, Ben Saylor and freshman Jason Johnson all had home runs in the game. Johnson homered for the first time in his collegiate career, a solo shot with one out in the top of the eighth inning.
"I think our guys see that they can compete here. That's a big step for a young ball club," said BYU coach Vance Law. "Our guys are learning and we're getting better with each game."
Offense wasn't a problem for BYU in the game as it pounded out 14 hits while getting the eight runs.
"I'm encouraged with how our guys went about it," said Law. "I was very pleased with our offensive performance."
Jeff Hiestand finished the series against the Rebels hitting 9-for-13 while collecting 10 RBIs. With the loss, the Cougars fall to 13-18, 3-4 in the Mountain West Conference, while UNLV improves to 16-19, and 3-4 in the league.
The Rebels were the ones who struck first in Saturday's game when they scored four runs in the first inning against BYU starter Brandon Christiansen (3-2, 6.85). The Rebels scored in every inning but the fifth and eighth, hitting five home runs against some shaky BYU pitching. The 18 runs came on 18 Rebel base hits.
"I think they build their ball club around this ballpark," Law said of the Rebels. "If you get any kind of wind, it can be pretty devastating for your pitching staff. There were some home runs hit that would have been easy outs in the outfield if it weren't for the wind blowing."
BYU will play one game at Utah Valley State College on Tuesday at 7 p.m., before flying to Washington to take on the Huskies in three games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.