PROVO, Utah - After struggling to hit the ball and put runs on the board last weekend in Lewiston, Idaho, the Utah Valley State baseball team did just those things Tuesday in its first ever match-up with BYU. Problem was, the Cougars did it all a little better, outscoring the Wolverines 15-8, in a game that saw the two teams combine for 32 hits.

Kory Drew continued his hot bat, going 3-4 and getting the Wolverines off to a good start with a leadoff triple. He scored on a single by Reno Mendenhall, who would eventually score on a sac-fly by Trent Perry and Utah Valley jumped on top early 2-0.

After BYU 2nd baseman Sean McNaughton struck back with a long home run to lead off the bottom of the 1st, the Wolverines answered back in the top of the 2nd to take a 3-1 lead after Kory Drew singled home Cory Newton. But the Cougar bats stayed alive all day and were too much for the Wolverines, as they scored 12 runs in the next four innings to break the game open.

"I was impressed with BYU's offense, they swung the bats really well," said Coach Steve Gardner. "It probably wasn't one of Jed Jensen's best days, but good hitters will make that happen."

BYU came up with clutch hits all afternoon, scoring nine of its runs with two outs. In the second inning, after the Cougars loaded the bases with nobody out, starter Jed Jensen dug deep and got the next two batters with a pop out and a strike out. But just when the Wolverines were about to get out of the jam unscathed, former Wolverine Brandon Taylor delivered with a two out-bases loaded double, scoring three runs.

Even after falling behind 15-5, the Wolverines wouldn't go away, scoring three times in the eighth to cut into the final margin.

"I thought we hung there pretty good," said Gardner. "We had one or two innings where we gave up some unearned runs and that added a little bit to the lead."

The Wolverines had two errors on the day, leading to five unearned runs that proved to be too much for Utah Valley to overcome.

In addition to Taylor's three hits and five RBI, four other former Wolverines had a hand in the Cougar victory. Matt Jensen picked up the win on the hill for BYU, Casey Nelson was 2-3 with three RBI, Ben Saylor was 1-3 with 2 RBI and Apana Nakayama had three hits as well, driving in one. In all, Coach Gardner's former pupils were more than difference driving in 11 of the 15 BYU runs.

"I'm happy for them. Taylor's outstanding," said Gardner. "Nakayama's gonna hurt somebody he's so big and strong. I always thought that you put a bat in his hands, it's a lethal weapon."

In addition to Drew's three hits for the Wolverines, Trent Perry added three hits of his own. Canyon Vance, Nick Connor and Todd Bateman added two hit apiece for Utah Valley. The Wolverines are back in action Friday through Sunday with a three game series against UC Davis in Davis, California.