A grand slam walk-off, an upset, and a route highlighted the first day of the Mountain West Baseball Championships on Wednesday.
Six teams remain in the hunt for a postseason crown, with two teams already possessing blemishes on their records.
New Mexico will play a Nevada squad that has scorched its way into the conference tournament. The Wolfpack have won 16 of their last 18 games, including taking the final two games against UNM and spoiling senior day for the Lobos.
With the No. 3 seed, Nevada dominantly took down San Deigo State 13-5 in its first action in the league tourney, making it three straight victories at Santa Ana Star Field.
For the second straight year, the Lobos have hobbled into the tournament plagued by injuries. Prior to tournament play, head coach Ray Birmingham said he is confident in the depth of his roster and will look to his underclassmen to step up and fill missing roles.
UNM will look to build on the first day-bye, having won just three of the team’s last seven games.
New Mexico’s offense finished atop the MW in runs scored, but Birmingham said defense and pitching will likely write the story of how UNM will finish in the postseason.
UNLV will look to knock San Diego State out of contention with the first game of the day, starting at 11 a.m., followed by Fresno State and Air Force at 3 p.m., and concluding with the Nevada and UNM contest slated for 7 p.m.
San Diego State and UNLV will both be playing for the right to continue on in the tournament while the other two contests will be to avoid a blemish on their postseason records.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
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