A pitching duel took place between the New Mexico Lobos and the Dallas Baptist Patriots on Friday evening, but the Lobos ended up with the short end of the stick and fell 5-2 in the first of a three-game series.
New Mexico (3-1) struck out 12 batters, but Dallas Baptist (4-1) made the most out of the nine hits it was able to muster.
Lobo starting pitcher Tyler Stevens had a decent outing, accounted for eight of the nine strikeouts. But he was only able to go five innings after allowing five runs on eight hits.
The Dallas Baptist pitching was even more impressive. The Patriot pitching struck out 11, and scattered four hits which led to two runs scored on their way to victory.
The Lobos had other scoring opportunities, but stranded 11 baserunners in the game. UNM outfielder Luis Gonzales generated much of the offense. He went 3-for-5 from the plate with one RBI, coming by way off a homerun in the fifth inning.
The other hit came from second baseman Beau Capanna who went 1-for-2 from the plate.
The Lobos started the game by getting Gonzales on base after a single to the right side of the field in the top half of the first inning. Gonzalez was able to steal second base to get into scoring position with teammate Carl Stajduhar ready to drive him home, but he was picked off a couple of pitches later for out number three.
Dallas Baptist started off hot at the plate in the bottom of the first inning, putting the first three batters on and scoring an early run. The team drove in two more runs after another hit and a sacrifice fly to take a quick 3-0 lead over the Lobos.
The damage could’ve been worse as the Patriots left two men on base after Stevens struck out designated hitter Ray Gaither to end the threat.
Both pitchers settled in as bats went silent in the second inning, with neither team managing a single hit.
Junior Lobo catcher Daniel Herrera, who led off the top of the third inning, was able to reach first on a fielding error and Beau Capanna drew a walk on the next at-bat to put the first two men on.
Gonzales struck out, but UNM loaded the bases after all runners were safe on another fielding error after Andre Gregory put the ball in play. But the Lobos ended up with nothing, as Dallas Baptist pitcher Jordan Martinson recorded a strikeout on a full count and forced Stajduhar to line out to center field.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
In the bottom of the third, Dallas Baptist’s Matt Duce hit his second double of the game, and then advanced to third moments later on a wild pitch. But Dallas Baptist couldn’t bring the runner home as Stevens struck out the side.
The Lobos picked up the pace in the top of the fifth inning, as Gonzalez was able to homer to right field to put the first run on the board for UNM, trimming the Patriot lead to 3-1.
Dallas Baptist responded in the bottom half of the inning, though. They put up two more runs to go up 5-1, ending the night for Stevens.
The Patriots threatened again in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases, but weren’t able to drive any runners in after a Lobo pitching change.
New Mexico got a golden opportunity in the ninth, loading the bases and scoring an unearned run after the Patriots committed a third error. With the bases still loaded, Stajduhar came to the plate representing the go-ahead run.
But he hit a fly ball into center field, ending the game and awarding Dallas Baptist the 5-2 win.
The Lobos will get a chance for revenge in game two of the series, scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Horner Ballpark in Dallas, Texas.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz
