The Lobo baseball team couldn't capitalize when it had the chance in a single-game matchup at San Diego on Wednesday evening. UNM stranded 14 base runners on its way to a 7-2 loss at Fowler Park.
Head coach Ray Birmingham seemed frustrated with how his team performed on offense, especially knowing that his team was in scoring position plenty of times – including two stints where the bases were loaded.
“We had a lot of at-bats tonight,” Birmingham said in a press release. “I'm not real pleased about it and it's something we better fix before we start our series at San Jose State on Friday.”
The Lobos entered the sixth inning only down by one run, 3-2, to the Toreros. A lead off walk to Hayden Schilling and an ensuing single from Robby Campillo put the Lobos at the corners. But what came next were three strikeouts courtesy of the Toreros’ bullpen.
In the bottom of the frame San Diego would get a lead off of a home run. After getting a couple more hits in the inning, the Lobos would halt its opponent and only go down by two runs entering the seventh inning, 4-2.
Again the Lobos put themselves in good position to get runs on the scoreboard after loading the bases with one out – Jared Mang led off with a hit-by-pitch, Jack Zoellner and Danny Collier were both walked – but Schilling struck out and Campillo flied out to end the inning scoreless for the away team.
The Lobos did not let San Diego get anything going in the bottom of the frame, but after UNM went down in order in the top of the eighth, the Toreros exploded for three runs on two hits to grab a five run lead, 7-2.
UNM had one more chance to make a comeback in the top of the ninth, but all they would muster is two hits and score no runs, eventually losing to San Diego, 7-2, marking its ninth loss (1-9) against previously ranked or currently ranked teams this season.
Of UNM’s 11 team hits, three Lobos managed to grab three hits apiece. Carl Stajduhar (3-for-5) mustered one run and one RBI as part of his efforts, Mang (3-for-4) contributed one RBI and Campillo went 3-for-4. The other two Lobos who managed a hit were Danny Collier and Beau Capanna, though Capanna contributed one of the Lobos’ two runs in the game.
The Lobos enter a three-game series at San Jose State that starts on Friday and ends on Sunday. UNM played a three-game series at Santa Ana Start Field against the Spartans previously this season, in which they swept them.
Friday's game starts at 8 p.m., and all three games will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
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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
