The New Mexico baseball team took games one and two over Missouri State but could not complete the sweep, falling in the series finale at Santa Ana Star Field on Saturday.
The Bears got out on top early and continued to play well-rounded baseball throughout the game en route to an 8-0 shutout victory – and its first over the Lobos this season. It was the first time the Lobos had been shut out on their home turf in 164 games.
Missouri State’s starting pitcher, Doug Still, had his way with the Lobos, going the distance for a complete-game victory. He scattered five Lobo hits over his nine innings pitched, though he struck out just one batter. Still also benefitted from some phenomenal defensively play while on the hill.
UNM head coach Ray Birmingham said the Lobos should be happy with the result of the three-game overall, but gave high praise for Still’s performance on the mound.
“He really located it. He found the holes in our swing and he just stayed right there,” Birmingham said of the Missouri State pitcher in a release. “But I’m glad we still took the series from a good team. We got out of it what we wanted. You take two of three from Missouri State, you should be happy”
The Bears got out to a quick start, grabbing one run in each of the first two innings and garnering two more runs in the third to take a 4-0 lead.
Over that same stretch the Lobo bats were relatively quiet. The team managed a single hit in the first inning, and although it recorded two hits in the bottom of the third, nobody was able to find the way to home plate.
Missouri State did most of its damage batting with two outs, scoring an impressive five of its first six runs when it was down to the final out of the inning.
The Bears were held scoreless in the fourth and sixth inning, but continued to be efficient by adding runs in the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. The consistent offense helped the team create distance from the Lobos and cruise to the 8-0 win.
Of the Lobos’ five hits, Danny Collier and Luis Gonzalez combined for four of them, with each batter going 2-for-4 at the plate. The only other hit for UNM came off the bat of Daniel Herrera, who went 1-for-2 for the plate with a lead-off double to start the third inning.
The Lobos tried five different pitchers on the mound throughout the game, but it was starting pitcher Johnathon Tripp who picked up the loss to drop his season record to 2-1. In six innings pitched, Tripp allowed six hits and five runs; he struck out two batters, but also issued five walks.
Up next for the Lobos is a double header on Tuesday at Kansas State. The games are scheduled to be played at 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.
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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
