Lobo baseball used a key sixth inning to propel ahead in a back-and-forth affair on Sunday afternoon in an 11-9 victory.
New Mexico (23-16-1, 14-2-1 MW) got great pitching and some timely offense, as the bullpen played brilliantly in the eventual three-game series sweep over UNLV at Santa Ana Star Field.
The Lobos’ bullpen, which consisted of a mix of James Harrington, Drew Gillespie, Justin Slaten and Christian Tripp, scattered five hits and surrendered just two runs after starting Pitcher Luis Gonzalez exited the mound.
UNM third baseman Carl Stajduhar said he felt it was a team effort on Sunday to pick up the win.
“I think we played really well,” Stajduhar said. “They jumped out to the early lead and then we kind of fought back, and it was going back and forth. It's just one of those games where everybody was swinging it.”
The first inning got underway with UNLV getting on the board first in the top of the frame on a two-out solo home run to give them the 1-0 lead. In the ensuing at-bat, the Rebels uncorked a double to get in scoring position again, but Gonzalez was able to get out of the inning without any further damage.
The Lobos answered right back in the bottom of the first, with Beau Capanna leading off with a single. Outfielder Jared Mang followed suit, and Gonzalez contributed a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners into scoring position.
The bats stayed hot as New Mexico posted four runs in the inning to seize control of the game. The inning was highlighted by aggressive base running as UNM executed a double steal, which saw Hayden Schilling reach home and Andre Vigil take second base.
The Lobos tacked on another run in the bottom of the second inning on a fielder’s choice that saw Zoellner pick up an RBI to score Capanna, giving UNM a 5-1 bulge.
But the Rebels didn't give up, answering the bell in the third inning to score four runs of their own to tie the game. That inning saw some a two-run home run and two-RBI double as part of the offensive display for UNLV.
The Lobos couldn't answer in the bottom of the frame either, going down in order on three straight fly outs.
Gonzalez settled in after the shaky third inning to pitch a nearly perfect fourth. He received help from the offense, as the Lobos added two runs in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Zoellner and an RBI triple from Stajduhar, giving the Lobos the lead once again, 7-5.
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UNLV matched the Lobos again, tying the game 7-7 after posting a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. The Rebels then took a 9-7 lead over the Lobos by duplicating the effort in the sixth.
The Lobos found the lead again in the bottom of the sixth, but also suffered some losses in the inning.
Stajduhar sent a three-run home run over the fence to put UNM back on top, 10-9, but Birmingham and Schilling were both thrown out of the game.
Schilling was hit by a pitch in his at-bat, but the umpire ruled that he didn't make an effort to avoid the pitch and would not be awarded first base. An incensed Birmingham was tossed after expressing his dissatisfaction with the call, along with Schilling.
During innings seven, eight and nine, the Lobo bullpen allowed two hits and no runs to slam the door on the Rebels. The offense picked up an insurance run after drawing a bases-loaded walk to bring the score to 11-9.
With fans irritated, the ninth inning saw Tripp walk one and allow a double, but the sophomore pitcher finished out strong and closed out the inning with a strikeout and a groundout to give UNM its third victory in three days over UNLV.
The Lobos combined for 11 runs on 14 hits, though no player posted better numbers than Mang. He went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with a double and four runs.
“Jared Mang should be on the USA team,” Birmingham said. “Because he's one of the best hitters in the country.”
Stajduhar said the performance of his teammate was very impressive, adding that he made good contact in the plate appearances.
“Jared Mang is on fire,” Stajduhar said. “I mean, I don't think I've ever seen a guy hit the ball so hard every at-bat...He was huge for us today.”
Mang said he has been able to see the ball well and remain consistent by being patient and keeping things simple.
“(I was) just trying to be on time and be aggressive, and, you know, keep it simple...not try to do too much up there, and just try to make good contact, and it played out for me today,” Mang said.
Stajduhar was also perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run, a triple, five RBI and two runs scored as part of his efforts.
Harrington picked up the win in relief, going 2.1 innings on the mound and allowing three hits, two runs and a walk, though he was able to strikeout one. The win is Harrington’s first of the year, putting his record at 1-2 on the season.
Up next for the Lobos is a two-game series at home against a top-10 team in Texas Tech — a team they have yet to beat this season. The series will begin with game one at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and game two at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
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.
