Game two of the three game series between the University of New Mexico and San Diego State took a different turn, with the visiting team breaking through with an offensive output on Saturday that abandoned it the day before.
Game one of the series saw New Mexico (25-18, 15-3-1 MW) get shut out, as the Lobos were limited to just four hits. But game two was quite different — UNM tallied 16 hits on its way to an 11-6 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego, California.
The Lobo win was key for keeping their grasp on the first place spot in the Mountain West, while San Diego State (30-14, 14-6 MW) remained in second place with the loss.
Head coach Ray Birmingham said he was proud of his team for both its offensive production and pitching. Birmingham singled out a couple of players as being instrumental in orchestrated the big win on Saturday afternoon.
“It was good to come out and get the bats going today,” Birmingham said in a press release. “Plus, Johnathon Tripp gave us a good six innings and Drew Gillespie looked good in those first two innings before getting through that final inning to close it out.”
Starting pitcher Johnathon Tripp had a strong outing against a good San Diego State team. In six innings on the mound, Tripp allowed just three runs on five hits, but he managed to strike out seven batters and only walk two.
Lobo reliever Drew Gillespie, who pitched the last three innings, allowed three runs on six hits. All of the runs came in the bottom of the ninth inning, when the Aztecs tried to rally back.
Hitting and the Lobos were synonymous with each other in the game. Of the 16 Lobo hits, the team was paced by third baseman Carl Stajduhar, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs and an RBI. Outfielder Jared Mang also had a three hit game, contributing two RBI and one run as part of his efforts
The start of the game was likely a surprise, with the Lobos scoring seven of their 11 runs in the first inning. The first run off a Stajduhar RBI single, which scored Mang. But the inning was highlighted by Mang singling home two runs in the inning to put the Lobos up 7-0 after the top of the first.
The Lobos recorded multiple runs in the second inning as well, with Hayden Schilling picking up an RBI single in the frame, to give the Lobos a 10-0 advantage after just two innings.
The last of the Lobo scoring came in the third inning, when Danny Collier hit an RBI triple, putting the Lobos up 11-0.
With UNM failing to score in the final six innings, San Diego State was able to slowly creep back into the game. But the Aztecs never seriously threatened, despite scoring multiple runs in a couple of innings.
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SDSU knocked in two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth inning. It also mounted a push by scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but that was as close as San Diego State got and UNM evened the series with an 11-6 victory.
The rubber match is scheduled for Sunday, Apr. 30 at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN radio 101.7, the TEAM.
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.
