Senior Danny Collier hit for the cycle and the University of New Mexico, after dropping the series opener yesterday, downed the Air Force Falcons 12-11 at Santa Ana Star Field on Saturday afternoon.
Collier went 4-for-5 from the plate, with three runs and three RBI. Since he hit for the cycle, it included a single, a double, a triple and a homer. That home run, though, was the game winner, as he pelted it to right center with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning.
Air Force (9-13, 3-5 MW) was able to get on the scoreboard first after they scored three runs in the top of the third inning. But UNM, in the bottom of the frame, quickly responded by adding four runs of its own.
Senior Daniel Herrera opened up the bottom of the third for the Lobos (9-12-1, 3-5 MW) with a walk, then a single from sophomore Justin Watari put runners on first and second base. After a groundout advanced the runners in scoring position, freshman Brayden Merritt grounded out again, scoring Herrera in the process.
Junior Jared Mang then notched an RBI single to give the Lobos two runs in the third inning, before Collier exploded for a two-run triple, ultimately putting UNM up 4-3.
The Falcons added another run in the top of the fourth inning to tie things up at four runs apiece, but UNM added another two runs to make it 6-4.
Junior Malachi Emond, who came in for relief in the fifth inning for the Lobos, made quick work of the Falcons, retiring them in order, with the last two outs coming by way of strikeout. UNM, however, didn’t score in the frame.
Air Force then came back strong in the sixth inning, scoring another three runs—one by way of a solo homer. It gave them a 7-6 lead, and its first of the game since the top of the third inning.
UNM, again, added another two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Collier, who led off the frame, was walked and eventually brought home after a fielder’s choice helped him cross home plate two at-bats later. Freshman Connor Mang scored the second run on a ground out, giving the Lobos an 8-7 lead.
But Air Force wouldn’t back down from the offensive battle, and added another two runs to take a 9-8 lead in the top of the eighth inning.
UNM, also, wasn’t ready to shy away. They added another three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the runs coming by way of a solo homer from Jared Mang, and a two-run double from Connor Mang.
The Falcons tied the game up in the ninth inning, scoring two runs off of sophomore reliever Drew Gillespie, while holding the Lobos scoreless in the same frame, inevitably forcing extra innings.
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But Gillespie, in the tenth inning, came back strong. He retired the side, with the last Air Force batter striking out. That’s when, in the bottom of the inning, Collier blasted a two-out solo home run to give the Lobos a 12-11 victory.
In the process, and with the clutch tenth inning on the mound, Gillespie picked up the win to put him at 2-0 on the season. In his time on the mound, Gillespie struck out four batters while allowing two runs on two hits and two walks.
The Lobos, as a team, had 14 hits in total. Two of those were home runs, courtesy of the elder Mang and Collier. Jared Mang went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. His brother, Connor, went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Air Force, meanwhile, put up similar numbers to the Lobos. They had 15 hits with two homer runs, though they fell just one run shy of UNM. The Falcons had six batters with two-or-more hits in the game
The two teams will wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Sophomore Cody Dye will get the start on the mound for UNM.
Matthew Narvaiz is a senior sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
