The New Mexico State University Aggies beat the Lobos 16-14 in a slugfest at Lobo Field Tuesday afternoon.
NMSU used six homers on a day when winds were blowing 35 miles an hour straight out to left field. One of those home runs came off the bat of the Aggies' Billy Becher on the second pitch from Robert Lacheur in the fifth inning to put NMSU up 15-12.
"The first pitch I got out in front and they were throwing me off speed all day," Becher said. "The second pitch he left up and I just kept my hands back more and got enough of it to get it out of here with this wind."
Becher leads the nation with 26 home runs.
The scoring got off to a fast start in the first inning when NMSU got a two-run homer off the bat of Brad Ditter and a solo shot from Brandon Saunders to take a quick 3-0 lead.
The lead was short lived, however, as UNM senior first baseman Chris Alexander hit a three-run bomb in the bottom half of the first. Alexander finished with four hits on the day including two singles, a double and a home run.
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"I'm seeing the ball well and it's a windy day so we had a lot of balls drop," Alexander said.
The Lobos threatened for more but were denied when second baseman Ryan Barba struck out with the bases loaded.
In the top of the second, the Aggies regained the advantage, scoring three more runs on five hits and a hit batsman for a 6-3 lead.
UNM came right back in the bottom of the second with two runs of its own on a two-run double by Alexander into the right center field gap. Again the Lobos looked for more but were sent down when Alexander was doubled off at second base after Joe Salas ripped a liner to the right fielder who gunned down Alexander.
The biggest inning for NMSU came in the third when it put seven runs on the board to take a commanding 11-5 lead. The Aggies sent 11 runners to the plate in the inning. They hit a pair of two-run homers off Aaron Smith who came in to relieve Matt Bullen.
The start was the first on the year from Bullen, who normally comes out of the bullpen.
"We wanted to give him an opportunity to throw and he didn't do a very good job for us," head coach Rich Alday said.
UNM battled back and made things interesting when it scored two runs in the third and five in the fourth to cut the lead to one, 13-12. In the fifth, Becher nailed what would turn out to be the deciding hit of the game.
The Lobos' bats fell asleep over the next three innings as they were held scoreless. In the eighth, UNM got a rally going when Barba drilled a two-out RBI double off the left field wall to make it a 15-13 game.
NMSU got that run back in the top of the ninth to secure a three-run lead, 16-13.
The Lobos tried to start a rally in the bottom of the ninth and had a chance to tie the game when Josh Jezek came to the plate with UNM down by two runs and Alexander on second base. Jezek battled Aggie reliever Ditter to a full count with two outs but could not catch up with a fast ball as he swung and missed to end the game.
"I used a little extra for that one," Ditter said of the strikeout.
With the win, NMSU took the season series from the Lobos three games to two. UNM is back in action this weekend as it returns to conference play with a three game set against the University of Utah. The Lobos will try and move up in the Mountain West Conference standings with play beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday against the Utes. Saturday and Sunday's games are scheduled for 1 p.m. starts at Lobo Field.
