by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Matt Foote walked to the plate with the Lobos trailing rival NMSU 4-3 to lead off the sixth inning.
At bat later in the same inning, Foote hit a three-RBI double to give the UNM baseball team a 10-4 lead and a choke hold in
the game.
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Foote was the spark plug in the Lobos' 13-6 win over the Aggies, scoring a run, knocking in three RBIs and stealing two bases in the sixth inning alone. The center fielder finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBIs, two runs, two walks and two stolen bases.
Foote said he focused on the little things in Tuesday's win at Isotopes Park.
"I was just trying to put some stuff together and have competitive at bats at the plate," he said. "Whatever I could do to help the team battle - get on base, walk, steal some bases - that's all I was trying to do."
To lead off the bottom of the first, Foote walked and advanced to second when Jay Russel was hit by a pitch. Foote then scored off a Daniel Stovall double, helping the Lobos build a 3-0 lead.
However, UNM made some mistakes early in the game - finishing with three errors - and allowed the Aggies to take a 4-3 lead after five innings.
When his first at bat came in the bottom of the sixth, Foote said he was just trying to take what the pitchers gave him. He ended up walking, opening up the opportunity for UNM's
seven-run sixth inning.
"I wasn't looking to walk," he said. "First pitch, I was looking to drive something. After that, (the pitcher) kind of got wild on me, so I'll take the walk where I can and get the inning started."
Nine batters later, Foote came up to bat again in the sixth inning, only this time with the Lobos holding a 7-4 lead and the bases loaded with two outs. Foote capitalized on the opportunity, turning a Matt Van Deelen pitch into a bases-clearing double to help seal the win.
UNM head coach Rich Alday said Foote played an instrumental part in Tuesday's win over the Aggies.
"He had a real good ballgame," he said. "A lot of guys did a real good job. That's what we're going to try and carry over this weekend."
It wasn't the first time in Foote's career in which he has had success against NMSU. Last season, he hit a grand slam on March 7 against the Aggies and went 4-for-5 with four runs and two RBIs in a Feb. 28 meeting with them last year.
This season, the Lobos went 3-1 against the Aggies, with their only loss coming March 13. The Lobos led 5-1 in that game.
As a senior and Albuquerque native, Foote said it was important to contribute to a win in his final game against NMSU.
"Obviously, there's a rivalry, and it's nice to beat those guys," he said. "They got away with one last time. We were pretty pissed about that. Getting the win tonight was good."
