Riding a four-game winning streak, including a dominating series sweep against Air Force, the UNM baseball team built some momentum heading into a two-game series against Arizona.
But momentum wasn't enough, as the Wildcats took both games from UNM this week at Isotopes Park.
Arizona used the bottom of its lineup to pound out a 10-6 win Tuesday before power-pitching its way to a 4-2 victory Wednesday.
"They just had stronger arms on the mound," coach Ray Birmingham said. "They came into today's contest with the No. 1 pitching staff in the country."
Early Wednesday, the Lobos seemed up to the task of evening the series.
Will Kerr pitched four scoreless innings, while Ian Hollick scored Brian Cavazos-Galvez in the bottom of the fourth to give the Lobos a 1-0 advantage.
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But in the top of the fifth, the Lobos shot themselves in the foot with miscues.
Kerr gave up three runs in the inning - two earned and one off an error - as the Wildcats reclaimed the lead at 3-1.
Meanwhile, the Lobos had to vie with pitches consistently in the 90s.
Despite the pitching speed, they did have some opportunities. But the Lobos were unable to capitalize, grounding into four double plays and leaving eight runners stranded on base.
The turning point in the game came in the bottom of the fifth. After a single got Mike Brownstein on base, Drew McDonald walked. Brownstein advanced to third on an error by Arizona's catcher.
With runners on first and third, Birmingham played strategy.
"We called a hit-and-run," he said. "We took a gamble, and we had one player not execute it the way it needed to be handled."
The result was an unassisted double play, with Brownstein out at home and Matt Hibbitts called out for batter interference.
Birmingham trotted out and argued the call - to no avail.
"I didn't think he interfered with (the catcher) at the dish," he said. "But that's the umpire's call."
Arizona widened the gap to 4-1 in the sixth when T.J. Steele scored off a Daniel Butler RBI single.
The Lobos made it interesting in the ninth. With runners on first and second, UNM managed to score one more run, making it 4-2. But a line-out by Brownstein sealed the Lobos' fate.
Brownstein went 2-of-4 from the plate and walked once.
However, he said Arizona's pitchers kept UNM off balance.
"They had us behind in the count," he said. "It's hard when they're mixing in their off-speed pitches, but you have to stay focused."
Wednesday's pitchers' duel was a contrast from Tuesday's offensive showcase. In that game, Arizona's 6-9 hitters went 6-for-13 and knocked in all 10 RBIs.
The Lobos are making progress but losing the games to Arizona was frustrating, Brownstein said.
"We're a program on the rise," he said. "We expect to win these games. And we were right there. We had a chance to pull (Wednesday's) game out."
Baseball vs. Utah
Today, 6 p.m.
Isotopes Park
