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There will be no trip to Omaha, Neb., for the New Mexico baseball team.
A season filled with high expectations ended with another first-round knockout as the Lobos lost 6-5 to Columbia in 13 innings on Saturday in Fullerton, Calif. UNM lost its first regional game on Friday 4-3 to Arizona State.
“It’s over and it hurts,” head coach Ray Birmingham said after the team was ousted from the NCAA tournament.
The Lions entered the eighth inning down 5-0, but after two bloop singles, they tied the contest at 5. The game went to extra innings and Columbia was able to score the winning run when, with a runner on second base, second baseman Nick Crucet singled home right fielder Nick Ferraresi, who managed to beat out the throw to home.
In the bottom of the 13th, UNM was able to advance the tying run to third base but All-American DJ Peterson struck out swinging to end the game.
“The kids keep fighting, they keep scratching, they keep battling, and they’ve gone down to the last pitch,” Birmingham said. “We won a lot of games and came from behind throughout the year, and I think one thing that is a testament to this group is they never give up. They always keep fighting.”
UNM starting pitcher Sam Wolff and Columbia starter Tim Giel battled back and forth through most of the evening. The Lobos were able to give Wolff some breathing room after hitting three runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 5-0 lead. Giel worked 5 1/3 innings, giving up five runs, all earned, on nine hits with four punch outs.
Wolff kept on cruising until the eighth, when he allowed his first extra-base hit of the evening: a double to left center field. Relief pitcher Hobie McClain then came on for Wolff, who threw 7 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run, six hits, and two walks with seven strikeouts.
“We knew they were a team which made contact,” Wolff said. “Coach (Dan) Spencer and I planned to work my fast ball inside and outside. After a while, we noticed they were sitting on the fast ball, so we mixed in some more curves.”
McClain promptly gave up a two-run home run to first baseman Alex Black to cut the Lions’ deficit to 5-2. Lobo closer Gabe Aguilar then came into the game with two out and two on. Aguilar allowed the back-to-back bloop singles that tied the game at 5.
Throughout the extra innings both teams threatened to score the winning run, but neither team did until the 13th when the Lions (28-20) won the game with a single by Crucet for a 6-5 victory. Will Mathis took the loss for UNM after tossing 1 1/3 innings.
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“We won a lot of games by just hitting our way to victory,” Birmingham said. “We had several pitchers leave before the season started, and we patched things up with baling wire and glue.”
The Lobos (37-22) end the season with a four-game losing streak, three of which were by one run.
