Lobo baseball and hitting have not been synonymous with each other recently, and the trend continued at home on Tuesday evening.
The Lobos (11-9, 6-0 MW) combined for just four hits in a 6-1 loss to Grand Canyon at Santa Ana Star Field, marking six straight losses and its first loss at home this season.
“Too passive, too passive,” Lobo coach Ray Birmingham had to say about the hitting performance against GCU. “I'm embarrassed. That's the same group of pitchers – kind of pitchers – [GCU] brought the last time they were here. I'm embarrassed...I'm embarrassed for them.
The head coach said the team has put in the work and were yielding results early on in the season, averaging more than 10 runs per game at one point, but the bats have just stopped producing.
“We work really hard on mechanics, the swings and attacking the fastball – and we were doing that. We were doing that in the first nine or 10 games and now all of a sudden we got a virus going through us.”
UNM’s only run of the game came off of a homer to left center from Andre Pratt, which went on the roof of the practice arena at WisePies Arena.
The Lobos’ other three hits were a double from Jared Mang, and a single from both Robby Campillo and Andre Gregory.
What seemed to be the most frustrating aspect for Birmingham, though, is that the team’s hitting isn't translating from practice to the playing field.
“They're swinging great at practice,” Birmingham said. “In fact, Monday night they came out and we got everything set up and they just hammered [the ball].”
But pitching has been an issue at times as well and the Lobos weren't able to stop the scoring of GCU as the away team put up six runs on UNM’s turf.
Most of those runs came in the top of the second inning, when the Lopes’ bats exploded for four hits and four runs in the inning.
Pratt’s homer in the fifth inning trimmed the Lopes’ lead to three runs with the score 4-1, but GCU put the clamps on, allowing the Lobos just two more hits for the remainder of the game.
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The Lopes also tacked on a couple of insurance runs, one in the sixth and another in the eighth inning, just for good measure.
In total, the Lobos allowed GCU to rack up 14 hits in the game, with the majority coming off of starting pitcher James Harrington, who in 5.2 innings on the mound, allowed 5 runs and eight hits before being switched out for reliever Brian Coffey.
Harrington did not have his best performance on the mound, which Birmingham said is sometimes due to focus.
“Harrington will always have one bad inning,” Birmingham said. “[And it's] because he can't pay attention.
Reliever Chandler Coates, who came on in relief of Cody Dye in the top of the seventh inning, allowed five hits in 1.2 innings on the mound.
Closer Nathaniel Garley ended things on the mound for the Lobos by allowing no hits and no runs to finish out the game.
The loss was pinned on Harrington’s record, which is 0-1 as it was his first decision of the season.
The Lobos will close out the two-game series with GCU on Wednesday, Mar. 22 at 1 p.m.
Left hander Austin Isenhart (2-1, 6.92 ERA) will get the start for UNM, while GCU will counter with Bobby Milacki (0-1, 10.50 ERA).
The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN Radio 101.7, The TEAM.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women's basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz
