New Mexico baseball saw a slowdown in offensive production, but still had plenty to get by in-state rival New Mexico State Tuesday night.
The Lobos (8-3) averaged nearly 20 runs per game in their most recent three-game series sweep against Air Force.
And though the team didn’t reach that lofty benchmark, the bats were anything but silent as UNM notched an 8-2 neutral site win in El Paso, Texas.
UNM sophomore lefty Austin Isenhart (1-0) only saw two innings of work but put himself in line for the win—his first of the season.
He sat down the first five batters he faced, and made it out of the second inning after allowing a pair of singles.
The Lobos took a 1-0 lead in the top half of the second after Andre Vigil doubled home first baseman Jack Zoellner to tally the first run of the game.
Both teams got plenty of runners on base throughout the game, but it was the Lobos who took better advantage of the opportunities despite leaving more men on base. Both teams ended up with 12 hits, but the Aggies also had four errors which proved fatal.
NMSU pitcher Dalton Shalberg (0-1), who entered the game at the start of the second inning, was pulled in the fourth inning after putting two men on. Both Lobos eventually reached home plate, leaving the pitcher on the hook for three earned runs and the loss.
The other New Mexico State pitchers didn’t fare much better, as the Aggies tried six different pitchers through six innings in an attempt to slow down the Lobo offense.
New Mexico struck again in the fifth inning, benefitting from one of two Aggie errors. The Lobos rallied with one out to put runners on first and second when freshman Robby Campillo singled to right field to knock in one run.
Vigil advanced to third on the play and later scored an unearned run on an error by pitcher Andy Frakes to make the score 5-0.
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New Mexico State finally broke through in the bottom of the frame with a two-out rally, but really missed out on a chance to get back in the game.
The Aggies hit three consecutive singles to load the bases and scored their first run after designated hitter Austin Botello was hit by a pitch. The Lobos inserted Austin Wendt into a bases-loaded situation and he responded with a huge strikeout to end the threat, keeping the score 5-1 through five innings of play.
UNM’s Andre Gregory wound up on second base to start the sixth inning after another throwing error to put the Lobos in scoring position again. That error was compounded by another as the next batter, Danny Collier, also made it to second base after an error by the catcher, which also plated Gregory.
Zoellner homered later in the inning to break the game open as the Lobos seized an 8-1 lead.
The Aggies mustered one more run in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 8-2, but that was the last run they could get across the plate.
New Mexico State ended that inning with a runner in scoring position, as well as the ninth, hitting just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position for the game.
The 8-2 victory wrapped up an eight-game road trip for the Lobos, as the team is finally set to return to Santa Ana Star Field on Friday to battle San Jose State in a three-game series to resume conference play.
Game one of that series is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday and can be heard on ESPN radio, 101.7 the TEAM.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers football and men’s and women’s tennis. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
