It was a game of pitching on Saturday night as the Lobo baseball team put their undefeated conference record on the line against Fresno State.
Both teams held each other to just eight hits in the game, even after playing a few extra innings. The end result did not favor the home team though, as the Lobos fell for the first time in Mountain West play after winning 10 of them to start the season.
The 2-1 Bulldog victory over the Lobos put a stop to the streak, as the pitching duel played out on a cold, damp evening at Santa Ana Star Field.
Lobo starting pitcher Johnathon Tripp put on a quite a performance for UNM, matching his counterpart inning after inning. He allowed a pair of hits and one earned run in a seven-inning effort, striking out the side in each of the first three innings.
Fresno State finally broke the scoreless by mustering a run in the fifth inning. A lead-off double started things off, and the Bulldogs quickly advanced the runner to third on a groundout. The next batter grounded out to Lobo first baseman Jack Zoellner, who couldn't get his throw home in time to put out the runner and Fresno State led 1-0.
Tripp settled in over the next couple of innings and got some help from the offense in the bottom of the sixth. Zoellner drew a lead-off walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. The Lobos tallied their first run after Danny Collier eventually hit a sacrifice fly that scored Zoellner to things up at 1-1.
The Lobos had another great scoring opportunity in the bottom of the seventh inning. Fresno State’s Edgar Gonzalez entered the game with one out and a runner on first base. After he recorded the second out of the inning, Gonzalez got into a potentially dangerous situation by walking the bases loaded.
But Andre Gregory struck out swinging to end the inning, stranding three men in the process. Both teams had chances over the next two innings, but failed to get the go-ahead run across the plate and forced the game into extra innings.
Lobo reliever Justin Slaten came on in the eighth inning with the game still tied. Although he allowed five hits, Slaten delivered three solid innings of work before exiting the game.
Christian Tripp took the bump for the Lobos in the top of the eleventh inning but had trouble from the beginning. Fresno State put the first two men on and ended up with runners on the corners after grounding out in the next at-bat.
The Bulldogs made the most of the opportunity, executing an RBI bunt single to bring home the runner from third and put them up 2-1 on the scoreboard.
The run put UNM in a do-or-die situation in the bottom of the eleventh, but the Lobos quickly found themselves down to their last out.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Jared Mang extended the inning with a two-out single, but Zoellner grounded out in the next at-bat to end the game and the Lobo conference winning streak.
The Lobos were paced by Zoellner, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with had one run scored. The only other Lobo with multiple hits was a 2-for-6 performance by Mang.
UNM will try to regroup in the last meeting of the three-game series with Fresno State and earn the series win on Sunday, Apr. 2 at noon. The game will be broadcasted 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
