After falling down 2-1 in two and a half innings, third baseman Carl Stajduhar pelted a three-run homer to right field. And, from there, Lobo baseball never looked back, winning Friday's game 13-4 at Santa Ana Star Field.
The Lobos (21-16-1, 12-2-1 MW) got off to a quick start, with starting pitcher Tyler Stevens pitching a 1-2-3 first inning, while also putting the first run on the board for either team in the bottom of the frame. Jared Mang got on base first for the Lobos on a one out single, and reached second on a wild pitch. But Luis Gonzalez was the determining factor, scoring Mang on an RBI single to put the Lobos up 1-0.
However, UNLV answered in the second inning. After a lead-off single got a Rebel on base, a double scored the team’s first run of the game, and then another RBI single followed the double to put UNLV up 2-1, giving the team its first lead of the game.
But UNM wasn't done and answered in the bottom of the third inning, when Stajduhar hit a three-run shot, putting the Lobos up 4-2.
Neither team scored in the fourth, with each team only picking up one hit in the inning. The offenses came alive in the fifth inning though. UNLV put up one run in the top of the inning, and UNM responded by notching three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 7-3 lead. Surprisingly, the three runs were scored on one hit —a Beau Capanna two-RBI single. The other run was scored by Danny Collier on a sacrifice fly from Daniel Herrera.
The Lobos tacked on another run in the sixth. Although they did not score in the sixth or seventh inning UNM exploded for six hits and five runs in the eighth to slam the door on the Rebels. The inning was highlighted by a two-RBI double from Jack Zoellner, giving the Lobos a 13-4 lead over the Rebels.
From there, Nathaniel Garley – who pitched the last two innings for the Lobos – closed out the game in the ninth in 1-2-3 fashion, helping the Lobos get ahead in the three-game series with UNLV.
The Lobos, as a team, notched 17 hits. Mang paced the team, going 4-for-5 at the plate with four runs, and Gonzalez followed with a 3-for-4 showing and two runs and two RBI’s.
Stevens picked up the win, pitching seven innings on the mound. He allowed 10 hits, three runs, walked one in struck out five UNLV batters, and his record moved to 6-3 on the season.
The Lobos will pick up action right away, with a game at 2 p.m. on Saturday. 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
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
