Monday’s matchup with the Arizona Wildcats didn’t go as planned for the University of New Mexico baseball team.
The Wildcats (17-10), who had won their last four games heading into Monday, pounced on the Lobos from the get-go on their way to a dominating 16-6 victory at Santa Ana Star Field.
Senior pitcher James Harrington struggled on the mound in the starting role. In the first inning, he gave up two hits and a run, though Harrington was able to strike out the last batter he faced in the frame.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Lobos (12-14-1, 6-6 MW) quickly responded. With two outs, junior Jared Mang hit a solo home run to center field, easily breezing over the Lobos’ elevated center field wall.
But Arizona didn’t stop at just one run. In the second inning alone, the Wildcats managed to add another five runs, to give them a commanding 6-1 lead early on. Most notably of those five runs was Arizona sophomore Cameron Cannon’s two-run blast over the left field wall. That homer prompted a switch in pitchers, as Harrington was replaced by sophomore Brian Coffey.
The Lobos’ second hit of the game came in the bottom of the second inning, by way of another homer. Freshman Derek Marshall managed to notch a solo homer to right center, ultimately bringing UNM within four runs, 6-2.
After a scoreless third, Arizona fired back with a seven run fourth inning. After Coffey gave up a leadoff double — and walked the batter after — he was replaced with junior Chad Smith. But Smith couldn’t get things going either. It was his lone inning on the mound for the Lobos, as sophomore Drew Gillespie took over in the ensuing inning.
“Two innings were the difference in the ball game,” UNM head coach Ray Birmingham said, referencing Arizona’s seven-run fourth inning and five-run second inning.
The Wildcats added another three runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a commanding 16-2 lead. UNM, however, was able to add four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, with three of those runs being driven in by way of a three-run shot from freshman Phillip Sikes, though that didn’t matter much, as Arizona had a big lead.
Those four runs would be the last scored by either team, as the seventh, eighth and ninth innings were all scoreless.
The Lobos and Birmingham, being down early on, opted to rotate through pitchers frequently. Eight pitchers pitched for the Lobos in the game, though in one inning on the mound, Sikes — who had hit a home run earlier in the game — struck out two and allowed just a hit.
As a team, the Lobos amassed eight hits total. Three of which were home runs. Leading the way was Sikes, who went 1-for-4 with a run and three RBI. Jared Mang also went 1-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Both players’ hits were home runs too.
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“It was good to work on stuff,” said Sikes, who made an appearance as a pitcher in the eighth inning and also hit one of the Lobos’ three home runs in the game. “That’s what I took away from this game.
“Days like this when the wind is blowing, there’s no telling. Anything can happen. So we just tried to take the best from everything, and get ready for this week.”
The Lobos, for the second time this season, will face the Fresno State Bulldogs in a weekend series. UNM will host this time around, with the games set to be played at Santa Ana Star Field.
First pitch for game one against the Bulldogs will be Friday, April 6, at 6 p.m.
Matthew Narvaiz is a senior sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s and women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
