While the University of New Mexico baseball team was able to garner two wins over the weekend against the likes of Gonzaga and Minnesota, the No. 7 Oregon State Beavers once again proved to be the Lobos' kryptonite.
On Friday, the Beavers worked a late-inning comeback to defeat UNM. And on Monday, the Beavers dominated from beginning to end, defeating the Lobos 5-0 to conclude the tournament in Surprise, Arizona.
New Mexico is now 2-2 on the season.
Justin Watari was walked on the first at-bat of the game and was advanced to second base after Hayden Schilling grounded out on a sacrifice bunt. But Watari was then called out on a double play after Jared Mang hit a pop up.
Oregon State, meanwhile, got going at the bottom of the first, with a leadoff home run from Preston Jones. That was the only run they'd get in the frame, though that trend of scoring didn't stop in the following innings.
In the bottom of the second the Beavers were able to add a run on the scoreboard. The run was scored on a walk, but was set up after the bases were loaded after two singles and a hit batter.
The Lobos' next advance at scoring came in the bottom of the third when Derek Marshall Jr. doubled to left center. Eventually, Marshall advanced to third base on a wild pitch with two outs but never reached home after a Watari flyout to left field.
Oregon State added another run in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead to 3-0, meanwhile, UNM had yet to garner any sort of scoring rally.
In the bottom of the fifth, Marshall put the Lobos in prime position to score, after leading off the inning with a double to right center and then reaching third base shortly after Reese O' Farrell grounded out. The inning ended with no UNM run, but instead a Brayden Merritt strikeout and another Watari flyout.
Oregon State added another run in the sixth and eighth innings, while UNM continued to struggle at the plate.
The Beavers went on to win 5-0, while also picking up their second win over the Lobos early this season.
In total, UNM had six hits, three of which were doubles. Leading the way was Marshall, who had two doubles to his stat line and who also went 2-for-3 at the plate. Connor Mang also had a good day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one double.
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Drew Gillespie, who started the game and pitched five innings for UNM, allowed three runs on six hits. He was ultimately tagged with the loss, his first of the season.
Up next for the Lobos is their home debut, when they host Niagara in a four-game weekend slate at Santa Ana Star Field. Game one of that series is set for Friday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
Matthew Narvaiz is a senior writer for the Daily Lobo. He helps with baseball and basketball coverage. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
