With first place on the line, the University of New Mexico baseball team got swept on the road by league-leading San Jose State over the weekend.
New Mexico (15-17, 6-9 MW) entered the series having gotten some quality starts from the pitching staff over the previous week, though it didn't always lead to victory.
But the Lobos pulled off and improbable comeback after getting a strong effort from the bullpen in a victory over Texas Tech, coming back from an 8-2 deficit to defeat the Red Raiders 9-2 prior to taking on the Spartans.
San Jose State improved to 17-15 overall with the three-game sweep over the Lobos, and while the season record may not be impressive, the Spartans have now won eight of its last night games in conference play and sit in first place at 10-4.
The Lobos saw right-hander Justin Slaten, Friday's starting pitcher, toe the rubber for seven innings. He struck out eight batters and surrendered just one earned run, but a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh ruined the effort — erasing a 2-1 Lobo lead dealing the pitcher his third loss of the season.
Jared Mang's 2-RBI single in the top half of the third inning had held up until that point, but the Spartans breakthrough in the seventh inning and subsequent run in the bottom of the eighth allowed SJSU to snag a 4-2 victory in the series opener.
UNM got off to a better start on Saturday, though it failed to fully capitalize on some early scoring opportunities. New Mexico had the bases loaded with nobody out in the first inning, and while Jared Mang was able to put a ball in play to score one run — his ground ball ended up being a double play and the run was the only one the Lobos were able to get across the plate in the frame.
New Mexico tacked on another run to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning, but stranded another runner. The issue continued to get compounded as the Lobos left the bases juiced to strand three more in the third and a total of 13 base runners overall for the game.
That proved costly as San Jose State was able to move out in front in the third inning, despite getting outhit up to that point. The Spartans picked up three runs in the bottom of the third and touched up Lobo starting pitcher Nathaniel Garley with a pair of well-hit balls in the following inning, prompting a pitching change.
Garley was charged with five earned runs, which put him in line for the loss. The Lobos got some decent middle relief, but were unable to draw any closer on the scoreboard before the Spartans were able to get to reliever Kenneth Waller for a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh and eventually take game two by a score of 8-3.
The Spartans completed the sweep by getting an impressive complete game performance from their starting pitcher, freshman right-hander Jonathan Clark. He gave up a run in the first inning, but pitched eight scoreless afterward, surrendering just a lone hit in the top of the ninth on the way to victory.
New Mexico's 1-0 lead, which came off a Tanner Baker RBI-single in the top of the first held up until the fourth inning, when the Spartans were able to tie things up with an unearned run in the frame.
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Then SJSU followed it up with three more runs in the fifth — laying claim to a 4-1 lead through five inning of play. UNM starter Drew Gillespie threw one more inning before making his exit, striking out three batters and giving up five hits along the way.
The Lobos were unable to get any production until that final hit by Jared Mang in the top half of the ninth, but but Clark promptly shut the door, inducing a game-ending double play in the next at bat to seal a 5-1 victory and preserve the three-game sweep over UNM.
San Jose State will stay home to host a one-game set on Monday, April 8 against visiting Portland in a non-conference meeting, while the Lobos' Monday matchup against California was cancelled. UNM will return home to face Nevada in Mountain West action, with a three-game series that kicks off on Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball and baseball and contributes content for various other sports as well. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Robert_Maler
