As the season is winding down, accolades are beginning to come in for first place New Mexico. However, junior DH Chris DeVito and senior pitcher Alex Estrella aren’t just getting noticed for their on-field efforts in a tight Mountain West Conference race. They are also dominating in the classroom.
Immaculate pitching following the first inning has awarded UNM the Rio Grande for the 2016 campaign. It wasn’t without a fight, and by no means a blowout, but blanketing NMSU in a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night has awarded New Mexico the Rio Grande Rivalry, after winning three of the four meetings.
The Lobos have dropped a game here and there, which is expected during the course of a long season. But forgoing a series has been a rarity. For just the second time all season, the Lobos faltered a three-game matchup with an opponent. Saturday’s 7-4 loss to ASU guaranteed their first series loss since UNM played Dallas Baptist in early March. Despite the loss, senior right hander Taylor Duree joined the UNM record books with his 76th career appearance, more than any other pitcher in New Mexico history.
UNM left Carson Schneider’s rough start on the hill plagued UNM in a 9-5 loss in the series’ opener against Arizona State on Friday night. The Sun Devils jumped all over the 6-foot-3-inch lefty in the first two innings, plating six to get put the Lobos in a big hole early on.
The Lobos now control the fate of the Rio Grande Rivalry. Following Tuesday night’s 10-4 rout over their in-state rivals, UNM (30-13, 16-5 MW) now holds a 2-1 advantage over NMSU on the 2016 campaign.
Head coach Ray Birmingham had a bad feeling about Sunday’s game as soon as he showed up that morning. He said he got to the field at 8 a.m.
New Mexico took Game 2 against San Diego State University 13-7 Saturday afternoon to clinch the weekend series against the Aztecs.
New Mexico head coach Ray Birmingham has yet another accolade to place on his mantle following UNM’s 10-5 win over San Diego State on Friday night. Birmingham now has 300 wins while at the helm of New Mexico’s baseball program.
Late game doubles from the bottom half of the lineup fueled New Mexico in a 6-5 win over No. 7 Texas Tech on Wednesday afternoon. While the bullpen was dominant in the final contest of the two-game midweek series, the Lobos’ win was highlighted in walk-off fashion. UNM’s offense was dormant for the majority of the contest, but thanks to clutch extra-base hits by pinch hitter Michael Eaton and Dalton Bowers, the Lobos were able to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Red Raiders (30-10).
New Mexico was able to salvage a Game 1 loss by taking the next two along with the series against San Jose State last weekend in California. Though the 10-3 scoreboard in the rubber match of the three-game stand indicated a blowout, the Lobo offense didn’t really get going until the late stages of Sunday afternoon’s ballgame.
Fueled by sound pitching, New Mexico was able to even the series against San Jose State on Saturday afternoon, taking game two 6-2. The Lobos fell in a heartbreaker 9-8 in the opening game, despite tying the game up twice in the late stages of Friday night’s ballgame.
An eight run showing wasn’t enough support for New Mexico as the team fell to San Jose 9-8 at the start of the three-game series opener. The Spartans jumped all over Carson Schneider early, plating five runs in the game’s first three innings of play.
After being routed in New Mexico’s first day in California on Tuesday night, the Lobos bounced back with a 12-3 blowout over San Francisco on Wednesday. UNM had a quick start to the contest, as they plated four runs in the first inning followed by another four-spot in the top of the second. Grant Goodman had a very brief day for the Dons, only lasting one-third of an inning while allowing four runs, three of which were earned.
Just days after New Mexico took down Fresno State to claim the top spot in the Mountain West, UNM got off to a rough start in its trip to California on Tuesday night. In the mid-week game against Santa Clara, New Mexico starter/leadoff hitter Luis Gonzalez (2-1) ran into quite a bit of trouble early in the contest, as the club fell 13-7.
When two teams are locked up in a first place showdown mid-season, it is normally a time for big-time players to shine. This week, two New Mexico players received all-conference honors for their performances, which contributed to a sweep over Fresno State last weekend.
Fresno State has not enjoyed much success in Albuquerque. The Bulldogs are now just 1-14 when playing UNM on its home turf following Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Lobos. “Fresno hates to come here,” head coach Ray Birmingham said.
A late comeback, extra innings and a wild finish garnered a series win for New Mexico during Saturday afternoon’s 14-13 win over Fresno State. Unlike the opening game of UNM’s three-game home stand, the game went to the offensive side as the Lobos homered six times and collected 11 extra-base hits during Saturday’s four-hour and one-minute contest. The Bulldogs collected five extra-base hits on the day to put up their 13 runs.
New Mexico took sole possession of first place in the Mountain West after Friday night’s 2-1 victory over Fresno State. However, that doesn’t mean much as the Bulldogs will remain in town for the weekend with the intent to surpass UNM. Before first pitching Saturday, the Lobos will be able to enjoy first place thanks to starting pitcher Carson Schneider's gem on Friday.
There is plenty at stake this weekend as New Mexico and Fresno State prepare to do battle for the top spot in the Mountain West. Head coach Ray Birmingham is not shying away from the major implications of this weekend’s three game home-stand against the Bulldogs. “We haven’t played our best baseball yet,” Birmingham said. “We’re waiting for that to click.”
It wasn’t the high scoring affair UNM has gotten accustomed to, but the Lobos still walked out of Roswell, New Mexico with a 3-2 win over NMSU at the neutral site. Junior catcher Chris DeVito played hero for New Mexico with a two-out RBI base hit to even the series up at 1-1 against the in-state-rival Aggies (17-12).
Solutions by The State News
