The University of New Mexico baseball team was faced with some difficult situations throughout Tuesday night's game against Oklahoma at Santa Ana Star Field. Initially, the defense helped get the pitching staff out of those jams, but eventually the Sooners broke through and recorded plenty of runs to take the first of two matchups by a score of 8-1.
The University of New Mexico baseball team had rattled off six straight wins, including a couple of improbable come-from-behind ones against Arizona and San Jose State, but it came to an end on Sunday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field. New Mexico ( 8-4, 2-1 MW) took the first two games in its conference home series, dispatching of San Jose State by a 14-2 count on Friday and stunning the Spartans thanks to a two-run throwing error in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 7-6 victory on Saturday.
Lobo baseball was down to its final out in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday. New Mexico trailed San Jose State by one run, but was threatening within runners on the corners. A base hit would have tied the game, but that's not what happened in the game's final at-bat. Tyler Kelly put the ball in play — a slow dribbler toward third base — and while it wasn't an easy put out, it looked as though Spartan third baseman Troy Viola would scoop it up and make the throw to first to end the game.
The University of New Mexico baseball team continued to improve on its record and run its current winning streak to five games by taking down the San Jose State Spartans Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field. New Mexico (7-3, 1-0 MW) won the conference opener and first matchup in a three-game series by a score of 14-2. But the Lobos gaudy run total probably didn’t come the way most might expect. UNM enjoyed an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second after junior catcher Reese O’Farrell drove in teammates Tyler Kelly and Connor Mang with a two-run single.
It’s a Thursday afternoon practice and the cool, dryness of the Albuquerque air has a piercing touch. Coaches, players and staffers are all wearing long sleeves, jackets, or are layered in clothes to keep from the cold. Standing near home plate, watching his teammates take batting practice, is Jared Mang — the 5’9 senior outfielder out of Los Alamos, New Mexico. He is wearing a red long sleeve emblazoned with a Lobo and a baseball diamond around it. To keep from the cold, he also has on a skull cap, though it's noticeably wrapped around his neck — to keep warm — with his helmet atop his head.
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.
The University of New Mexico baseball team will play its first game at Santa Ana Star Field this season, hosting Niagara in a four-game slate which features a doubleheader on Saturday. The Lobos (2-2) are coming off a series in Surprise, Arizona in which they split their four appearances. Both losses came against No. 7 Oregon State -- first in the series opener, which they led all the way up until the bottom of the ninth inning, when the Beavers scored three runs to take a 6-5 victory; and again on Monday, in the series finale, when the Lobos were shutout 5-0 by Oregon State.
In the first week of action back on the diamond, both Jared Mang and Nathaniel Garley took home the first weekly Mountain West awards, the conference announced on Monday. Mang was named MW Player of the Week, while Garley was named MW Pitcher of the Week.
After a strong start at the plate, in which the University of New Mexico baseball team had as much as a 4-0 lead on No.8 Oregon State, it was pitching in the final innings that led to the Lobos’ demise. New Mexico (0-1) gave up three runs in the seventh and three in the bottom of the ninth, ultimately surrendering a victory to the Beavers (1-0), 6-5, on Friday afternoon in Surprise, Arizona. It was the season opener for both teams.
What word best describes this year’s baseball squad — it depends on who you ask. Jared Mang, a captain and senior outfielder for the University of New Mexico baseball team, described this Lobos team as “competitive.” If you ask Justin Watari, a junior infielder, he’ll say “chemistry.” And if you ask head coach Ray Birmingham how to describe this season’s team, he’ll give you a witty, yet informative, take on his players.
The University of New Mexico baseball team held its "First Pitch Banquet" on Friday afternoon as the team welcomed an ESPN personality to the local baseball community and attempted to raise funds for the upcoming season. UNM baseball head coach Ray Birmingham said he is tasked with raising $150,000 every year through donations and the banquet was a step toward accomplishing that goal.
Playing on the road at New Mexico State, and starting nine freshmen in the process, didn’t work out in the University of New Mexico baseball team’s favor. Instead, the veteran-laced Aggies trampled the Lobos 13-2 on Tuesday evening in Las Cruces. This was the second matchup between the two teams, with NMSU winning both contests. With the loss, UNM dropped its record to 15-28-1 overall, while the Aggies are now 29-16 overall.
The University of New Mexico baseball team, coming off of a split against Grand Canyon during the week, had no such luck against San Jose State — dropping the first two games of a weekend series on the road agains the Spartans. The Lobos haven't fared well at all on the road this season, winning just four games all year for an anemic 4-13 record in true road games. Though the team is 3-3 in neutral site matchups, UNM simply hasn't had positive results when playing outside the friendly confines of Santa Ana Star Field.
The University of New Mexico baseball team fell to Grand Canyon by a score of 7-3 on Tuesday evening on the road in Phoenix, Arizona in the first of a two game series between the two teams. Grand Canyon started off the game hot, scoring three runs in the first inning while holding the Lobos scoreless in top half of the frame. Senior right-hander James Harrington, New Mexico’s starter on Tuesday, pitched a lot better as the game progressed. But after a sloppy first inning, which was aided by a fielding error that scored an unearned run, the Lobos were playing from behind.
The University of New Mexico baseball team broke a 10-game losing streak over the weekend, after defeating UNLV in a weekend series at Santa Ana Star Field. On Friday in the series opener, the Lobos moved past the Rebels after freshman Garrett Gouldsmith knocked home his first career homer run, a three run shot down the right field line, to win 8-5. On Saturday, UNM dominated UNLV, 11-2, after a five run second inning gave them the lead for good. Sophomore pitcher Cody Dye was dominant, too, pitching all nine innings and allowing just two runs on seven hits during the game, while also striking out four and walking four.
On a gusty Tuesday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field, the ball seemed to be flying. However, things didn’t go the University of New Mexico’s way as they fell to No. 5 Texas Tech 20-9, in a game of offensive firepower. This marked UNM’s tenth straight loss, which ties for the longest losing streak in Ray Birmingham’s 11 years as head coach of the Lobos. TTU opened up the game with two runs in the first inning, both of which came on RBI singles to take an early lead. But, in the bottom of the first inning, UNM had an answer for the Red Raiders, as junior Jared Mang was able to notch a two-run double, while his brother, freshman Connor Mang, picked up an RBI after grounding out into a double play in which Jared Mang scored, all but putting the Lobos up 3-2.
The University of New Mexico baseball team was swept by the Nevada Wolf Pack over the weekend in Reno, Nevada, as they lost all three games, including its last nine games in a row. On Friday in the series opener, the Wolf Pack (20-13, 14-4 MW) dismantled the Lobos (12-21-1, 6-12 MW) in a 15-2 victory. Nevada held UNM to just four hits while striking out nine Lobos during the game. In the process, sophomore pitcher Justin Slaten gave up seven hits and six runs in his 4.1 innings on the mound. The second matchup of the series on Saturday saw the Wolf Pack defeat the Lobos again, though that game was much closer than the first — with Nevada edging UNM by a score of 5-2.
A second straight scorching hot night at the plate from the Las Vegas 51s’ right fielder Ty Kelly headlined a torrid offense on getaway day as the 51s avoided the series sweep with a 10-4 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes. The 51s opened the game with two runs in the first inning.
A pitching duel it was not. The Albuquerque Isotopes secured a series victory over the Las Vegas 51s with a 17-11 win on Wednesday night. The two teams combined for 31 hits and 28 runs, making it the sixth highest scoring game in Isotopes team history.
The first matchup this season between the University of New Mexico Lobos and New Mexico State Aggies was a blowout, with the Aggies cruising to a 9-1 victory at Santa Ana Star Field. New Mexico State (20-13, 6-3 WAC) used a six-run second inning to build a comfortable margin and propel itself to the big win over New Mexico (12-18-1, 6-9 MW) on Tuesday evening. It was the Lobos’ sixth straight loss, and pitching continued to be an issue — at least early on — as the starter got roughed up by some solid bats. UNM senior pitcher James Harrington got the start on the mound, but had a subpar performance and didn't last long. He gave up eight runs on nine hits in an outing that lasted just two innings. He started the bottom of the third, but never recorded an out — giving up a lead-off single and issuing a base on balls before being switched out for sophomore pitcher Nathaniel Garley.
Solutions by The State News
