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Baseball: Lobos miss opportunity to reduce magic number, fall to Fresno State

Matthew Narvaiz | May 13

The University of New Mexico took one step forward and one step back in game one of a three-game series at Fresno State. The Lobos are now one game closer towards the end of the season, but on Friday evening, the Bulldogs won, 9-3, during a critical Mountain West game, which can affect the Lobos’ first place standing if they continue to lose throughout the remainder of the season. However, that step back was shortened when San Diego State lost to Air Force on Friday evening, meaning UNM (28-21-1, 18-15-1 MW) has to win three games to clinch the regular season title instead of four, as previously reported. The loss for the Lobos, however, came by way of nine unanswered runs spread across four separate innings from Fresno State.

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Baseball: Lobos have promising weekend ahead at Fresno State

Matthew Narvaiz | May 11

The University of New Mexico baseball team will visit Fresno State over the weekend in a three-game series in the hopes of keeping atop the Mountain West standings. In the Lobos’ last six games, four wins will help them clinch the title of Mountain West regular season champs. But four San Diego State losses—that team is now in second place—can also help UNM. New Mexico (28-20-1, 18-4-1 MW) enters the series at 2-2 in the month of May, losing two home games: one to New Mexico State, the other to Air Force during a series opener. Still, UNM is looking good in its last two outings against the Falcons, winning game two 17-10 and game three 11-6.

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Baseball: Gonzalez shines in 11-6 Lobo win over Air Force

Matthew Narvaiz | May 7

Luis Gonzalez did it all for the Lobos on Sunday afternoon—pitching brilliantly and nearly hitting for the cycle. The junior outfielder/pitcher got the start on the mound for New Mexico (28-20-1, 18-4-1 MW) as well as played the part of designated hitter on offense, leading the Lobos to an 11-6 win and pick up the series victory over Air Force. Not only did Gonzalez go seven strong innings on the mound—allowing six runs on 11 hits, striking out six and walking one—he paced the Lobos’ offense, with a near-perfect performance, going 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Gonzalez singled, doubled and hit a homerun, finishing a triple shy of the cycle.

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Baseball: New Mexico evens series with Air Force with 17-10 victory

Robert Maler | May 6

New Mexico baseball wasted no time building a huge lead as it tried to get the bitter taste of defeat out of its mouth in the second of a three-game series against Air Force. The Falcons (24-21, 11-14 MW) came screaming back with rally in the later innings again, but this time New Mexico (27-20-1, 17-4-1 MW) held on for a 12-9 victory to even the series. Lobo right-hander Johnathon Tripp got off to a great start on the mound, throwing multiple hitless innings. He made one early mistake, leaving a pitch out there that Falcon Nic Ready gave a ride for a two-run homer in the second inning. But the damage was inconsequential at the time.

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Baseball: Lobos drop series opener 18-14 to Air Force

Matthew Narvaiz | May 6

A combination of bullpen woes for New Mexico and the offense of Air Force thriving late dealt the University of New Mexico baseball team a loss in the first of a three-game series Friday night. The Falcons tied and flew past the Lobos by collecting a total of 13 runs over the final four innings to take an 18-14 win at Santa Ana Star Field. As a team, the Lobos tallied 18 hits. Second baseman Justin Watari paced the team, going 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and three runs. Jared Mang, Danny Collier and Hayden Schilling also had three each, with Mang contributing three RBI and one run.

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Baseball: UNM set for first of nine straight conference games to end regular season

Matthew Narvaiz | May 4

The University of New Mexico baseball team will host the Air Force Falcons in a three-game series this weekend at Santa Ana Star Field Friday through Sunday. The Lobos already hold a series sweep over the Falcons this season — in which they took three games from Air Force on the road in early March. All three of those games in the series saw UNM put up an astronomical amount of runs — they didn’t score less than 16 runs in each game. However, the Lobos put up 24 runs on Air Force in the second game against them, while tallying 28 hits — the most hits for UNM in a game this season.

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Baseball: Lobos lose final regular season matchup 12-5 to the Aggies

Matthew Narvaiz | May 2

The University of New Mexico baseball team gave up the regular season finale against New Mexico State on Tuesday evening, losing at Santa Ana Star Field, 12-5. Ultimately what gave way for the Aggies’ (27-19) first win over the Lobos (26-19-1) was a huge fourth inning, which saw the visiting team score a whopping nine runs in the frame. Stellar pitching, too, was key in its win. Starting pitcher for the Aggies, Andy Frakes went a career-high 8.1 innings against the Lobos, giving up five runs on seven hits and striking out three. Meanwhile, Lobo starting pitcher James Harrington exited after just 3.1 innings on the mound, as he gave up seven runs on seven hits. Harrington picked up the loss, too, putting him at 1-3 on the season.

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Baseball: Lobos to meet the Aggies for third and final time this season

Robert Maler | May 2

The Lobos and Aggies will face off against each other for the third and final time on the diamond this season, with UNM hosting the game on Tuesday. New Mexico (26-18-1, MW 16-3-1) won the first two meetings between the schools. The Lobos defeated the Aggies 8-2 in a Mar. 7 neutral site game and followed that up with a 5-3 victory in Las Cruces, later that month on the Mar. 28. The teams appear to be going in opposite directions entering the matchup. The Aggies (26-19, 11-4 WAC) were riding high with a record that had them 11 games over .500 but recently have fallen on hard times.

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Baseball: Lobos stay on top of Mountain West after victory over San Diego State

Matthew Narvaiz | April 30

Sunday afternoon’s game saw plenty of momentum shifts, as New Mexico and San Diego State traded blows throughout the game.

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Baseball: Lobos even series with 11-6 win over Aztecs

Matthew Narvaiz | April 30

Game two of the three game series between the University of New Mexico and San Diego State took a different turn, with the visiting team breaking through with an offensive output on Saturday that abandoned it the day before. Game one of the series saw New Mexico (25-18, 15-3-1 MW) get shut out, as the Lobos were limited to just four hits. But game two was quite different — UNM tallied 16 hits on its way to an 11-6 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego, California. The Lobo win was key for keeping their grasp on the first place spot in the Mountain West, while San Diego State (30-14, 14-6 MW) remained in second place with the loss.

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Baseball: Both teams pitch well, but Lobos unravel at the end against the Aztecs

Matthew Narvaiz | April 29

Friday’s game took a different turn for the Lobos in comparison to its last two outings. Instead of hitting being a main priority, San Diego State and UNM battled in a pitching duel at Tony Gwynn Field in San Diego, California, with the Aztecs ( claiming a key victory, 4-0, over the Lobos. Despite the loss, UNM (24-18-1, 14-3-1 MW) rotated only two pitcher in starter Tyler Stevens – who pitched seven innings – and reliever Justin Slaten. Stevens gave up three runs and eight hits, and Slaten – who pitched the Lobos’ last inning in the bottom of the eighth – gave up one run and no hits. However, what ultimately loses the game for UNM was a mess of an eighth inning. In that frame Justin Slaten had three wild pitches and a passed ball which led to two runs on just one hit in the eighth inning. Before those two runs, the Lobos found themselves within striking distance, but those insurance runs weighed heavy on the final score.

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Baseball: UNM returns to conference play against San Diego State

Matthew Narvaiz | April 28

After splitting a series with a nationally ranked top-10 team, the University of New Mexico baseball team will look to continue its dominance over San Diego State in a three-game series in San Diego, California. The Lobos (24-17-1, 14-2-1 MW) have a nearly perfect record in conference, holding a comfortable lead atop the Mountain West standings. But the next closest opponent, San Diego State (29-13, 12-5 MW), is well within striking distance. In fact, if the Aztecs secure a sweep over the Lobos, they could overtake New Mexico for the top spot. But UNM could create even more separation if it is able to take the series.

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Baseball: Lobos fall in second high-scoring game against Texas Tech

Matthew Narvaiz | April 26

No, it wasn't a football game, but you wouldn’t know it from the score. After UNM snatched a 16-5 win on Tuesday evening, No. 6 Texas Tech countered with a win that reflected an eerily similar football score, 27-15, on Wednesday afternoon, to split the two-game series. UNM head coach Ray Birmingham realized things didn't go the “Lobo way” and offered up something of a philosophical metaphor. “Sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug,” Birmingham said in a press release. “That's just the way it goes sometimes.” Bats were swinging – on both sides – and pitching was less than relevant. The Lobos rotated a total of eight pitchers throughout, while allowing the Red Raiders to muster 27 hits – five of those being home runs.

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Baseball: Lobos' big win over Texas Tech

Matthew Narvaiz | April 26

The University of New Mexico baseball team flipped the script on No. 6 Texas Tech on a cool, breezy Wednesday evening at Santa Ana Star Field. After the game’s original start time of 6:30 p.m. was delayed an hour, New Mexico picked apart its opponent on offense and a near-perfect showing from its bullpen. That type of play helped the Lobos grab ahold of a 16-5 win over Texas Tech for the first time this season. Wednesday’s victory was one for the books, with the win being the Lobos’ first over a top-10 opponent since 2010, when UNM beat then ranked No. 4 TCU 3-2.

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Baseball: Lobos face big test as they host No. 7 Texas Tech

Matthew Narvaiz | April 25

The University of New Mexico baseball team lost twice earlier in the season to Texas Tech in Lubbock, but UNM will get a chance to even things up with the Red Raiders as it hosts a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday at Santa Ana Star Field. The home team met with the Red Raiders in a pair of single-game competitions, once on Feb. 28 where the Lobos lost 7-2 and another on Apr. 11, losing 12-4. The overall series record between the two schools favors Texas Tech, with TTU holding a 71-45-1 advantage. The Lobos (23-16-1, 14-2-1 MW) are coming off of a weekend series sweep of conference-foe UNLV, winning games one and two by a combined 18 runs – both with an identical 13-4 score. The series finale saw the bullpen shine late in the game, saving the game and preserving an 11-9 win.

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Baseball: UNM earns a big sweep over UNLV

Matthew Narvaiz | April 24

Lobo baseball used a key sixth inning to propel ahead in a back-and-forth affair on Sunday afternoon in an 11-9 victory. New Mexico (23-16-1, 14-2-1 MW) got great pitching and some timely offense, as the bullpen played brilliantly in the eventual three-game series sweep over UNLV at Santa Ana Star Field. The Lobos’ bullpen, which consisted of a mix of James Harrington, Drew Gillespie, Justin Slaten and Christian Tripp, scattered five hits and surrendered just two run after starting Pitcher Luis Gonzalez exited the mound.

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Baseball: Lobos win 13-4 over UNLV...again

Matthew Narvaiz | April 23

Home runs were a big part of the Lobo arsenal on Saturday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field, going yard three times in their second straight 13-4 victory over UNLV. Lobo first baseman Jack Zoellner belted out one in the first inning, and outfielder Jared Mang blasted another in the second, both of which were three-run shots. Head coach Ray Birmingham said he was impressed with his team’s win on Saturday, adding that he hopes Sunday's game produces the same result. The head coach said playing at home has been a factor in the Lobos playing better. “Well, we've got to keep winning this series – we've got to sweep the series,” Birmingham said after the win. “We’re out of our funk a little bit, but playing at home helps you be out of that funk.”

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Baseball: Lobos score early and close strong in 13-4 win over UNLV

Matthew Narvaiz | April 22

After falling down 2-1 in two and a half innings, third baseman Carl Stajduhar pelted a three-run homer to right field. And, from there, Lobo baseball never looked back, winning Friday's game 13-4 at Santa Ana Star Field. The Lobos (21-16-1, 12-2-1 MW) got off to a quick start, with starting pitcher Tyler Stevens pitching a 1-2-3 first inning, while also putting the first run on the board for either team in the bottom of the frame. Jared Mang got on base first for the Lobos on a one out single, and reached second on a wild pitch. But Luis Gonzalez was the determining factor, scoring Mang on an RBI single to put the Lobos up 1-0.

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Baseball: Lobos return home hoping to break three-game skid as they host UNLV

Robert Maler | April 21

The 2017 baseball season has resembled a roller coaster ride for UNM so far, but the Lobos hope to put an end to its current three-game losing streak on Friday at home. New Mexico (20-16-1) has enjoyed stringing together consecutive wins multiple times this year. The team has posted separate win streaks of seven, six and three games. But the Lobos also fell on hard times, losing six straight games earlier in the season and find themselves mired in a three-game skid heading into this weekend's home stand against UNLV (14-25).

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Baseball: Despite good performance, Lobos fall in double-header against Kansas State

Matthew Narvaiz | April 19

The UNM baseball team had the opportunity to win a pair of games in doubleheader action at Kansas State, but failed to do so, losing game one 12-10, and game two 3-2, at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas on Tuesday. The two losses for UNM weigh heavy on its overall record, dropping the team to 20-16-1 overall, and marking the team's third straight loss in the past four days. But despite dropping both games to Kansas State (19-18), the Lobos didn't perform terribly either. In game one, the Lobos combined for 10 hits and 10 runs, and in game two the team combined for eight hits and two runs.