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.
New Mexico’s offense plated five runs, but the pitching staff couldn’t hold No. 23 Fresno State in an 11-5 loss in the series opener on Saturday night. The Bulldogs sent out its star pitcher Jill Compton (14-4, 2.66 ERA), but the Lobos found success early on at the plate against her. However, poor pitching of their own, as well as some defensive miscues, would lead to the loss for UNM.
New Mexico returns home, but will be challenged with a nationally ranked opponent as Fresno State comes into town. After losing a series on the road to the Nevada last weekend, the Lobos will play host to No. 23 Fresno State (24-9-, 6-0 MW) on Friday for the start of a three game home stand.
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.”
The New Mexico men’s and women’s tennis team hit the road this week, with one squad looking to extend a two-match winning streak and the other to dust themselves off after suffering a two-match losing streak. The men’s team put itself in position to win each of its home matches last weekend, but failed to close things out when given the opportunity.
This weekend may feature something new for New Mexico’s beach volleyball squad – rain. Head coach Jeff Nelson said he is not thrilled with the idea of playing mud volleyball, in Sacramento, California this weekend because it’s something the Lobos can’t prepare for.
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).
New Mexico women’s tennis continued to roll at home, winning a pair of matches over the weekend including a 5-2 triumph on Sunday over Wyoming at the McKinnon Family Tennis Center. The Lobos defeated Colorado State Friday 7-0, and began Sunday by jumping out to another early lead. New Mexico pulled out the first two tightly contested doubles matches, to pick up the doubles point and go up 1-0 over the Cowgirls.
New Mexico men’s tennis was dealt another rare home loss Sunday against Boise State at the McKinnon Family Tennis Center. The men’s tennis team has been automatic at home with a perfect 9-0 record. After losing 4-3 to Utah State on Friday, the team got off to a tough start on Sunday against Boise State.
New Mexico ended its weekend series with Nevada on a high note avoiding a three game sweep by winning Sunday’s contest 3-2. After being shut-out on Saturday and only scoring a run on Friday, the Lobos were finally able to get things going at the plate with a late rally against the Wolf Pack.
A late blown lead barred New Mexico from completing a sweep against UNLV in a tight 6-5 loss on Sunday afternoon. The Lobos again received a quality performance from its starting pitching, but a rough eighth inning prevented UNM from winning the third and final game against UNLV (10-17, 4-8 MW).
The UNM track and field team got off to a strong start by recording several personal bests and first place finishes at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational on Saturday. Head coach Joe Franklin said the team did a lot of good things at the team’s only home meet of the outdoor season. He said adding athletes such as Aasha Marler and Samantha Bowe was positive and said he anticipates getting better each weekend.
The defense appears to be well ahead of the offense in the early stages of spring as players put on their pads for the first time. Head coach Bob Davie said that’s to be expected, and several of the players are being asked to do different things. He said everyone is out of their comfort zone right now, but the challenging situation is a good thing.
New Mexico continued its hot play in a 10-5 win against UNLV on Saturday afternoon. Playing to the script of Friday night’s affair, the Rebels took an early lead, but only briefly. It was New Mexico’s scorching bats that came back to defend its starting pitching.
The New Mexico men’s tennis team suffered its first home loss of the season after battling for three and a half hours against Utah State on Friday, letting a 3-1 lead slip away. Head coach Bart Scott said every team in the Mountain West is capable of winning on any given day.
The New Mexico women’s tennis team came out on the right side of a sweep Friday afternoon against Colorado State in the conference home opener, held at its new look outdoor venue. The McKinnon Family Tennis Court underwent some changes the past two weeks, including the installation of a covered awning, which also doubles as a solar panel, for fans to stay out of the sun.
After Friday’s 5-1 loss to Nevada, New Mexico looked to bounce back on Saturday afternoon in Reno and even their weekend series with the Wolf Pack. However, the narrative remained the same as the Lobos were shut-out 4-0, falling to 17-14 on the season (2-3 MW).
New Mexico’s offense once again stole the show in the opening game of this weekend's series against UNLV with a 15-3 blowout on Friday night, and climbed to the top of the conference in the process. UNM’s lefty starter Carson Schneider didn’t need all the fuel the offense showcased, but the junior wasn’t fazed by several long innings throughout the course of the contest. Schneider improved to 5-1 on the year dropping his ERA to a respectable 3.37.
After several weeks of vigorous training, the UNM men’s soccer team members won’t leave anything to chance, kicking off their spring exhibition season in Las Vegas this weekend. “We’re excited,” said head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “We’ve been training really hard. It’s been 10 weeks of hard work and I think the guys are ready to face some competition outside of their own team.”
Mike Bradbury traded his gray sports coat for a red one as New Mexico introduced the sixth head coach in UNM women’s basketball history. Bradbury said at Thursday afternoon’s press conference that he is still getting acclimated to the concept of deciphering between red and green chile, having only been in Albuquerque all but three days. However, the head coach said he knew he chose the right place to move because of the history, the fanbase and the tradition at the University of New Mexico.
Solutions by The State News
