SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The University of New Mexico baseball team (15-8, 7-2 MW) dropped its Saturday afternoon game on the road against the San Diego State Aztecs (5-16, 2-5 MW), 11-6. The Lobos finished the weekend in San Diego with a 2-1 series win, pushing them to the most wins in the Mountain West Conference.
DeVito had a big game for the Lobos, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a solo home run. Andre Vigil gave the Lobos good production out of the eight hole, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. On the mound, starting pitcher Tyler Stevens (3-2) earned the decision after six innings pitched. He allowed four earned runs while striking out two batters. He allowed just seven hits and no walks.
In what would be a back and forth battle, the Lobos struck first with a run in the top of the first. Jared Holley reached base when he was hit on the hand by a pitch, and was moved over to second on a ground out from DeVito. Carl Stajduhar hit a hard grounder through the left side for a RBI double.
The Aztecs took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the second, first on a sacrifice fly and then on a solo home run. The lead was short lived, as DeVito hit a two-out home run on a line drive over right centerfield. The solo shot was his sixth home run of the season.
The home team took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning, scoring on a wild pitch, but the Lobos would once again erase the deficit the very next side. Andre Vigil drew a walk to lead off the fifth, before Weber reached on an error while attempting to bunt Vigil over. With two runners on, Luis Gonzalez hit a single through the left side that tied the game at 3-3. With no outs on the board, Jared Holley and DeVito sacrificed on back-to-back at bats to plate Weber, taking a 4-3 lead.
The Lobos took their largest lead of the game at 5-3 with a run in the sixth. Jack Zoellner led off with a double through the left side. Dan Collier came in as a pinch hitter and knocked a RBI single to left field, scoring Zoellner.
New Mexico fell behind again in an unfortunate bottom of the sixth. The sun was unkind to the Lobos, who dropped a pair of doubles in the light before committing an error, all of which led to a three-run frame for the Aztecs.
With momentum on their side in the seventh, the home team scored three runs on a loaded-bases clearing double with two outs on the board. They would cap their lead with a pair of runs in the eighth.
The Lobos did not go quietly, and rallied with a leadoff single by Vigil in the ninth. Pinch hitter Austin Bell moved him over to scoring position with a single, before DeVito earned another RBI with a blooper to right centerfield. Stajduhar had two runners on base, but was called out on a tough play at first to end the game.
The Lobos will rest Easter Sunday before heading to northern California for two games against Sacramento State, beginning Monday at 3 p.m. PST/4 p.m. MST.
NOTES: At 7-2, the Lobos have the most wins in the Mountain West Conference and are in line to extend their streak of finishing as champions or runners up in the regular season or tournament, a run that dates back to 2008… This was Taylor Duree’s 71st career appearance for New Mexico, putting him four away from the career school record…On the day, the Lobos hit .400 (6-for-15) with two outs on the board… The team hit .364 (4-for-11) with runners in scoring position…On the weekend, the Lobos’ starting pitchers averaged 7.2 innings pitched per game…DeVito and Holley finished a four-game week each hitting .400 (6-for-15)…This is the final Mountain West Conference road series for the Lobos until April 15.
Lobos Downed by Aztecs Saturday; Take Weekend Series, 2-1
