ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Here’s how crazy New Mexico’s 14-13 12-inning win was over Fresno State … Andre Vigil got the game-winning hit with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, and he might have been the fifth or sixth hero down on the list. He certainly doesn’t care, and neither do his Lobos, who got heroic efforts all over the place as UNM came back on three different occasions, including in the ninth and 10th innings.
The Lobos, who are now 22-9 and 11-3 in the Mountain West, will go for the sweep on Sunday at noon at Santa Ana Star Field. The game will be shown on uPublic Channel 26 and via GoLobos.com. Robert Portnoy will have the call on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM and the audio stream will be at www.1017theteam.com.
In a game that took over four hours, there were more twists and turns than the mighty Rio Grande. Mighty could be used to describe UNM’s numbers three and four hitters, who went a combined 11-for-14. Chris DeVito in the three spot went 5-for-7 with three home runs and six RBI, and Carl Stajduhar in the clean-up slot went 6-for-7, hitting for the cycle in regulation.
It looked like the heroics of DeVito, Stajduhar and Vigil wouldn’t be needed as UNM was cruising into the seventh with a 4-2 lead. UNM got that lead when Stadjuhar tripled deep to right in the first to plate Luis Gonzalez, and then in the third, DeVito hit a two-run moonshot to right, the first of his three home runs and the first of six on the day for New Mexico.
However, UNM ran into trouble in the seventh when Tyler Stevens got touched up for three runs to give up the lead. He was relieved by center fielder Luis Gonzalez, forcing UNM to lose their designated hitter, which was DeVito, but he moved to catcher to keep his bat in the lineup, a wise move by head coach Ray Birmingham.
Down 7-4 into the bottom of the seventh, UNM got one run back when Dalton Bowers hit his second home run, and then with two down DeVito hit a mammoth home run over the wall in right to tie it at seven apiece.
UNM then brought in Alex Estrella, but he allowed a pair of runs in the eighth, and it stayed 9-7 going into the bottom of the ninth. In the ninth, Jared Holley doubled to left center, but re-injured his quad on the play, although he remained in the game. DeVito struck out looking, but that brought up Stajduhar needing a home run for the cycle. On a 3-2 pitch, he went the other way down the right field line, getting it just over the wall for a tie game and UNM’s first cycle since Dane Hamilton did it against Binghamton on March 7, 2009.
It all looked great for the moment, but that moment soured quickly. Holley had to come out, moving Andre Vigil, a defensive replacement in left, to second, and forcing UNM, which was out of position players, to put reliever Jacob Nelson into left field. The Bulldogs got one off of Victor Sanchez, and it looked like Sanchez was out of the inning when he coaxed a ground ball to Stajduhar at third. His throw was low and scooped out by Jack Zoellner at first in time, but Scott Silva was inexplicably called safe.
That was the break Fresno State needed. Three pitches later, Jake Stone lofted a ball to shallow right, but Vigil and Reece Weber both lost track of it and each other, the ball bouncing between them for an odd two-run double making it 12-9, and then Stone scored later in the inning to make it 13-9. All that did was make room for more heroes for New Mexico.
Vigil singled, but that brought up reliever Fernando Fernandez. He was pinch hit for by Sunday’s starting pitcher Colton Thomson, who had to race from the stands to get dressed. He struck out and so did Bowers, putting UNM down to its last out down four. Gonzalez came up and was twice down to his final strike, but laced a two-run no-doubter to right to make it 13-11. However, that brought up the pitcher-turned-leftfielder Nelson’s spot, and so Birmingham called on another pitcher Matt Villalobos, who drew a five-pitch walk, bringing up the tying run in DeVito. DeVito took a ball, fouled one off deep to right, took another ball and then launched his third home run of the game and 11th of the season down the line to tie the game at 13-13.
That set the stage for reliever Christian Tripp, who was perfect in his two innings and even got an infield single in his first career plate appearance in the 11th. UNM then finally ended it in the 12th. DeVito singled to second, although it was actually short center field, and he went to second on a Stadjuhar’s sixth hit of the game. Zoellner struck out, and then Fresno State curiously intentionally walked Reece Weber to get to Vigil, thinking if they could get Vigil, it would bring the pitcher’s spot up. It never got there. Vigil ripped a single through the left side to plate DeVito, setting off a mad scene around Vigil at first base.
Tripp earned the win, his first career victory, and Mark Reece took the loss after coming on in relief in the 12th inning. UNM rapped out 22 hits on the day, including six home runs.
NOTES: The win by Tripp was only the third recorded by a bullpen member this season … UNM’s last time hitting five or more home runs in a game was on March 21, 2009 against Northwestern, hitting five in the first of two games … UNM had 46 total bases in the game, its most since getting 42 against San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament on May 26, 2012 … DeVito had the first 6-RBI day since Chase Harris did it against San Jose State on April 18, 2014 … DeVito threw out his second runner of the season in the contest … UNM used 22 players and had just six remaining when the game ended, all pitchers.