Lobo Relievers Lights Out in 10-9 Extra Inning Win
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HOUSTON, Texas — In might seem odd to talk about tremendous pitching in a 10-9 11-inning win, but tremendous pitching was the story as five relievers; James Harrington, Chad Smith, Drew Gillespie, Malachi Emond and Christian Tripp combined for 7.2 shutout innings of relief as UNM came back from down 9-8 after four to win 10-9 in 11 innings over Columbia in a game played in Houston.
The Lobos and Houston played in the nightcap, with Houston’s Trey Cumbie throwing a four-hit shutout, winning a pitcher’s duel with UNM’s Justin Slaten 1-0.
It was a group effort all the way around as the Lobos used 22 players in the contest, and the heroes were pretty much all off the bench. The winning run scored in a wild 11th which started in which Richard Ware, who came in off the bench, was hit by a pitch. Dan Herrera bunted him over and a single by Connor Mang put runners on the corners with just one out. That’s when Garrett Gouldsmith, who also had entered as a substitute earlier in the game, singled home Ware to give UNM a 10-9 lead.
Christian Tripp then allowed a lead-off runner on an error, but a fly out and a double play gave Tripp his fourth save of the season. It also made a winner of Malachi Emond, who improved to 2-1 in what was easily his toughest situational outing of the year, and easily his most deserved win.
Drew Gillespie, in his fourth inning of work in the bottom of the 10th got a fly out before a triple down the line in right put the winning run 90-feet away. After an intentional walk, Emond came in, but he had to issue an intentional walk after a steal of second, loading the bases with one out. With the infield halfway and the outfield in, Emond froze Liam McGill for a strikeout, and then he escaped with a groundout, setting up UNM’s 11th inning.
Extra innings weren’t on UNM’s minds after an 11-man first inning that saw the Lobos post five runs. After an opening out, Justin Watari and Danny Collier both walked, bringing up Jared Mang, who was playing for the first time since February 22 when he was hit by a pitch and broke his hand. Mang took two balls and then looked dead red, got it and hammered it for a 3-run home run.
UNM added two more runs on a Connor Mang single, that drove in Daniel Zakosek, and a bases-loaded walk by Brayden Merritt. Unfortunately, UNM gave that right up in the bottom half, allowing seven runs, six unearned.
Robert Gasser earned the start, but allowed those seven runs, of which just the first was earned. A dropped ball on a tag out at home by Herrera accounted for one miscue, and Gasser threw an out away for the other.
UNM scratched back and actually took the lead with one in the second and two in the third. Mang stole home on the back end of a double steal to make it 7-6, and in the third Watari singled in a run and then Mang was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give UNM the lead.
In the fourth, Gasser allowed two singles and was relieved by Gillespie. A triple scored those runs, but that ended the offense for Columbia as UNM’s five relievers combined for a stat line of 7.2 innings, six hits, six strikeouts and no runs.
Mang drove in four in his return to the lineup, going 2-for-4, and his brother Connor went 3-for-6. Justin Watari also had two hits.
In the second game, UNM picked up just four hits off of Trey Cumbie in falling 1-0. Justin Slaten scattered 11 hits, all singles, over seven innings, allowing just a second inning run. UNM had a chance in the ninth when Larry Leitha opened with a bunt single and was sacrificed to second, but UNM couldn’t move Leitha further.
The Lobos take on Columbia in the final game of the weekend at 2 p.m. Mountain Time.