Collier’s Walk Off Bomb Wins it 12-11 in Extras
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Danny Collier, the elder statesman and unquestioned leader of the Lobos, led by example. His walk-off home run with two down in the 10th inning gave him UNM’s first cycle in two years and more importantly, it gave UNM a 12-11 win over Air Force in 10 innings, evening the weekend series at one game apiece.
The walk-off home run was the first ever at Santa Ana Star Field in a college game, and it was UNM’s first since May 26, 2012 when Mitch Garver, now of the Minnesota Twins, homered into the bullpen to walk-off New Mexico State. It also was UNM’s first cycle since 2016 when Carl Stajduhar hit for one as a part of a six-hit game in a wild 14-13 win in 12 innings over Fresno State.
B11 | COllier’s HR walks it off, and it’s a cycle!! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/OzpxWLwwVY
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 25, 2018
This win was nearly as wild as that one. The game saw five lead changes and two ties. It looked for a while like Collier’s heroics wouldn’t be needed. Trailing 9-8 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Jared Mang hit a monstrous one-out home run to tie the game at 9-9. After a walk and a single to center by Collier, Connor Mang came up and lined a double in the left field corner that gave UNM an 11-9 lead.
With Christian Tripp having thrown 2.1 innings and 52 pitches, UNM called on Drew Gillespie to try and get his second career save. After a leadoff groundout, two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Gillespie then walked Colby Brown to make it 11-10, and then he hit Tyler Ward to tie the game.
Gillespie however, dug deep with no one else warming up, and got back-to-back strikeouts, keeping the game knotted at 11, setting the stage two at bats later for Colliers heroics.
Collier opened with a line-out, but he hit a two-run triple in a four-run third inning that put UNM on top 4-3, and then he hit a ground rule double to open the fifth.
Robert Gasser opened the game by escaping a second and third, no out jam in the first, striking out the side and five through the first two innings. However, he allowed four straight two-out hits in the third, giving up three runs, and then an RBI single in the fourth ended his day. Malachi Emond stranded two runners, and UNM took a 6-4 lead on a Brayden Merritt fielder’s choice and a Jared Mang single.
Highlights: New Mexico 12, Air Force 11 (10 innings) #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/e2zNY0NfX5
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 25, 2018
Air Force retook the lead in the sixth with three runs off Emond. A leadoff home run by Ashton Easley made it 6-5, and with one out and the bases loaded, Emond coaxed a ground ball, but it was just a tad to slow for an inning ending double play, scoring a run to tie the game. Back-to-back walks then made it 7-6 Air Force, and Christian Tripp entered in the sixth inning to keep UNM close, which he did by getting a strikeout.
In the seventh, UNM tied the game on an error, and then Robby Campillo, who entered as a pinch hitter, hit a perfect safety squeeze to give UNM an 8-7 lead. That lead didn’t last long as Brown launched a two-run homer in the eighth to make it 9-8.
Gillespie picked up the win to improve to 2-1 on the season. UNM pitching allowed 15 hits, nine walks and three hit batters, but the Falcons left 16 runners on base. Lobo pitchers did combine for 17 strikeouts.
Game three of the series is Sunday at 1 p.m., and it’s not only Youth Day (all tickets for youths are $2) but UNM will host an Easter Egg hunt for all children.