Lobos Take Series Finale 7-4 Behind Dye’s 8 Ks

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Cody Dye pitched seven strong innings in matching his career-high in strikeouts with eight, and Justin Watari’s two-out double in the seventh inning gave UNM the lead for good as the Lobos took the weekend series with Air Force, winning 7-4 in the finale.
 
The win pushed UNM to 10-12-1 on the season and 4-5 in the Mountain West, while Air Force dropped to 9-13 overall and 3-6 in the Mountain West.
 

B6 | Watari delivers a double for the lead #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/InOlL3r8zq

— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 25, 2018

After Saturday’s extra inning 12-11 win, the Lobos needed to get a lengthy outing from starting pitcher Dye, and that’s exactly what they got.  Dye matched the eight strikeouts he got last weekend against Columbia is a 3-1 win as Dye won his second straight start.
 
The winning run came in the bottom of the sixth.  With Phillip Sikes on second after a walk and a sacrifice, Justin Watari hammered an opposite field double into the corner for a 5-4 Lobo lead.
 
Up 5-4 entering the top of the seventh, UNM needed one more inning out of Dye, and it got it as Dye crossed over the 100-pitch mark in a watershed inning for him.  He opened with a strikeout before allowing a single to center.  Dye than beared down and struck out Nic Ready for the second out and tying his career-mark with his eighth strikeout.  That put him up against Rob Dau, and he got to within a strike of ending the inning, but he hit him, putting runners on first and second with two outs.
 
On his final pitch of the day, number 133 in the book (a career-high), Dye coaxed a harmless fly ball to left fielder Danny Collier to end the frame with UNM up 5-4.
 

T7 | Dye ties career-high with 8 Ks #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/71CM1FII2Z

— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 25, 2018

The Lobos picked up two key insurance runs in the eighth when Robby Campillo lined a single to left after Danny Collier’s 420-foot double off the very top of the 16-foot fence in dead center put two in scoring position.  Both Collier and Jared Mang scored to make it 7-4.
 
That was enough as Nathaniel Garley, owner of one career save, easily got through the Air Force lineup in the eighth and ninth for the save.
 
It looked like UNM might cruise early as the Lobos opened the game with a four-run first, with just one ball getting out of the infield.  Watari walked and Hayden Schilling singled into short right field, although Watari rounded second too far and was thrown out.  After Mang struck out, Collier singled off of Ready’s glove and first and Campillo walked to load the bases.  Connor Mang then walked in a run, and Jeff Deiming was hit by a pinch, bringing in a second run.
 
Phillip Sikes then lined the only ball out of the infield for a two-run single, making it 4-0.  Air Force eventually tied the game however with two in the fourth and two in the sixth.  A run scoring single and double in the fourth halved the lead, but Dyegot a strikeout to leave the bases loaded.  In the sixth, Air Force tied the game on a single by Colby Brown, but Dye promptly was picked off.
 
The Lobos have no mid-week games ahead this week, as the weekend series at San Diego State will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday due to the Easter holiday.
 

PAINT IT CHERRY AND SILVER!!! Here are the highlights from today’s 7-4 win over Air Force #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/K8zTRJb5kp

— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 25, 2018

NOTES:  Garley’s only other career save came on May 6, 2017, also against Air Force, also at Santa Ana Star Field … Collier had two hits a day after his cycle … After striking out 17 on Saturday, UNM pitchers struck out 10 on Sunday.