Garley Brilliant in Relief, Lobos Down Aztecs Again
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Saturday – 2 p.m. (RHP Cody Dye 2-3, 6.09 vs. RHP Garrett Hill 5-0, 1.32)
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — You aren’t supposed to beat a nationally-ranked team on the road when you give up five runs and only get five singles. Don’t tell New Mexico that.
A crazy second inning that saw the Lobos score eight times on just two hits, and an epic relief performance from Nathaniel Garley was all New Mexico needed to defeat the No. 23 San Diego State Aztecs 9-5, giving the Lobos four straight wins and a second straight series win. UNM can now go for the sweep of the Aztecs on Sunday behind Cody Dye.
The Lobos got all the offense they would need in a crazy second inning that saw the New Mexico second 14 batters to the plate despite getting only two hits. The inning opened when Jared Mang and Connor Mang both were hit by pitches by SDSU starter Harrison Pyatt.
Phillip Sikes and Daniel Herrera then struck out and it looked like UNM wouldn’t get anything. Suddenly, Pyatt couldn’t find the plate. He walked Garrett Gouldsmith to load the bases, and then Brayden Merritt walked on five pitches to make it 1-0. Justin Watari also walked on five pitches and it was 2-0 without a hit.
Hayden Schilling then hit a routine grounder to short that was booted, with Merritt speeding around from second to make it 4-0, still with no hits. Pyatt was taken out and Jacob Flores came in, and he allowed the first hit of the game. Jared Mang hit one past the pitcher for a single and a 6-0 lead, and Connor Mang hit a looper to right to make it 7-0. Flores then hit Sikes to lead the bases again, and Herrera walked on four pitches to make it 8-0.
That was all UNM got, and it was all they would need. Robert Gasser was handed that right run lead, but he struggled with it, allowing two runs in the bottom of the second on a bases loaded walk and a ground out, and then two more in the third on a Julien Escobedo double. That double ended Gasser’s night, and brought in Garley.
Here are tonight’s highlights, and if you like bases loaded walks, you are in for a treat. New Mexico 9, No. 23 San Diego State 5 #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/Pm8iZnI5j0
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 31, 2018
That ended San Diego State’s night.
Garley was brilliant, stranded that runner and then waltzing through the potent Aztec lineup like a hot knife through butter. Her allowed a bunt single in the fourth, a seeing-eye single in the seventh and a gift triple when a catchable fly ball landed as Phillip Sikes got his spikes caught in the turf and tumbled to the ground twice.
Garley recorded a career-high nine strikeouts, an amazing total when you look back to his 2017 freshman season where he recorded 10 the entire year. Garley nearly threw an immaculate inning in the seventh, striking out the side on 10 pitches.
UNM added an insurance run in the sixth when Connor Mang hit a ball into the gap the was caught on a diving catch by Escobedo for a tough-luck sacrifice fly. The only run SDSU got off Garley was unearned with a two-out error scoring on the goofy triple.
Overall Garley threw 87 pitches, 57 for strikes in going a career-long 6.1 innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out nine.
The win improved the Lobos to 12-12-1 on the season and 6-5 in the Mountain West, and coupled with Nevada’s win over UNLV, it moved UNM into a tie for third place, and just a half-game out of second behind the Aztecs. San Diego State dropped to 17-9 and 6-4 in the league.
NOTES: UNM is now 2-3 vs. ranked teams this season after going 2-11 last year against ranked opponents … UNM is now 31-147 all-time vs. ranked teams on the road … UNM is now 14-20 vs. ranked teams in the last four seasons … UNM bullpen hasn’t allowed an earned run over its last 14.0 innings.