Lobos Upended Late by San José State, 16-13
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Baseball surged ahead early with a seven-run second and led 13-12 heading into the final frame of its weekend series opener with San Jose State Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field, but four runs on three homers from the Spartans (8-14, 4-6 MW) in the top of the ninth handed the Lobos (13-9, 4-3 MW) their first conference loss at home this season, 16-13.
Jake Holland hit two doubles and a home run – his third game in his last six with multiple doubles and his second consecutive game with a homer – to finish with a team-high three hits and five RBI, while Reed Spenrath (2 R) and Will Asby (2 R, 1 RBI) both added two knocks each to lead an 11-hit outing for the Lobos. Holland and Asby are now No. 1 and No. 2 in the Mountain West in doubles with 11 and 10, respectively.
UNM still has a chance to win the weekend series tomorrow, with a doubleheader slated to start at 2 p.m. for Game One and 6 p.m. for Game Two. Both games will be streamed via the Mountain West Network at GoLobos.com/Watch, with live stats available via GoLobos.com/BSBStats. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball on socials for promotional/marketing and gameday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.
THE ACTION
Lopez kept the damage to just one run in the opening frame despite loading the bases with one out – he churned out the first run of the game with another walk but generated a liner and groundout to keep things moving.
Holland got the Lobos going with his tenth double of the year – moving him into sole possession of the Mountain West lead – in the bottom of the inning. He scored on an error on a line drive from Spenrath that allowed him to reach first safely to tie things up early.
After a two-run homer gave San Jose back the lead, UNM’s bats erupted in the second in response, plating seven runs on five hits to surge to a five-run lead before the Spartans could produce the third out. After loading the bases with nobody out thanks to a pair of walks and a failed fielder’s choice, UNM got the first run across on a double play and tied things up with a base knock from Asby before plating five more – all with two outs on the board – thanks to a three-run homer from Holland and back-to-back RBI singles from Dixon and Carris.
Holland connected on his second double of the game – and 11th of the season – with his third hit to yield two more runs in the bottom of the third and bring him up to five RBI on the day, but the Spartans kept things rolling as the Lobos’ offense stalled over the next two innings.
After the Lobos were held scoreless for the first time in the fourth, Lopez was replaced by Steinkamp after a leadoff double in the fifth – Steinkamp allowed the Spartans to get back within three and load the bases with nobody out before responding with his first strikeout and inducing UNM’s third inning-ending double play of the game to keep things moving.
The Lobos went scoreless again in the bottom of the frame and the Spartans drew closer still with two more runs in the sixth to make it a 10-9 ballgame. Steinkamp responded in similar fashion to the prior inning, generating a fourth frame-ending double play to get the Lobos into the bottom of the inning with a one-run lead.
Needing insurance runs, UNM finally punched backAfter Holland reached for the fourth time on a walk, Spenrath got him all the way to third with his second base knock of the night to threaten to put a run on the board for the first time since the bottom of the third to cue an SJSU pitching change. Wood drew the second walk of the inning to load the bases and bring up Dixon, who grounded into a double play to put the Lobos back up two.
UNM loaded the bases again on two more walks from Carris and Weissenborn, and this time the Lobos fully capitalized – Stephens deposited a clutch two-out base knock in center field to bring in two more and put the Lobos up 13-9.
But the Spartans weren’t ready to go away just yet. After Steinkamp got the first two outs via his second and third strikeouts of the night, they tagged Barnhouse – who replaced him on the mound for the next at-bat – for three runs on a single and a double to get back within one.
Barnhouse notched his second punchout of the night and Holland collected an inning-ending foul ball behind home plate in the eighth to keep the Spartans off the board for the first time all night, but the Lobos came up empty again in the bottom of the frame before San Jose’s three-homer top of the ninth put the Spartans up 16-13 to change the complexion of the game entirely.
Suddenly at a deficit after leading since the second with just three outs to make up the difference, Stephens drew a leadoff walk and reached third on another Spartans error that also allowed Holland to reach base again and bring the tying run up to the plate in Spenrath. He struck out on a 1-2 count to end the game with the Lobos unable to make up the difference late.
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch, with LHP Daxton Purser (0-0, 4.74 ERA) set to get the start on the bump against San Jose State LHP Micky Thompson 1-2, 7.46 ERA). Game Two of the DH is tentatively scheduled for a 6 p.m. start, with RHP Wil Bannister (1-0, 7.48 ERA) on the mound against SJSU RHP Michael Rice (0-0, 2.25 ERA).