Feb. 5, 2005
TUCSON, Ariz. – The New Mexico baseball team collected 11 hits, but 12th-ranked Arizona proved to be too much as the Wildcats topped the Lobos, 14-5, in game two of the series Saturday afternoon at Kindall Field. The series finale is set for Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m.; live stats and a live broadcast will be available at ArizonaAthletics.com.
A day after only getting one hit in the series opener on Friday, the Lobo offense showed life on Saturday, quickly building a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Sophomore Daniel Stovall led off the inning with a single, and advanced to third on a Garrick Haymore double. Freshman Jordan Pacheco nailed a single to drive in Stovall on the next play, giving the rookie his first career RBI. Haymore later scored on a double steal that put Pacheco on second.
Arizona (2-0) rebounded in the second and tied the game on Nick Hundley’s two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. The Wildcats scored two more in the fourth to go up 4-2.
UNM (1-1) tied the game in the sixth as Chris Dabbs slammed a two-run homer down the left-field line.
U of A bounced back once again, however, and plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth on a solo homer by Hundley – his second of the game – and a two-run single by Jordan Brown. Hundley went 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs in the game. The Wildcats chased UNM starter Karsten Gaarder in the sixth. Gaarder tossed 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs, six earned, in taking the loss.
Arizona broke the game open with seven runs on six hits in the bottom of the seventh, although five of the runs were unearned. The Wildcats produced 17 hits in the contest.
The Lobos added one run in the top of the ninth on Chad Itokazu’s RBI single up the middle. It was Itokazu’s first career at-bat as a Lobo.Kevin Guyette threw 5.1 innings in earning the win for Arizona. He struck out nine batters and surrendered four runs on nine hits. Sean Rierson fanned six batters in 2.1 innings of action in relief for the Wildcats. All told, the Wildcat staff struck out 18 Lobo batters on Saturday, and have struck out 31 in two games.
Haymore tied his UNM-high with three hits in four at-bats, while Stovall went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.