April 1, 2005
SALT LAKE CITY – Senior right-hander Jason Fernandez tossed the first complete game of the season for UNM and improved to 3-0 lifetime vs. Utah as the New Mexico baseball team shut down the Utes, 5-2, Friday afternoon at Franklin Covey Field. Fernandez, who struck out four and only allowed six hits, improved his record to 5-3.
Down 2-1 after six innings, the Lobos (13-15, 3-4 Mountain West) rallied for two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth in the three-run victory. Utah’s Jason Price was cruising through six, but ran into trouble as Chris Carlson led off the seventh with a double. Chris Dabbs answered and doubled Carlson home to tie the game, then advanced to third on an error by the Ute second baseman which also put Matt Foote on first. Price (1-6) was then relieved in favor of Josh Cooper, but Cooper promptly gave up an RBI single up the middle to Jeff Grady, which put New Mexico up 3-2.
In the eighth, Jordan Pacheco led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a Garrick Haymore sacrifice, and moved on to third on a Ute balk. Carlson came up big again, driving home Pacheco with a double for his first RBI of the game. Daniel Stovall then blasted a double to left-center to plate Carlson and make it 5-2.
The Utes (10-18, 1-6 Mountain West) got on the board first with two run-scoring singles in the bottom of the second. UNM scored once in the fourth as Carlson tripled, and then scored on an error by the Ute shortstop. Carlson, who leads the Mountain West in runs, scored three times and went 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a triple.
Pacheco and Ryan Barba each had two hits for the Lobos.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. Live stats of the game will be available at GoLobos.com and UtahUtes.com.