April 29, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Ute right-hander Josh Cooper struck out eight batters in seven innings of work to remain perfect on the season as Utah defeated the New Mexico baseball team, 5-2, Friday night at Isotopes Park. The two teams will meet again for the second game of the series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Cooper, who improved to 3-0 for the season, limited the Lobos (19-24, 9-10 Mountain West) to five hits while only giving up two runs, one earned. Brian Lane came on to pitch a scoreless eighth and ninth to preserve the win and get his third save of the season for the Utes.
Utah (15-24, 7-12 MWC) scored the first run of the game in the first on a bases-loaded walk. New Mexico tied it at 1 in the bottom of the second as Matt Foote single to right field, scoring Jay Russell.
The Utes took the lead for good with two runs in the top of the third on a Trevor Eastman two-run single. Utah went up 4-1 as Ryan Khoury singled in John Welsh in the fourth.
The Lobos trimmed the lead to 4-2 in the fifth, but a big inning was cut short on a double play. UNM had runners on first and third with no outs as Ryan Barba singled and advanced to third on a Ute error that put Jordan Pacheco at first. Barba later scored on the double play, but that was all the Lobos could manage in the inning.
Utah added an insurance run in the ninth to take a 5-2 advantage.The Lobos got out of numerous jams as Utah left 12 runners on base, but they couldn’t come through offensively, collecting only five hits while leaving seven on base.
Senior right-hander Jason Fernandez, who was scheduled to start the game, was scratched just minutes before the first pitch due to a sore knee. Senior Karsten Gaarder (2-7) took his place, striking out six and allowing five runs on 12 hits in eight innings of work.