March 19, 2007
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THE GAME: The Lobos (10-15) complete their four-game season series with New Mexico State (11-13) Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Isotopes Park. UNM would clinch the series with a win, currently holding a 2-1 advantage. The Lobos plan to send right-handed freshman www.GoLobos.com via Lobos’ All-Access. CSTV’s GameTracker is also available, providing up-to-the-minute stats, play-by-play and more.
LOOKING AT THE LOBOS: New Mexico is 10-15 overall, losing four straight. The Lobos are coming off a dismal weekend, being swept by 29th-ranked UC-Irvine. UNM hit .245 compared to the Anteaters’ .453 batting average and were out-scored 30-4.
The Lobos are being out-hit by their opponents with a batting average of .291 compared to .327. However, UNM has scored more (178-169) thanks to more walks (139-93) and RBI (161-149). Junior Jordan Pacheco holds a team-high .407 batting average and shares the lead in hits (35) with senior Daniel Stovall. Stovall, hitting .340, leads the team in RBI (23) and runs (26).
UNM’s pitching staff holds a 6.09 ERA, which is lower than their opponents’ 6.31 ERA. Junior Adam Skelton has been an asset out of the bullpen with a team-low 2.93 ERA. He has not allowed a run to score in his last four appearances, for a total of 6.1 innings.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES: New Mexico State improved to 11-13 overall, avoiding the series sweep with a 10-9 come-from-behind win over Sacramento State. Junior Marcus Quade hit a walk-off single into center field, bringing home junior Joe Leghorn, who hit for the cycle that day.
Quade and Leghorn lead the team, which is hitting .317 overall. Quade holds a .393 batting average (35-for-89) while Leghorn hits .392 (29-for-74). Joseph Scaperotta, hitting .374, leads the team in RBI (32) and runs (37).
The Aggies’ pitching staff holds a 6.49 ERA this season. Brian Gausman has the best ERA on the team at 3.50. He is also 5-1, striking out 46 while walking just 18 in 43.2 innings. Anthony Arrieta and Frankie Duran have been NMSU’s best out of the bullpen, posting ERAs of 3.81 and 4.24, respectively.
HISTORY LESSONS: New Mexico State relief pitcher Dillon Smith threw an incredible game for the Aggies, rallying them from a 5-1 deficit and delivering a 9-6 win at Isotopes Park on Tuesday, March 13, the last meeting of the two programs. Smith allowed just three hits and one run over the final 6.2 innings, snapping New Mexico’s four-game win streak.
To start the season series, the two clubs opened with two games in Las Cruces at Presley Askew Field. UNM won the first game, Feb. 13, 11-7 and the second on Feb. 20, 16-5. Overall, the Lobos hold a 144-73 record against the Aggies, including a 68-25 mark in Albuquerque.
Through three games with NMSU, the Lobos are hitting .291 (32-for-110) compared to the Aggies’ .353 average (41-for-116). Four guys are hitting over .400, including junior Matt Hibbitts, sophomore Chad Itokazu and freshman Scott Gracey, who are all hitting .500. Senior Daniel Stovall and junior Jordan Pacheco have the most hits this year vs. NMSU, recording six each. Junior Drew McDonald has driven in a team-high five runs in the series while senior Jay Russell and junior Ian Hollick have scored a team-leading five runs.
Both teams have had success off the projected starters for Tuesday night’s game. Against NMSU’s right-handed Noah Garza, the Lobos are hitting .385 (5-for-13), drawing three walks with no strikeouts. Against right-handed freshman Jarrad Watkins, the Aggies are hitting .381 (8-for-21), scoring six runs and drawing three walks.
PILKINGTON PICKING UP: Freshman Derek Pilkington had the best weekend of all the Lobos, hitting .556 (5-for-9), doubling in each game. He had two of the team’s four RBIs last weekend, drew two walks and scored one of the team’s four runs. Currently, he has a five-game hit streak.
SKELTON’S STREAK: Junior Adam Skelton has a four-game scoreless streak heading into the weekend. Skelton has thrown 6.1 innings in the last four games and hasn’t allowed a run to cross the plate. During the streak, he’s struck out three and allowed five hits.
BRAND-NEW BRAND-ON: Sophomore Brandon Hewett is like a brand-new pitcher. His first year as a Lobo, he made four appearances for 3.0 innings, allowing 11 runs with two strikeouts for a 21.00 ERA. He ended up redshirting that year due to an injury. Last year as a redshirt freshman, he made 13 appearances for 19.1 innings, giving up 26 runs with seven strikeouts for a 8.84 ERA. This year, he has already made 10 appearances, struck out seven and allowed just 11 runs in 13.0 innings. His 4.85 ERA is the third lowest on the team and second best out of the bullpen.
NEARING THE MILESTONES: Head coach Rich Alday is nearing two major coaching milestones. With a 497-498-3 record at New Mexico, he needs just three wins for 500. As a collegiate head coach, he is 993-718-3, leaving him just seven victories shy of 1,000.