April 19, 2007
SALT LAKE CITY – New Mexico almost matched Utah in hits and walks but couldn’t keep up in the runs department, falling 13-4 to the Utes tonight, bringing the Lobos’ three-game win streak to an end. With the win, which was Utah’s third straight against UNM, the Utes improves to 17-20 overall and 6-4 in the Mountain West Conference while the Lobos fall to 17-22 overall and 6-7 in the MWC.
Utah got on the board with a run in the first off a two-out single from John Welsh. But New Mexico took the lead in the top of the second thanks to the bottom third of its line-up, scoring two runs on singles from Jay Russell and Scott Gracey and a double from Drew McDonald.
Welsh and Jay Brossman led the Utes with doubles in the bottom of the second, leading to five runs and a 6-2 advantage.
The Lobos chipped away at Utah’s lead, adding a run in the third and fourth but the Utes plated three in the bottom of the fourth, increasing their lead to 9-4.
Utah never looked back, holding New Mexico scoreless the rest of the game. The Utes continued to add insurance runs, scoring four between the fifth and seventh.
In the end, Utah out-hit New Mexico 11-10 and snapped Daniel Stovall’s career-high 21-game hitting streak. Jordan Pacheco led UNM, going 3-for-5 with a RBI and a run scored. Gracey and Russell also had multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored and 2-for-4 with a run scored, respectively. For Utah, both Welsh and Brossman finished 3-for-3 with Welsh plating a team-high six RBI and Brossman scoring a team-leading four runs.
Reliever Stephen Fife picked up the win, allowing just two hits and no runs in 5.1 innings. Fife walked four but struck out five. Ryan Escarcega suffered the loss, falling to 0-2. Escarcega went 3.1 innings, giving up eight runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout.
The series continues tomorrow night at 6 p.m. as the Utes look to match their longest win streak against New Mexico in the series history.