April 21, 2007
SALT LAKE CITY – New Mexico broke out of it’s late-inning scoring slump, putting two runs on the board in the seventh, eight and ninth innings in the series finale at Utah, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to win 7-4. The victory, which snapped the Utes’ four-game win streak against the Lobos and kept them from being swept in the three-game series, improves UNM to 18-23 overall and 7-8 in the Mountain West Conference.
The Lobos jumped on the board in the first inning thanks to a one-out double by Jordan Pacheco, driving in Jay Russell. Utah’s Dustin Hennis tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the second, leading off with a walk, taking third on a John Welsh single and stealing home.
Utah claimed a 4-1 lead in the third as the Utes pounded out two doubles and Hennis singled, picking up two RBI. The Utes, who held New Mexico to just two hits between the second and sixth innings, looked poised for the sweep of the weekend series.
The Utes let the Lobos back in the game in the seventh, plunking Scott Gracey to lead off the inning and walking Russell. Both scored on RBI-singles from Pacheco and Matt Hibbitts, pulling UNM within a run at 4-3.
The Lobos kept hitting in the eighth, scoring two more runs for a 5-4 advantage thanks to singles from Drew McDonald, Matt Foote and Russell. McDonald drove in two insurance runs in the ninth with a double to left.
Starter Jacob Norton earned his second straight win, throwing a complete game. Norton (3-6) allowed just four runs on 12 hits and a walk while striking out six. Reliever Brett Bruneel was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk.
Four Lobos each recorded two hits as UNM tied Utah with 12 hits in the game. Foote, Pacheco, McDonald and Hibbitts were all 2-for-5 with Pacheco and McDonald leading the team in RBIs (2). Russell, who finished 1-for-4, scored a team-high two runs. Four Utes, Corey Shimada, Jay Brossman, Cody Guymon and Welsh, also posted two hits to lead their team. Hennis (1-for-3) led Utah with two of the team’s three RBI and was one of four to score a run.
New Mexico returns home after a nine-game road trip, hosting Hawaii-Hilo for a non-conference three-game series. The teams first meet on Friday night at 6 p.m. at Isotopes Park.