May 12, 2007
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It was a nail-biter to the very end but New Mexico held on to it’s one-run lead, earning a 6-5 win over UNLV for its first series sweep since 2000. The Lobos held a 6-1 lead after two innings but the bullpen came through, holding the Rebels to just one hit and one run in 4.1 innings of work.
Reliever Shane Dyer earned the win, improving to 2-1 overall. Dyer, who came in for starter Jacob Norton with two outs in the fifth, allowed one run on one hit and a walk in 2.0 innings. Jarrad Watkins picked up his second save, surrendering just one hit in 2.1 scoreless innings.
The afternoon started off with a pre-game recognition ceremony for the five seniors, Matt Foote, Sean McKee, Jay Russell, Jackie Smith and Daniel Stovall. The seniors, whose final home game was this afternoon, were presented, with their parents, a framed portrait by head coach Rich Alday.
In the first inning, the Lobos batted through the order, scoring three runs on three hits. Matt Hibbitts drove in two of the runs with a single to left while Max Willett drove in a run going the opposite way, launching a single down the right line.
New Mexico gave UNLV a run in the top of the second as the Rebels got on the scoreboard without ever recording a hit. Xavier Scruggs led off getting hit by Norton. Scruggs advanced to second on a fielding error by Norton and scored on a Rance Roundy sacrifice fly.
Stovall, with Pacheco on second base, belted his 10th home run just over the fence in left for two of UNM’s three runs in the bottom of the second, which gave the Lobos a 6-1 lead.
The Lobos appeared to comfy with the lead and started to make mistakes. An error in the fourth led to another UNLV run, cutting the deficit to 6-2. New Mexico never scored again in the game, making multiple base-running mistakes.
After two more Rebel runs scored in the fifth, the Lobos were clinging to a two-run lead. Calvin Beamon doubled with two out in the seventh and scored on a Ryan Kowalski single up the middle, pulling UNLV within one at 6-5.
New Mexico put the ball in Watkins’ hand and he delivered. He sat all three batters he faced in the eighth. The lone hit he surrendered was to lead off the ninth. But Watkins recovered, catching the next batter’s popped up bunt aand then getting the final two batters out using just three pitches.
Four Lobos recorded two hits to lead UNM at the plate. Hibbitts was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, Stovall was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, Pacheco was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Willett was 2-for-4 with a RBI. Kowalski and Keith Smith led UNLV, both going 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored.
The Lobos, now 25-25 overall and 11-10 in the Mountain West Conference, hit the road for a single game at Texas Tech on Monday, May 14 at 3 p.m. They will conclude the conference season with a three-game series starting Thursday at TCU.