SURPRISE, Ariz. – The University of New Mexico baseball team dropped its season-opener to Michigan State by a score of 9-3 in the Surprise Spring Training College Baseball Classic Friday night.
The Spartans scored six times in the final two innings to break open a 3-3 ballgame. Taylor Duree suffered the first loss of his career in his 46th appearance. UNM starter Colton Thomson went 5.1 innings and allowed three runs, all earned, on seven hits. He walked one and struck out four.
Four Lobos made their first career start in this game, including three true freshmen, and a fifth, reliever Tyler Stevens, also made his first career appearance.
Sophomore designated hitter Chris DeVito, making just his fifth career start and first since April 9 at Stephen F. Austin last season, got the Lobos’ season started the right way. With Sam Haggerty on third and two outs in the first, he hammered a 2-0 fastball over the bullpen beyond the wall in right to give UNM the early advantage.
“I told DeVito if he got up 2-0 to get up on the plate and pull it,” UNM head coach Ray Birmingham said, “and that’s what he did.”
Thomson didn’t run into any trouble until the third. A one-out walk preceded a double to right. He minimized the damage, though, by inducing a groundout to short and striking out the Spartans’ big slugging catcher, Blaise Salter.
He ran into more trouble in the fourth as MSU tied the score, but with men on second and third and nobody out, the Spartans threatened to take the lead. He induced a pair of groundouts sandwiched around a strikeout, though, to escape further damage and keep the score knotted at two.
After MSU took its first lead in the fifth, the Lobos tied it in the bottom of the frame. Scottie Graham reached on a dropped third strike and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Danny Collier. Then Haggerty, batting for the first time from the right side of the plate, worked the count to 2-2 before looping a single over short. Graham got a great read on the ball and scored with ease.
But the Spartans were able to do something no team could last season: get to UNM’s bullpen late. DeVito went was the only Lobo with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Haggerty reached base three times on his single and a pair of walks and an RBI. Dalton Bowers and Luis Gonzalez each got their first career hits for the Lobos.
UNM will face Northwestern Saturday at 5 p.m. The Wildcats lost to Oregon State in the early game Friday by a score of 2-1 on a walk-off balk. Junior lefty Toller Boardman will start on the mound for the Lobos.
Notes: DeVito tied his career high in RBIs … Haggerty made his 108th straight start … Alex Estrella pitched the ninth in his first appearance since May 25, 2013.