ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Bases loaded, tie game, two outs, bottom of the 10th, and it’s your first collegiate at bat?
No problem for Hayden Schilling. He blooped a 2-2 pitch just in front of San Diego State’s diving left fielder to give the University of New Mexico a wild 11-10 win over the Aztecs at Lobo Field Saturday afternoon.
“I was looking (to hit it) to left-center,” Schilling said. “I was trying to let the ball get deep and just do a job, really. That’s what Coach Birmingham always tells us to do: do a job. That’s what I was able to do.”
UNM (9-2, 4-1) rallied for six runs in the eighth to take a 10-5 lead, only to see SDSU (12-3, 3-2) score five of their own to tie it and send the game into extra innings.
“Our mindset the whole season is never give up, we’re bulldogs and we’re going to keep fighting to the end,” said Schilling who came on as a pinch runner in the bottom of the ninth. “I think that shows what Lobo Baseball is all about. We’ll never give up. We live for these situations.”
The Lobos loaded the bases with no outs in the 10th and had to fight, scratch and claw for the victory. Jack Zoellner led off with a sharp single up the middle. Aaron Siple followed with a sacrifice, but the Aztecs’ catcher tried to get Zoellner at second. His throw was offline, though, and both runners were safe. SDSU’s pitcher, who was actually the starting center fielder, Steven Pallares, then tried to pick Zoellner off, but his throw was errant and both men moved into scoring position.
The Aztecs then intentionally walked Danny Collier to load the bases for Sam Haggerty. SDSU also brought in its left fielder to act as a fifth infielder and play directly in front of second base. Haggerty hit one hard, but it was on the ground and right to the second baseman, who threw Zoellner out at home. Lane Milligan then came up and struck out on three pitches, and it looked like the Lobos would waste a beautiful opportunity.
Schilling swung and missed at the first pitch, then looked at the next three to run the count to 2-2. He fouled the next pitch down the third-base line but just inches foul. He then blooped the next pitch he saw to left and it fell just in front of SDSU’s diving left fielder to give UNM the win.
“I think he hung a slider right there,” Schilling said, “but I let it get deep. I got it on the end (of the bat) a little, but it fell and we got the winning run.”
The Lobos clinched the series and moved into a first-place tie in the Mountain West courtesy of Nevada’s 1-0 loss at UNLV.
“Winning is winning,” UNM head coach Ray Birmingham said. “I don’t care if it’s ugly, whatever. Winning is winning and that’s important.”
The wild ending also hides the fact that UNM rallied from an early 4-0 deficit on the bats of some young players. Freshman Cory Voss’ bases-loaded triple was the highlight of UNM’s six-run eighth, as he went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the second straight game. Sophomore Chris DeVito hit a game-tying two-run home run off the foul pole in right in the sixth, and he now has 12 RBIs in five Mountain West conference games. Collier had the best game of all, though, as the 2014 Freshman All-America went 4-for-5 with a walk, two runs and two RBIs out of the leadoff spot. He was hitting below the Mendoza Line (.194) entering the series, but with six hits in two games he’s now at .333. His four hits were a career-high.
“We had a big speech last night about trust,” Birmingham said. “He wasn’t trusting (the system), but he works as hard as anybody, and he’s starting to get it again.”
One person who struggled for the Lobos, though, is Haggerty, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts as his streak of reaching base safely ended at 38 straight games.
The Lobos will look to sweep the Aztecs at 1 p.m. Sunday. Junior Drew Bridges will get the start on the mound for UNM. Fans can listen to the game on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM, or watch the live stream at GoLobos.com. It will also be broadcast live in HD on Comcast channel 26 by uPUBLICtv.
Notes: The Lobos have won 65 straight games when leading after eight innings … freshman Luis Gonzalez had two hits for the second straight game … Carson Schneider recorded the final out in the top of the 10th to earn the victory and move to 2-0.