ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico baseball team had its best offensive performance of the season and won its fifth straight game to complete a two-game sweep of Grand Canyon courtesy of a 14-2 win Wednesday afternoon. The Lobos (21-15) scored in each of the first five innings and hammered out a season-high 23 hits to defeat the Antelopes (21-16).
Aaron Siple became the first Lobo in two years to record five hits as he led the assault with a 5-for-6 performance. Jack Zoellner tied a career-high with four base knocks to pace UNM’s first 20-hit game since April 18 last season at San Jose State. Carl Stajduhar added two doubles and Cory Voss hit a mammoth home run off the Rudy Davalos Center beyond the left-center field wall as UNM recorded eight extra-base hits.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had more than four hits in a game in my life, so today was kind of special for me,” Siple said. “I think it was all the work we put in throughout the fall and the season. We do early hitting and stuff like that. That stuff really helps us, and it showed today.”
Just like in Tuesday’s game, the Lobos got off to a quick start. They scored three runs with two outs in the first on an RBI single by Zoellner and a two-run double by Stajduhar. In the second, Andre Vigil smoked the first of his two triples to left-center. He broke for home on a grounder to first off the bat of Danny Collier. The throw home appeared to beat Vigil, but it was up the line a little, and the sophomore had a great slide to avoid the tag and score the Lobos’ fourth run.
UNM kept up the offensive pressure in the third. Zoellner and Stajduhar got the inning started with back-to-back doubles, and Dalton Bowers followed with his first home run as a Lobo to give UNM a 7-0 advantage.
The game’s biggest blow, though, came in the fourth. Voss crushed a 3-1 pitch off the windows of the Davalos Center well beyond the left-field wall for his fourth home run of the season and his second in as many games.
“I saw we put up 23 hits and that’s awesome,” Zoellner said. “One-through-nine we all had at least one hit. And our pitching is really coming along too. That’s great to see.”
Freshman Luis Gonzalez (3-2) was the beneficiary of the support in his first career start. He responded with his best outing since UNM’s third game. He allowed just two runs, one earned, on four singles and one walk while striking out two in five innings of work.
“That kid is going to be a pro pitcher,” UNM head coach Ray Birmingham said. “I think that’s his door to the pros is pitching. He was the difference maker. He threw all three (of his) pitches for strikes. He was sharp.”
Preston Ryan, Victor Sanchez and Chase Beal each allowed a harmless single apiece as they closed out the victory. The Lobo pitchers combined to strike out six and issue just one walk.
UNM scored in all but one time at bat, as they absolutely pounded the Antelopes’ staff, which included some of their weekend starters. Stajduhar recorded his sixth straight multi-hit game, Collier chipped in with a pair of hits out of the leadoff spot, and Bowers tied his season high with three hits.
Over their last 18 games, the Lobos are hitting .320 as a team, with six players batting better than .350 over that span.
“They’re starting to buy in,” Birmingham said of his lineup. “Bowers finally bought in … he hit a homer and a double. Vigil had two triples. Now we need to get them to repeat, which is the hard part.”
The Lobos return to conference play with a series at UNLV this weekend. UNM was swept in Las Vegas last year and dropped five of six to the Rebels overall.
“Last year was not a good time,” Zoellner said. “We got boatraced all three times (in Las Vegas), but we’re going to take it to them this weekend. We’re prepared, we’re coming along well, and we’re looking forward to it.”
All three games against the Rebels will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and can be found at GoLobos.com.
Notes: Vigil started his first game at second base … Ryan Padilla got his first start of the season and singled and scored a run … former Lobo shortstop Alex Allbritton was the last to record five hits in a game, doing so at Nevada on April 20, 2013 … UNM’s winning streak matches its longest of the season, which was Feb. 22 to March 7.