WICHITA, Kan. – Down four starters the University of New Mexico baseball team couldn’t overcome the Wichita State Shockers Saturday, falling 8-6. Luis Gonzalez hit a pair of home runs and drove in three, but it wasn’t enough as the Lobos (23-18) dropped their second straight close contest to the Shockers.
After UNM rallied back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game in the fifth inning, the Shockers (16-26) scored three times in the seventh and once in the eighth to pull ahead. Twelve of UNM’s losses this season have been by one or two runs.
Already without Sam Haggerty and Jared Holley, the middle infielders on the All-Mountain West Preseason Team, the Lobos had to play without Danny Collier and Cory Voss on Saturday as well. Starting shortstop Dalton Bowers is also playing through an injury.
Gonzalez was a last-minute replacement for Collier, and he had his best game at the plate as a Lobo. The freshman finished 2-for-2 with three walks and three RBIs to go along with the first two home runs of his career, and he even recorded an assist from center field in the eighth inning. His home runs were a solo shot in the third and a two-run blast with two outs in the ninth.
Tyler Stevens allowed four runs, three earned, on 10 hits in five innings, but eight of those hits were singles. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. Preston Ryan (3-2) was charged with all three runs in the seventh and suffered the loss.
Jack Zoellner also homered for the Lobos, which was his first of the season, and Carl Stajduhar added a two-out, two-run single in the fifth to tie the game and advance his hitting streak to 12 games. However, the Lobos struck out 12 times as Gonzalez was the only starter not to punch out at least once.
The last few innings were also played in unusual circumstances. The power in the stadium went out with two on and two outs in the top of the seventh, and the teams played the final few innings with no scoreboard, no PA and no music. All the two teams had was ambient crowd noise for the final two innings.
UNM will look to salvage the final game of the series Sunday at noon. Gonzalez will make his third career start, and second of the week, for the Lobos.
Notes: UNM’s other hits were by Reece Weber, Dalton Bowers, Aaron Siple and Andre Vigil … James Harrington pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and Carson Schneider recorded the final five outs for UNM … the three home runs were the most UNM has hit in a game this season.