RENO, Nev – The University of New Mexico baseball team saw its season come to a heartbreaking end Sunday as it fell to San Diego State 6-4 in the Mountain West Tournament championship game. The Lobos had the potential go-ahead run at the plate with two outs in the ninth in the form of Jack Zoellner, who had already homered and doubled in the game, but he flew out to left-center to end it.
Zoellner was one of four Lobos, all of whom is either a freshman or sophomore, to earn All-Tournament honors. He was joined by Carl Stajduhar, Lane Milligan and Carson Schneider.
The Lobos (32-27) had plenty of chances in the championship, but the crucial game-changing hit eluded them in the late innings. Outside of the ninth, perhaps their best chance came down one in the eighth. Jared Holley doubled with two outs, but Sam Haggerty’s looping stroke to center was snagged on a nice sliding catch.
SDSU (40-21) got on board with a run in the first off freshman Tyler Stevens, who was starting on just three days’ rest, but the Lobos responded in the second. Stajduhar doubled to and Zoellner followed with a two-run shot off the scoreboard in right-center to give the Lobos a 2-1 lead.
After SDSU re-took the lead with single runs in the third and fifth, the Lobos scored a pair in the sixth to gain a 4-3 advantage, with Zoellner again in the middle of things. Stajduhar reached on an error to get the inning started, and Zoellner smacked a double to left-center to score the freshman. He eventually came around to score on a double play to give UNM the lead once again.
But the Aztecs again had an answer, as they scored twice in the bottom of the inning to take a lead they would not relinquish. They tacked on an insurance run in the eighth and then managed to hold off for the victory.
Holley went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, and four Lobos had two hits, including Zoellner and Stajduhar, who each scored a pair of runs as well.
Despite the disappointing finish, it was a remarkable run for the young and battered Lobos. UNM had to fight through injuries all season, and still came within two runs of an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Lobos received spectacular seasons from several young players this year, including Zoellner, who was second on the team with a .352 average. Stajduhar led the team with 21 doubles, nine home runs and set a new UNM freshman record with 53 RBIs. Sophomore Danny Collier played the last couple months on virtually one leg while battling an injury but still hit .346 with three two-hit games in the Tournament. Freshman catcher Cory Voss hit .345 and led the team with a .546 slugging percentage, while Milligan was second on the squad with 46 RBIs.
Several Lobos will play summer ball this year, while others, like Collier, will rest and heal up for next season. Still other players will have a watchful eye on the MLB Draft, which takes place June 8-10.
Notes: Fourth-year senior Ryan Padilla made his fifth appearance of the season on the mound, recording an out in the eighth … fellow seniors Jake Cole and Aaron Siple also played … Cole allowed two runs in 2.1 innings, while Siple went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt.