LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The University of New Mexico baseball team continued their recent struggles, falling 22-8 at New Mexico State Tuesday evening. The Aggies (9-34-1) scored 10 times in the third inning to break open the contest and send the Lobos (24-23) to their seventh straight loss.
It was a sloppy game for the Lobos. They committed sixerrors, hit six batters, walked six more and allowed their most hits of the season. It was the first time UNM had allowed 20 or more runs in a game since May 20, 2011, vs. TCU.
UNM’s first run came on a mammoth home run to center field by Carl Stajduhar leading off the second. He hit it well over the batter’s eye in straight-away center, which is 400 feet away from home plate. It was the freshman’s sixth homer of the season, which is tied for the team lead.
After that, though, it was all Aggies for the next five innings, including the big third. The Lobos appeared to escape the inning with minimal damage, but a misplay on a pickoff extended the inning and led to seven unearned runs.
By the time the Lobos scored again it was 16-1 Aggies in the seventh inning. However, the Lobos tallied seven runs on eight hits that frame to cut the deficit to 16-8. Scottie Graham chipped in with a two-run double in the inning for his first career extra-base hit, and Sam Haggerty recorded two infield singles.
However, NMSU tacked on six more in the eighth to close out the scoring.
The Lobos will play their final home series of the season against San José State this weekend. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM, and uPUBLICtv will produce them and air them on Comcast channel 26 in Albuquerque.
Notes: Mike Gould struck out a career-best four in relief for UNM … Weber threw a runner out at home to end the bottom of the second … Ryan Padilla made his second career relief appearance and pitched the eighth.