ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Luis Gonzalez and Carl Stajduhar each hit three-run home runs to help the University of New Mexico snap a seven-game losing streak Friday night. The Lobos (25-23, 14-11) defeated the visiting San Jose State Spartans 12-5 on a windy evening at Lobo Field. Gonzalez set a career high with five RBIs and Hayden Schilling was perfect at the plate going 3-for-3 with a walk.
The offensive outburst supported a strong start by Toller Boardman (8-2) who kept the ball down and recorded an astonishing 17 groundouts in 8.0 innings. Jack Zoellner made 18 putouts at first base to fall one shy of the school record for most in a single game.
The Spartans (12-38, 5-20) capitalized on an error by Schilling in the first to score a pair of unearned runs, but UNM clawed back into it with single runs in the second and third.
“We started out like we always do,” UNM head coach Ray Birmingham said. “We gave them two runs, but then we started getting our head together. Toller pitched pretty good. Those first two runs weren’t his, so he really gave up three runs in a windy ballpark. That’s pretty good.”
Schilling, eager to atone for his miscue, doubled home Jack Zoellner in the second, and in the third Gonzalez drove in Aaron Siple, who had led off with a triple, with a groundout.
“That first groundball, you just have to forget about it,” he said. “I’m trying to pick up my pitcher with a runner in scoring position. It always just comes down to doing a job.
However, SJSU re-took the lead in the fifth, but the Lobos took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. Schilling led off with a single and with one out Siple walked. Then with two down Gonzalez launched a 2-2 pitch well over the right-field fence to make the score 5-3.
After the Spartans scored one in the sixth, the Lobos responded with four in the seventh on an RBI single by Siple and Stajduhar’s moon shot home run to left. UNM added three more in the eighth to put the game away.
Siple tied a career high with four runs scored in a 3-for-4 performance, and Stajduhar went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. His home run was his team-high seventh, and he leads the squad with 44 RBIs.
“Siple never ceases to amaze me,” Birmingham said. “He had two RBIs and he leads our team in hitting now at .362. We moved him into the two-hole and he did a fantastic job. Hayden Schilling also did a great job. Reece Weber has really started to play well. He made a great catch in the outfield, and he’s swinging the bat. These kids are really starting to buy in and get after it.”
Schilling, though, was the spark plug at the bottom of the lineup.
“I was seeing the fastball really well today,” he said, “and my plate discipline was good as well. The ball looked like a beach ball today, not like a golf ball, so that helped.”
Boardman finished with four strikeouts and no walks. He threw 74 of his 100 pitches for strikes. Alex Estrella, who was named Academic All-District on Thursday and graduated earlier in the day on Friday, pitched a scoreless ninth in his team-leading 22nd appearance.
The teams will meet again Saturday at 2 p.m. at Lobo Field. ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM will carry the game, and it will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network. uPUBLICtv is producing the game and will air it locally on Comcast channel 26.
Notes: Daniel Stovall had 19 putouts on Feb. 27, 2005 … Siple also stole his team-high seventh base of the year.