ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico baseball team used a seven-run third inning to bolt out to an early 8-0 lead and cruised the rest of the way to complete a three-game sweep of Binghamton with an 11-4 victory Sunday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field.
It marks the first 3-0 start for the Lobos since 2008 when they started 7-0 and is the second 3-0 start since 2001. UNM, which has reached the NCAA Regionals in five of the last seven seasons, did it against a Binghamton team that made it to the NCAA Regionals last season.
“It’s a good way to start the season, but it’s a long season,” UNM coach Ray Birmingham said. “Binghamton is a quality team and program, but the road will get tougher for us.”
The Lobos got on the board first Sunday in the second inning when Andre Vigil with runners on second and third and one out grounded out to second with the infield back to score a run and give UNM a 1-0 advantage.
New Mexico bolstered its lead to 2-0 in the third when Beau Capanna singled to lead off the inning, stole second, advanced to third on a Luis Gonzalez flyout and scored on an Andre Gregory single to left.
Danny Collier followed by blasting a two-run home run to right for the junior’s first career home run to make it 4-0 Lobos. Back-to-back singles by Carl Stajduhar and Jack Zoellner and a balk put runners on second and third with two outs when a Binghamton error on a ball hit by Vigil allowed a run to score to make it 5-0 and kept the inning alive.
Freshman Robby Campillo made the Bearcats (0-3) pay as he followed with a two-run double and Capanna, who started the inning with a single, followed with an RBI single to push the Lobo advantage to 8-0.
The lead was more than enough for UNM starter Luis Gonzalez as the junior went five innings and gave up a run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
“I felt great today,” Gonzalez said. “It was great to be back on the mound after a long break. … I thought our performance was great today and getting the sweep was clutch.”
Binghamton scored a run in the sixth before an RBI double by Zoellner and a two-run home run by Jared Mang in the seventh pushed the Lobo lead to 11-1 as UNM held on for the 11-4 victory thanks to Drew Gillespie and Christian Tripp combining to throw a scoreless final 1.2 innings.
Stajduhar paced UNM by going 4-for-5 with three runs while Gregory, Zoellner and Capanna had two hits apiece for the Lobos.
The Lobos hit the road for their next eight contests starting with a three-game series at Dallas Baptist 5:30 p.m. Friday – a team UNM played at the NCAA Regionals last season and during the regular season (went 1-4 overall). You can listen to all three games in the series live on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM streamed at www.1017theteam.com and on the TuneIn Radio app.
NOTES
- The Lobos are 9-0 all-time against Binghamton
- Danny Collier’s home run was the first of his career and came in his 366th career at-bat
- Andre Gregory, Robby Campillo and Beau Capanna made their first career starts as Lobos with Campillo and Capanna making their collegiate debut
- Both Gregory and Capanna singled in their first two at-bats of their Lobo career, Campillo later got his first career hit on Sunday as well – a two-run double
- Justin Slaten made his Lobo and collegiate debut on the mound, going two scoreless innings and giving up two hits
- Capanna had two singles, two stolen bases, a run and an RBI in the third inning alone
- Four of the five outs Drew Gillespie has recorded this season on the mound have come via the strikeout. The other out? UNM catcher’ Campillo picked off a runner at first base Sunday to close out the eighth.