DALLAS — The University of New Mexico baseball team was seemingly dodging in and out of trouble over the final few innings while trying to hold onto a lead against No. 23 Dallas Baptist – including the bottom of the ninth when the Patriots led off the inning with a single and an RBI double to cut the Lobo lead to 6-5.
But UNM sophomore closer Christian Tripp closed the door on the Patriots with a strikeout, groundout and flyout to leave the game-tying run on second base and give the Lobos the 6-5 victory Saturday afternoon at Horner Ballpark.
The Lobos (4-1), after never leading in Friday’s 5-2 loss to the DBU (4-2), never trailed in Saturday’s ballgame and took the lead for good in the fifth inning.
With the game tied 2-2, Jared Mang led off the fifth with a single up the middle before Andre Vigil took a 1-1 pitch and drove it over the right field fence for his second home run of the season to give UNM a 4-2 lead.
The Lobos kept the pressure on DBU starter Trevor Conn in the fifth as Daniel Herrera was hit by a pitch, Beau Capanna drew a walk and Luis Gonzalez doubled – though Herrera was thrown out at home trying to score from first. But Andre Gregory drove in a third run in the frame on a groundout to short to make it 5-2.
UNM starter Carson Schneider appeared he may give some of that lead back as DBU led off the bottom of the fifth with three straight singles to load the bases. But the senior left-hander picked up a strikeout and then got arguably the defensive play of the day from the freshman Capanna when DBU’s Camden Duzenack lined a ball to second base where Capanna made a leaping catch then dove to tag second base to double up the Patriots and end the threat.
DBU closed the gap to 5-4 with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning before freshman Justin Slaten got the Lobos out of the jam.
UNM picked up a crucial insurance run in the ninth inning when Vigil singled to lead off the frame, advanced to second when Capanna was hit by a pitch and scored on a Gonzalez RBI single to right to push the Lobo lead to 6-4.
After a shaky start to the inning that included a DBU RBI double to cut the lead to one, Tripp buckled down and picked up his first save of the 2017 campaign after collecting four last season as a freshman.
Schneider got the win, going six innings and giving up two runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks to move to 2-0 on the season.
Gonzalez, after going 3-for-5 on Friday night, went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and run. Vigil was the other Lobo with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
The Lobos look to take the series noon (MT) Sunday when they go with Johnathon Tripp (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on the mound. Listen to the game live with play-by-play from Scott Galletti on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM streamed at www.1017theteam.com and on the TuneIn Radio app.
NOTES
- Gonzalez is now 16-for-25 (.640) against Dallas Baptist in his career.
- Carson Schneider moved to 18-6 in his career, one win shy of reaching the top 10 in Lobo history. His .750 winning percentage is tied for second in Lobo history
- Stajduhar made his 113th consecutive start for the Lobos, eighth in Lobo history
- Left-handed relief pitcher Brandon Langan made his Lobo debut as the junior college transfer went an inning and gave up an unearned run on one hit.
- The victory was the Lobos’ 127th consecutive when leading after eight innings (last loss when leading after eight – March 24, 2013 to Nevada)
- Dallas Baptist had a lead-off runner reach in seven of the nine innings
- After going 1-for-18 with runners on base and 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position during Friday’s loss, the Lobos went 4-for-14 with runners on base and 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position Saturday