FULLERTON, Calif. — The University of New Mexico baseball team had seventh-ranked Cal State Fullerton on the ropes with a 4-2 advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh, but the Titans rallied to defeat the Lobos for the second game in a row by one run 5-4 Saturday night at Goodwin Field.
The Lobos (11-7 overall) allowed a run in the seventh inning (unearned due to an error in the outfield) and two more in the eighth (ignited by a hit batter with one out) as the Titans (13-5) held off a late charge by UNM, which lost to Fullerton 2-1 Friday night.
“Another tough game for us,” UNM coach Ray Birmingham said. “Wet grass in the outfield caused a ball to skip by one of our outfielders and a wet ball slipped out of the hand of another outfielder and caused us to miss the cutoff man on the go-ahead run. That was the difference in the game. (After Sunday’s series finale), we’ll meet them again down the road this season – you watch.”
UNM appeared it may have a little two-out magic going in the ninth inning and down a run as Danny Collier worked a walk and Carl Stajduhar hit a single to right-center field to put the tying run on third base and the go-ahead run on first. But the Lobos grounded out to end the threat and the game.
The Lobos took a 2-1 advantage in the third inning as a one-out single by Luis Gonzalez led to a two-out RBI double to right-center field by Stajduhar and an RBI single to left by Jared Mang to give UNM the lead.
The Lobos’ lead increased to 4-1 in the fourth inning as Andre Vigil led off the inning with a double and scored on an RBI single by Andre Gregory before a Daniel Herrera single put runners on the corners with no outs. Gonzalez grounded into a double play, but Gregory scored from third to make it 4-1 Lobos.
Cal State Fullerton answered with a run in the fourth, but starter Johnathon Tripp held the Titans scoreless over the next two innings to hold the 4-2 lead for the Lobos.
UNM went to the bullpen in the seventh and a one-out single off reliever Austin Isenhart turned into a Titan on third base after a Lobo outfielder got a bad hop in the wet outfield and misplayed the ball. A groundout on the next play scored the run to cut the lead to 4-3.
UNM’s Cody Dye, who got the final out in the seventh, started the eighth and recorded an out before the Lobos went to Brandon Langan. The left-hander hit the first batter he faced and was lifted for UNM closer Christian Tripp. The Titans proceeded with an RBI double to left, a walk and an RBI single to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead before the Lobos could get out of the inning.
The Lobos got a solid start on the mound from Johnathon Tripp as the senior right-hander went six innings and gave up two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Christian Tripp got the loss, going 0.2 innings and giving up a run on two hits with a strikeout and a walk.
Vigil was one of four Lobos with two hits, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run. Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a run, Stajduhar was 2-for-5 with a double, run and RBI and Andre Gregory was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
The two teams close out the series 2 p.m. Sunday (MT) with Luis Gonzalez going for the Lobos while John Gavin will go for the Titans. Listen to the game on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM streamed at www.1017theteam.com and on the TuneIn Radio app.
NOTES
- The Lobo 7-8-9 hitters went a combined 5-for-12 in Saturday’s game
- UNM is now 4-10 all-time against Cal State Fullerton
- This was the first loss in five Saturday games this season for the Lobos
- It’s the first time UNM has lost a game when leading after seven innings this season (was 10-0 before Saturday)