ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico baseball team saw its conference-record undefeated start to Mountain West play end Saturday night as a squeeze bunt by Fresno State in the 11th inning was the difference in a 2-1 Lobo loss at Santa Ana Star Field.
The loss drops UNM (17-10 overall) to 10-1 in Mountain West play and snaps its six-game winning streak.
“That was a good college baseball game,” UNM coach Ray Birmingham said. “It was going to come down to who could get the clutch hit – and they dropped down a squeeze bunt to win it – and we couldn’t find that clutch hit.”
The Lobos had a myriad of chances against Fresno State (15-11, 6-5) as they had the lead-off hitter reach in the first eight innings of the game and left 16 runners on base – including 14 over the first seven innings. But UNM went 3-for-27 (.111) with runners on base and 2-for-16 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
Fresno State got on the board first in the fifth inning when a lead-off double by Aaron Arruda – the Bulldogs’ first hit of the game off UNM starter Johnathon Tripp – eventually led to an RBI groundout by Zach Ashford to take a 1-0 advantage.
The Lobos tied the game in the sixth inning when Jack Zoellner walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on an Andrew Pratt groundout to second and eventually scored on a pinch-hit sacrifice fly by Danny Collier to make it 1-1.
Both teams had chances from that point on, but couldn’t capitalize until the 11th inning when a single, walk and fielder’s choice put runners on the corners for Fresno State with one out and UNM closer Christian Tripp on the mound.
That’s when Ashford laid down a bunt just in front of the mound with Jake Stone running in from third. Tripp tried to make the scoop and throw with his glove in one motion, but couldn’t get a grip on the ball on the wet turf (Saturday’s game was pushed back four and a half hours due to rain) and the go-ahead run scored.
UNM had no answer in its half of the 11th – only mustering a two-out single by Jared Mang – as the Lobos lost for the first time in conference play.
Johnathon Tripp was stellar on the mound for the Lobos, going seven innings and giving up a run on two hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Justin Slaten got the Lobos out of a pair of jams in three innings of scoreless work – scattering five hits while racking up three strikeouts. Christian Tripp got the loss, going one inning and giving up a run on one hit with one walk.
A day after racking up 24 runs with seven players recording multiple hits in a 24-4 win over the Bulldogs, UNM had two players with multiple hits Saturday with Zoellner going 2-for-4 with a run and two walks while Mang finished 2-for-6.
The rubber match of the series is set for noon Sunday with UNM expected to start Luis Gonzalez (2-2, 4.21 ERA) while Fresno State is projected to start ace Ricky Tyler Thomas (2-1, 3.05 ERA). Listen to the game with play-by-play from Robert Portnoy on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM streamed at www.1017theteam.com and on the TuneIn Radio app.
Lobos miss chances, lose in extras to Fresno St.
