ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico senior whose last name ends with “Lobos” and owned 12 career at-bats stepped to the plate in the most crucial situation of the season for UNM in the team’s season finale.
The Lobos trailed Nevada 6-5 in the seventh inning in a must-win game to keep their Mountain West title hopes alive as Matt Villalobos – who was a defensive replacement earlier in the game – came to the plate with two on and one out.
Villalobos, who has pitched more than he’s been a position player at UNM and didn’t have an extra-base hit before Saturday, worked the count full. The right-handed hitting Villalobos then took an outside pitch and drove it deep to right field. The ball bounced off top of the wall and – generously for the Lobos – went over for a go-ahead, three-run home run in front of a large and vocal crowd on senior day.
The home run ignited a seven-run frame for the Lobos, and combined with a San Diego State loss, they clinched the Mountain West title with a 13-6 victory over the Wolf Pack at Santa Ana Star Field.
It’s the Lobos’ sixth regular-season Mountain West title and fifth since 2011. UNM entered the game needing a win and a San Diego State loss to claim the crown – which happened as Fresno State took down the Aztecs 11-2 (the final came after the Lobo win Saturday).
The conference title also means UNM will host the Mountain West Tournament, which begins Thursday. The top-seeded Lobos, who hosted and won the tournament last season, will take on No. 4 Nevada 7 p.m. Thursday while No. 2 San Diego State takes on No. 3 Fresno State plays the early game that day at 3 p.m. at Santa Ana Star Field.
Saturday’s victory broke a five-game skid for the Lobos (29-25-1, 19-9-1) as 10th-year UNM coach Ray Birmingham said he knew they had to do something to change things up with the Lobos trailing 5-2 midway through the game.
“After that error was committed (at first base) and we were down – and after these past few weeks – I knew we needed a spark of some kind,” Birmingham said. “Matt’s a senior and it was senior day – so we put him at first. I figured we’d give it a shot – and it paid off.”
Villalobos was one of a trio of seniors that came up big for the Lobos in a must-win contest against Nevada (19-34, 13-16).
Senior right-hander Johnathon Tripp entered the game in the sixth with the Lobos trailing 5-4 and held the Wolf Pack to one run on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks to pick up the victory.
Senior right fielder Andre Vigil came up with a huge defensive play in the fifth inning. Nevada had already scored three runs to take a 5-2 lead and were looking to add to it when a single to right by Jaylon McLaughlin had Chase Grant trying to score from second. Vigil threw a bullet to home and a great diving tag by Robby Campillo at the plate as Grant tried to go wide kept the deficit at 5-2.
“Senior day is always tough and it’s emotional for me,” Birmingham said. “I’m so proud of those guys for stepping up the way they did. That’s Lobo baseball. That’s the fight I’m looking for.”
The next inning after the Vigil assist, the Lobos got a clutch two-out, two-run double by Danny Collier to cut the deficit to 5-4 before Nevada added one in the sixth.
But UNM answered with its own run in the sixth inning as a Villalobos double to start the inning eventually led to an infield RBI single by Jared Mang to slice the Nevada lead back to one at 6-5.
Tripp retired the side in order in the top of the seventh before a Collier walk, Hayden Schilling sacrifice bunt and a Vigil hit by pitch set up Villalobos’ three-run shot to give UNM the 8-6 lead.
The Lobos weren’t done as Campillo was walked before Luis Gonzalez hit a monster shot over the batter’s eye in dead center to give UNM a 10-6 lead. UNM went back-to-back as Mang lined a shot over the left field wall to give the Lobos a nice cushion at 11-6 before a Collier RBI single later in the inning scored Carl Stajduhar (who doubled) to make it 12-6.
UNM added another in the eighth thanks to a lead-off triple by Vigil to make the final 13-6.
Mang finished 4-for-5 for UNM with a home run, double and three RBI, Villalobos went 2-for-2 with a home run, double, two runs and three RBI, Collier finished 2-for-2 with a double and four RBI while Justin Watari was 2-for-2 with two runs.
Luis Gonzalez walked three times to set the UNM single-season record at 58 while going 1-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. He also started the game on the mound, going five innings and giving up five runs (four earned) on 11 hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Listen to the Lobos during the Mountain West Tournament with play-by-play from Robert Portnoy on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM and on the 101.7 The TEAM “app.”
As for tickets, they will be available starting at 10 a.m. Sunday at unmtickets.com.