PHOENIX, Ariz. — The University of New Mexico offense kept putting the pressure on Grand Canyon but ultimately couldn’t capitalize on its opportunities, as the Lopes took the first of two midweek contests from the Lobos, winning by a 7-3 score at Brazell Field.
The two teams will complete the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. Pacific, 3 p.m. Mountain Time. The Lobos will throw lefty Robert Gasser (1-2, 8.17 ERA) while Grand Canyon will counter with right-hander Hayden Udall (1-1, 4.66 ERA) in what is expected to be a full bullpen day for each team. New Mexico has a series with San José State on the road starting on Friday, and Grand Canyon hosts New Mexico State on Friday.
Lobo starter James Harrington pitched well at times, at one stretch retiring seven in a row from the first through the third, but the Lopes touched him for seven runs, six earned. The killer inning was the fifth. Down 5-1, Harrington got the first two hitters to ground to Justin Watari at second base, but Zach Malis singled just beyond Watari’s reach. Tyler Wyatt singled to end Harrington’s day, bringing in Brian Coffey.
Coffey allowed both runners to score on a double by Griffin Barnes. The inning then took a bizarre turn when on a 1-0 pitch, Preston Pavlica swung and lost his bat, nearly hitting third baseman Hayden Schilling. With Pavlica returning to the dugout for pine tar or rosin, Schilling and GCU head coach Andy Stankiewicz went down the left field line to get the bat, and Barnes ran to third. Despite an argument, Barnes stayed there with a bizarre stolen base, and after Pavlica walked, Barnes was thrown out trying to steal home on the back end of a double steal.
UNM had its chances. In the first, Hayden Schilling opened the game with a walk and was thrown out trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. In the second, UNM opened the inning with back-to-back doubles by Chris Dunn and Phillip Sikes, but Dunn held at second thinking Sikes’ ball might be caught, and he could only get to third. He was then thrown out trying to tag on Garrett Gouldsmith’s shallow fly out to left center.
Well #TheManghattanProject, @j_mang44 doing it in the field and now at the plate! His seventh HR of the year makes it 7-3 Grand Canyon in the 8th #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/ZekhEiNrwx
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) April 25, 2018
UNM final broke through in the fifth, getting an RBI groundout from Justin Watari. In the eighth after Watari opened with a walk Jared Mang crushed a two-run homer to left to make it 7-3. For Mang, it was his second big play of the day, as in the third inning he robbed. Pikai Winchester hit a long fly to right, but Mang leaped above the fence, robbing Winchester of a sure home run.
In the ninth, Daniel Zakosek had a pinch single, and pinch hitter Richard Ware walked, bringing the tying run into the on-deck circle with one out, but UNM never got that batter to the plate. Overall, UNM missed on its chances, batting just 2-for-15 with runners on base, and going 0-for-8 with two outs. Grand Canyon conversely was 4-8 with runners in scoring position and 5-for-12 with two outs, driving in four.
Here is a #SCTop10 catch by @j_mang44 to rob a home run in the third, right in front of the Lobo bullpen #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/dtuWFsSc9T
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) April 25, 2018
NOTES: Hayden Schilling went 1-for-4 with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 20 games, the best mark for a Lobo this season … Mang’s home run was his seventh and came one day after earning the Lobo Club’s “Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year” award … Brian Coffey and Chad Smith combined for 3.1 innings of two-hit, shutout relief.