ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico rallied once, but couldn’t rally a second time, and Cal State Fullerton touched Lobo relievers for six runs over the final three innings and New Mexico fell 13-7 to the Titans. The Lobos lost for just the second time in its last 11 games.
The Lobos dropped to 10-5 on the season while Cal State Fullerton moved to 6-7. The Lobos, who travel to Nevada for a conference series on Friday, will play a non-conference game on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Central/Noon Mountain against Texas Tech in Lubbock.
After six innings, Sunday’s game was deadlocked at 7-7 after Cal State Fullerton had just taken the lead and then UNM tied it. In the seventh with reliever Brian Coffey on the hill, the Titans had a runner on first and one out when Daniel Cope grounded to third, just a little two softly for a double play. That proved costly as Isaiah Garcia hammered a ball well over the wall in left for a 9-7 lead, one they would never relinquish.
Blake Walden struck out the Titans in the eighth, but he ran into trouble in the ninth. By the time the ninth was over, UNM had used three pitchers and allowed four runs to make it 13-7. UNM got a couple of two out hits in the ninth, but that was it.
For the second straight game, Fullerton jumped out with multiple runs in the first inning on a two-run single, and that held until UNMs bats came alive in the fourth. Tyler Kelly, batting in the leadoff position for the first time this year, picked up single, and then he went in motion and Hayden Schilling singled, moving him all the way to third. Jared Mang did what he does, a triple to right center to tie the game. His brother than came up and after looking at a strike, hit a triple of his own, making it 3-2. Jeff Deimling drove him home and it was 4-2. In the fourth inning UNM tacked on another when Hayden Schilling went yard to right field, and it was 5-2.
The Titans put up two in the fifth to make it 5-4, and then the sixth inning came, and the Titans took the lead and knocked UNM starter Drew Gillespie out of the game. Back-to-back singles and a hit batter spelled the end of the day for Gillespie, and UNM brought in Brian Coffey, who retired the final six Titans in yesterday’s 18-11 win.
Coffey coaxed pinch hitter A.J. Curtis to ground into a force at home, but Jake Pavletich just missed a grand slam, hitting a line drive about seven-feet up the wall in the left field corner for what ended up a two-run single, and a 6-5 lead for Cal State Fullerton.
The titans tacked on one more before UNM would tie it up in the sixth. Kelly and Schilling and Mang were in the middle of it again. Kelly doubled to start the inning, and he scored on Schilling’s single to make it 7-6. Jared Mang singled to cross Schilling to third, and Connor Mang tied it by grounding into a fielder’s choice, moving to second when the throw to try and get him on a double play went out of play.
UNM couldn’t cash that runner in however, as Deimling fouled out and Tanner Baker lined to right. That started a streak of 11 straight Lobos retired by Cal State Fullerton pitching, a streak that didn’t end until UNM got a two-out single by Baker and a pinch-hit single from Ediberto Reyes.
NOTES: Jared Mang extended his hitting streak to 11 games … UNM’s game with Texas Tech on Tuesday is a late edition to the schedule and is the first mid-week game since UNM defeated Arizona on February 27, winning 5-4.
Lobos Can’t Sweep, Fall to Fullerton 13-7
