Wolf Pack even series behind 3-0 shutout of Lobos
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The weekend series between the University of New Mexico and the University of Nevada baseball teams will be up for grabs on Sunday as the series was evened up on Saturday with Nevada coming away with a 3-0 shutout victory.
The low-scoring game on Saturday saw the Wolf Pack (17-17, 7-10 MW) grab an early 1-0 lead thanks to a solo home run by Jaylon McLaughlin in the top of the first inning. That homer came against UNM starter Justin Slaten. That was the lone blemish on the short-lived outing for Slaten as he left the start with one out in the third inning for precautionary reasons.
Despite not having Slaten on the mound, the Lobos (16-18, 7-10 MW) continued to pitch brilliantly and kept it a 1-0 game until the seventh inning where the Wolf Pack scored twice to give Nevada their three runs.
Brian Coffey was the first reliever out of the bullpen and he would go on to pitch 3.2 innings with just one hit allowed, one walk and five strikeouts. The aforementioned two runs for the Wolf Pack in the seventh did count against Coffey’s line. The five strikeouts also established a career-high for Coffey, besting his previous by two.
Blake Walden worked the next two innings allowing just two hits, walked one and struck out one. Jack Murano pitched the ninth and was perfect while picking up two strikeouts of his own.
With the score being low throughout, the Lobos had a few run-scoring opportunities but were unable to cash them in. Double plays were a contributing factor to the Lobos being held off the scoreboard as they hit into three in the game. All three also ended their respective innings.
Perhaps the best scoring opportunity for the Lobos came in the bottom of the sixth inning when it was still a 1-0 game. With one out, Jared Mang was inches away from knotting the game on a solo home run, but instead the ball hit off the top of the wall in left-centerfield and Mang ended up with a triple. That forced the Wolf Pack to go to the bullpen and relieve starter Owen Sharts.
That reliever Grant Ford got out of the inning without a run scoring as he induced a pair of groundouts. Ford would go on to pitch the remainder of the game as he nailed down his third save of the season.
The rubber game of the series is scheduled for a Noon start time on Sunday. Nathaniel Garley is expected to get the ball for the Lobos