Lobos drop mid-week game at Grand Canyon
PHOENIX, Ariz. – After only playing games on the weekend through the first three weeks of the season, the University of New Mexico baseball team played their first mid-week game on Tuesday night at Grand Canyon University. In what was a pitcher’s duel throughout most of the game, the Lobos were overtaken in the late innings and ultimately fell by a score of 5-1.
Sophomore right-hander Tristin Lively got the start on the mound for the Lobos and did well in response to his last start in which was unable to get through the first inning against BYU this past Friday. Against GCU, Lively pitched 5.0 innings, allowed five hits, walked two and struck out five. He also allowed just one run, an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game at one-all, giving him the no-decision in the process.
Prior to that, the Lobos (8-4) were the only ones to crack the scoreboard with a single run coming home in the third. In that inning, Justin Watari laced a one-out double down the right field line for what turned out to be the lone Lobo hit of the game. After his double, Watari then gained third base on a wild pitch by GCU starter Jack Schneider. Schneider then went 3-0 on Kyle Landers. On that 3-0 pitch, Landers had the green light and skied a fly ball into deep right-centerfield to score Watari from third.
T3 | Wat hammers a hanging breaking ball down the right field line for a 1-out double! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/KQUNWvyPNi
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 4, 2020
T3 | Kyle Landers puts us on the board with a sacrifice fly to deep right-centerfield! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/6ojuefWc1z
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 4, 2020
The Lobos would get just one more base runner on against Schneider as he issued a leadoff walk to Kemuel Thomas Rivera in the fifth. Schneider and the Lopes (7-5) would strand Thomas-Rivera on the base paths, ending the night for Schneider.
Schneider then turned the ball over to the first of four relievers that the Lopes would use to close out the game. That quartet of relievers did not allow a base runner as they retired 12 in a row from the sixth to the ninth inning.
For the Lopes, their big inning was in the seventh as they broke the 1-all tie with a four-run frame to take the 5-1 lead that ended up being the final score.
The Lobos and Lopes will meet up once more on Wednesday to conclude their two-game mid-week series. First-pitch for the game is scheduled for 2 p.m.