Lobos Drop Rubber Match with UW 3-2
SEATTLE, Wash. — Will Simpson’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth allowed Washington to escape with a 3-2 victory, giving the Huskies two of three in a quickly put-together three-game series in Seattle. The Lobos, who lost the opener 4-3 in 10 before winning last night 5-3 in 12 innings, now head home before traveling to Texas Tech for a single game on Wednesday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park.
The loss dropped UNM to 9-16 while Washington improved to 17-18.
“These kids battle their butts off and just need a break,” said head coach Ray Birmingham. “Washington came off of beating UCLA in a series and we had our chances to take this one. Not an easy week for us as Texas Tech is loaded and then we get back home for Fresno State. We have to keep fighting.”
UNM got a superb effort on a bullpen day as the Lobos used seven relievers, including Will Armbruester, who started the game and went one inning. He was followed by Justin Flebbe, Riley Egloff, Matt Haley, Miguel Reyes, Jr., Cody Dye and Terrell Hudson. It was Hudson who took the loss, allowing a single in the bottom of the ninth.
UNM led 2-0 after scratching across single runs in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Shane Podsednik led off with a single and then stole second. He scored when Chase Weissenborn singled him home. In the fourth, Jack Silverman singled with one out and then scored on a weird play as Kyle Landers hit a double to the wall in left that took a weird carom, allowing Silverman to score. Landers however was thrown out at second after he rounded too far. That hurt as he would have scored on Harry Fullerton’s grounder that turned into a two-base error.
Washington tied the game in the fifth with two runs off Riley Egloff, including a two-out run scoring single by Simpson in a portend of things to come.
UNM only threatened once the rest of the way, and that was in the eighth. Adam Schneider hit a pinch double to open the frame and then crossed to third on a Mack Chambers flyout. Gabe Smith came into the game for Washington for the third time in the series, and he quelled the threat with strikeouts of Kyler Castillo and pinch hitter Cole Posey.
In the ninth with Hudson on the mound, pinch hitter Carson Blatnick led the inning off with a four-pitch walk. He was run for by Davis Delorefice, normally Washington’s closer. After a sacrifice bunt and a fly out, UNM walked Christian Jones to pitch to Simpson, but he singled on the first pitch and Harry Fullerton’s throw was on target but just a tad late, and Washington walked off with a 3-2 win.
The game marked the 10th one-run game this season (UNM is 3-7 in those contests), and the Lobos have now been tied after eight innings in nine of their 25 games (36%).