Holland’s walk-off home run leads Lobos past No. 22 Texas Tech

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field, Jake Holland hit a heroic walk-off home run to give host New Mexico an 11-10 victory over No. 22 Texas Tech.

The first-year Lobo turned around on a 1-1 pitch from Red Raider reliever Ryan Free, crushing his sixth home run off of a light tower beyond the left-field fence. Holland’s blast prompted a mob at home plate, as the Lobos emerged the victor in a roller coaster of a game on Tuesday.

The lead changed hands four different times, with the teams combining to score nine runs in the first inning to foreshadow a wild ballgame. UNM avenged a 6-3 loss to the Red Raiders on March 7 in Lubbock, Texas, as the teams split the 2023 season series. The Lobos improved to 15-8 on the year, while Texas Tech lost its fourth straight game – third consecutive in walk-off fashion – to move to 18-8 on the season.

Deylan Pigford was 2-for-5 with his third home run of the season, and Jeffrey David went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs for the Lobos. Making his first start of the season, Konner Kinkade got on base in 3 of 4 plate appearances including an RBI-single and a gritty two-out walk in the seventh to spark a game-tying two-run rally. Brian McBroom earned his first win of the season and the third of his New Mexico career, tossing a scoreless top of the ninth to set up Holland’s dramatic game-winner.

The stunning finish diminished a 5-for-5 day at the plate by the Red Raiders’ Kevin Bazzell, who drove in four runs thanks in large part to three doubles. Austin Green and Hudson White had three hits apiece among the 15 total for the visitors, who stranded nine runners on base in the game. Jase Lopez was the most effective of six different pitchers used by TTU, as he ate up three perfect innings to give his team a chance to get back into the game. The right-hander struck out four Lobos, while retiring all nine men he faced in the middle three innings on Tuesday.

Owen Washburn spotted the visitors a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, drilling his third home run of the season just to the right of the 413 foot sign in center field. The Red Raiders added two more runs to take a sizeable lead right away, but the Lobos were quick to respond.

Pigford smashed the third pitch he saw over the wall in right-center, and ensuing RBI-singles by Reed Spenrath, Holland, and Kinkade evened the score. UNM then took advantage of a fielding miscue, which set up an RBI ground out by Devon Dixon to give the hosts their first lead of the day 5-4.

The second double of the game for Bazzell tied the score in the top of the second, but the Lobos got right back to work in the bottom of the inning. Pigford missed his second home run by not more than a foot, as he settled for a leadoff double that clashed off the wall in right field. David’s second hit of the game nudged the Lobos back in front, and UNM starter Jaren Jackson followed with his first shutdown inning of the day. Jackson shook off the big first inning, and finished his outing with a line of six runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts and no walks in four innings of work.

Chase Weissenborn had a sacrifice fly in the third, and David delivered a two-out, RBI-single to increase UNM’s advantage to 8-5. The Red Raiders got a run back in the fourth on Bazzell’s third double of the game, and a rare defensive miscue by Dixon – just his second error of the season – led to another in the fifth to bring TTU’s deficit to a single run.

Benjamin Baker-Livingston helped himself out of a two-out jam in the top of the sixth, hustling to cover first base in time after a clean pick from Reed Spenrath to strand a pair of runners and keep UNM in front 8-7. The sophomore right-hander limited TTU to three runs – two earned – on three hits with one walk in two innings of work.

A sliding play by Kinkade at second base that temporarily saved a run was overshadowed by a two-out, two-run single by Bazzell that capped the three-run seventh and pushed the visitors ahead 10-8. The Lobos titled the scale even once again in the bottom of the inning, manufacturing two runs with a patient walk drawn by Kinkade, consecutive singles by Dixon and Weissenborn, and a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to cross the plate.

UNM reliever Justin Still kept TTU off the board with a scoreless eighth, finishing his two innings allowing one run on one hit with one walk and one strikeout.

Free took the loss for Texas Tech, with Holland’s home run being the lone baserunner that he allowed in 1 2/3 innings of work. Red Raider starter Zane Petty was driven from the game in the second inning, after allowing six runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout.

LOBO NOTES: New Mexico is now 49-80-1 all-time against Texas Tech, and is 29-25-1 in home games against the Red Raiders…it was UNM’s second victory over a ranked opponent this season, after it beat No. 23 Oregon State 7-2 in the season opener on Feb. 17…it was UNM’s second walk-off hit of the season, after Sean Stephens delivered a walk-off knock on Feb. 20 in UNM’s 12-inning, 4-3 win over Minnesota…Holland’s home run was the 13th of his collegiate career, and it was his first collegiate walk-off hit…Pigford’s home run was the 15th of his collegiate career…David reached 100 RBIs in a Lobo uniform with his knock in the third…Lobo leadoff man Dylan Ditzenberger was given the day off for the first time this season…McBroom’s strikeout was the 50th of his collegiate career.

NEXT UP: The Lobos host San Diego State in a three-game series this weekend, as Mountain West play continues on Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field.