Lobos get back to slugging ways in 16-8 rout of San Jose State
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Reed Spenrath went 4-for-5 with six RBIs on Thursday night at Santa Ana Star Field, keying a 16-8 Mountain West victory for the New Mexico baseball team against visiting San Jose State University.
Spenrath hit his ninth home run of the season, two doubles, and scored three times in the Lobos’ highest scoring conference game of the 2023 season. Justin Olson added his third home run of the year and Jake Holland hit his seventh, while Braydon Runion finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored and Lenny Junior Ashby drove in three in the game.
New Mexico snapped a three-game losing skid, improving to 16-11 overall and evening its Mountain West record at 6-6. Riley Egloff earned his conference-leading fifth victory of the season, and Brian McBroom matched his career high with six strikeouts over the final four frames to pick up his third save of the year.
Three Spartans had a pair of hits each on a night where the visitors totaled just eight hits. Dalton Bowling homered for SJSU, which struck out 10 times but left just three runners on base in the series opener. The Spartans fell to 13-11 on the season and are now 6-4 in conference play.
Ashby smashed a line-drive single into the right-field corner, and Runion followed with a knock to set the table with two outs in the bottom of the first. Spenrath came through with a three-run home run over the fence in left, spotting the Lobos a 3-0 advantage.
Bowling got his team on the board in the top of the second, crushing his fifth home run of the season over the fence in left-center. The Spartans went on to even the score on a two-run single by Jeriah Lewis, but the defense did well to limit the damage as a good throw from Deylan Pigford in center caught Theo Hardy on the bases for a key second out.
Olson led off the bottom of the second with his third home run of the season, following Spenrath’s lead with a deep drive the other way over the fence in left field. Runion’s second hit of the night was an RBI-triple, and Spenrath drove him in with a hard line drive into the right-center gap for a double. Holland blasted his seventh home run of the season to left field to make the score 8-4, as the Lobos jumped back ahead.
It proved to be the final frame for SJSU starter Jonathan Clark, who allowed eight runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and three walks in three innings of work.
The Spartans got back into the game in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of two UNM errors to score three runs and pull the deficit down to 8-7. UNM responded again however, with back-to-back two-out RBI-singles from Konner Kinkade and Ashby providing breathing room to the tune of 10-7.
Egloff kept his season-long streak of pitching at least five innings alive, allowing seven runs – four earned – on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks while throwing 106 pitches.
Spenrath stayed hot with a leadoff double in the sixth, and Olson picked up his second RBI of the night with a base hit into center field. An ensuing RBI-single from Runion and a two-run knock for Spenrath made it a six-run inning for the Lobos, who increased their advantage to 16-7.
The Spartans managed one more run in the top of the seventh on a two-out single by Hunter Dorraugh, but that was the lone blemish against McBroom on an otherwise stellar night. The right-hander allowed just two hits, while walking none and totaling 47 pitches to finish the game.
LOBO NOTES: UNM is now 27-17-1 all-time against San Jose State and is 18-4 in home games against the Spartans…Spenrath’s home run was the 33rd of his collegiate career…he matched his career high for RBIs, which he previously had on March 24 against Northern Colorado…Thursday was Spenrath’s first four-hit game as a Lobo and the fourth four-hit game of his collegiate career…Olson’s home run was the 14th of his collegiate career and his seventh as a Lobo…it is the second time in Olson’s career he has homered in consecutive games, as he achieved that feat on May 21, 2021 in a doubleheader on the final day of his career at College of Southern Nevada…Holland’s home run was the 14th of his collegiate career…Thursday’s run total was UNM’s highest of the year in Mountain West play and tied for the fourth most in any game this season…McBroom’s save was the sixth of his collegiate career.
NEXT UP: The series continues on Friday afternoon with a 2 p.m. first pitch scheduled at Santa Ana Star Field.