Kinkade’s walk-off lifts Lobos past ThunderWolves

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Konner Kinkade emerged as the hero on Tuesday night at Santa Ana Star Field, delivering a one-out sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to give New Mexico a come-from-behind 8-7 win over visiting Colorado State Pueblo.

Kinkade’s decisive swing of the bat came with the bases loaded and the score tied, after a pair of errors by the ThunderWolves helped the Lobos pull even in the ninth. CSU Pueblo led the game 1-0 in the third, 6-1 in the sixth, and 7-6 in the eighth, but in the end lost its 10th consecutive game to fall to 12-24 on the season.

The Lobos improved to 17-13 with the non-conference victory, which was their third walk-off win of the 2023 season. Reed Spenrath was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Justin Olson hit a solo home run, and Lenny Junior Ashby had a pair of knocks to lead the Lobo offense on a night where they totaled 11 hits and stranded seven runners on base.

UNM starter Jaren Jackson threw a season-high seven innings, allowing six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and a walk in the no-decision. Jackson threw 61 of his 82 pitches for strikes, with his strike percent of 74.4 being the second-highest by any Lobo starting pitcher in a game this season. Brian McBroom earned his second win of the year, striking out three and limiting the ThunderWolves to one run on three hits in the final two innings.

Jackson made quick work of the ThunderWolves, needing just seven pitches to get through a clean first inning. Ashby picked up the Lobos’ first hit of the game with a two-out single in the bottom of the first, but CSUP starter Travis Farrell recorded a pair of strikeouts to put up a zero in the inning.

The Lobos got a pair of stellar plays from second baseman Devon Dixon in the top of the second, as he handled a slow roller before making a full-on running catch on a popup midway down the right field line.

The visitors took the lead in the top of the third, when Joseph Quintana punched a two-out double into the gap in left-center and Reggie Williams delivered an RBI-single to make the score 1-0. Farrell wrapped up his three innings of work with two strikeouts, while allowing no runs on two hits in his first start of the season.

Jackson continued his remarkable efficiency in the fourth, and benefitted from a pair of good defensive plays by Jeffrey David at third base on two hard-hit balls. Through the first four frames, Jackson threw 33 of 40 pitches for strikes.

Ashby greeted ThunderWolves left-hander Frank Wierman with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth, before Spenrath got UNM on the board with his team-leading 33rd RBI of the season. Dixon put the Lobos ahead with a bases-loaded single, but CSU Pueblo limited the damage when centerfielder Noah Hennings threw out Kyle Smith trying to score from second to keep the score at 2-1.

Jackson did well to strand a runner in scoring position in the top of the fifth, working around a leadoff double by Elijah Borjas thanks in large part to two more big defensive plays. David snagged a sharp line drive just before it hit the turf, before shortstop Chase Weissenborn made a twirling throw on a ground ball up the middle to nab Quintana by half a step and prevent the tying run from crossing the plate.

The ThunderWolves’ big sixth inning started with a leadoff single by Williams, before Jackson got the next two outs including a sliding catch by Braydon Runion in right field. The next five batters reached base with two outs however, including a two-run single by Borjas, a two-run triple by Trey Vasquez, and an RBI-double by Zac Hanenberg to cap the rally and put the visitors ahead 6-2.

Olson’s fourth home run of the season was a no-doubt shot over the fence in right in the bottom of the sixth, and the Lobos got even in the bottom of the seventh with a three-run frame. Runion plated a run with a single, before Spenrath came inches away from his 10th home run of the season with a deep drive that hit the top of the wall in left. He settled for his second triple of the year, which plated two runs to even the score at 6-6.

The ThunderWolves pulled back ahead in the eighth, turning a pop fly that should have been caught into the go-ahead run.

CSU Pueblo reliever Nick Perry got his team to the ninth with the lead, but two throwing errors allowed the tying run to score before a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases. Kinkade took the first pitch for a ball, before muscling a fly ball deep enough into right field to allow Runion to slide head first across home plate and end the game.

LOBO NOTES: UNM is now 23-5 all-time against CSU Pueblo, with all 28 of the games in the series having taken place in Albuquerque…Spenrath’s triple was the fifth of his career and it was his second game in-a-row with a triple…Kinkade’s only other collegiate walk-off was also a sacrifice fly, which he hit on Feb. 25, 2022 to give Orange Coast College a 14-13 win over Sacramento City College in the 10th inning…Olson’s home run was the 15th of his collegiate career…McBroom’s win was the fourth of his collegiate career…Tuesday was the fifth time in Jackson’s collegiate career he lasted seven innings in a game and the first time since April 6, 2021 when he was at Pima Community College.

COMING UP: The series concludes on Wednesday afternoon with a 2 p.m. first pitch at Santa Ana Star Field. The Lobos will then begin a five-game road stretch on April 18 at New Mexico State.