Steinkamp delivers career performance in monstrous comeback win

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Arthur Steinkamp delivered the best pitching performance of his career perhaps when the New Mexico baseball team needed it most, as he sparked the Lobos to an historic come-from-behind 16-10 victory over Mountain West foe Fresno State on Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field.

The junior lefty from Los Alamos delivered 4 1/3 one-hit, shutout innings, which gave the Lobo offense time to come back from an early 9-0 deficit for an improbable but important victory. It was the first time since at least 2003 – 20 years – that New Mexico won a game in which it trailed by nine runs, as UNM came roaring back for 11 runs in the seventh and eighth innings to decide the game.

While Steinkamp was the biggest hero, the series opening night featured many clutch performances up and down the Lobo lineup. Braydon Runion was 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs, Reed Spenrath was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and his 13th home run of the year, and Lenny Junior Ashby went 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Konner Kinkade delivered a go-ahead, infield single in his lone at-bat, Sean Stephens supplied a go-ahead two-run double, and Jeffrey David solidified the victory with a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the eighth to extend UNM’s lead to six runs.

UNM Head Coach Tod Brown Postgame Interview

The win lifted UNM’s record to 20-17 overall, and the Lobos nudged their way back towards .500 in conference play at 8-10 on the season. Brian McBroom claimed his third win of the season throwing the final two frames, after Adolfo Iturralde recorded a crucial out to end the seventh inning with a runner stranded in scoring position.

The Bulldogs (21-20, 11-11 MW) jumped on starter Riley Egloff, with eight of the first nine batters reaching base to start the top of the first inning. Bobby Blandford delivered the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly, before the next five Bulldogs notched hits to make the score 6-0.

Runion laced a two-out double into the gap in left-center to give the Lobos two runners in scoring position in the first, but Fresno State starter Ixan Henderson worked out of the trouble with a routine fly ball off the bat of Spenrath.

Egloff used a strikeout to work around a leadoff single in the second inning, stranding the runner at third base and putting up a zero. A leadoff triple off the bat of Ben Newton led to another big inning in the third, as Travis Welker plated a run with a bloop single and Grady Morgan drove Egloff from the game with a two-run home run over the hitter’s eye in center field to make it 9-0. Friday marked the senior right-hander’s shortest outing of the season, as it was the first time he did not pitch at least five full frames.

The Lobos jumped to life in the bottom of the third inning, as a two-out single by Ashby kick-started a three-run rally. Runion drove in a run with his second double of the game, and Spenrath made the score 9-3 with a two-run single.

Steinkamp helped keep the Lobos in the game, retiring eight of the first nine hitters he faced to put up zeros in the fourth and fifth innings. Over his 4 1/3 innings, Steinkamp retired 11 of the 13 hitters he faced on ground balls while allowing just one hit and throwing 28 of 45 pitches for strikes.

Spenrath gave the Lobos a boost in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run that cleared the fence in straightaway center field.

New Mexico then took its first lead of the day in the bottom of the seventh, scoring five runs to pull ahead 10-9. Runion’s two-run home run got the scoring started, before a single by Spenrath, a double by Jake Holland, and a hit by pitch drawn by Deylan Pigford loaded the bases. Devon Dixon got the Lobos within a run with an RBI-single, and Stephens followed with a clutch two-run double to right-center to nudge UNM ahead.

Murf Gray, the five-time reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Week, evened the tally in the top of the eighth as he clubbed his team-leading seventh home run of the season over the fence in left field.

But the Lobos quickly snatched back momentum with six runs in the bottom of the eighth to ensure the victory. With the bases loaded and two outs, a check-swing by Kinkade resulted in the go-ahead run crossing the plate. Stephens followed by drawing a walk with the bags full, before David’s deep blast to left center that put the game to bed.

David and Dixon turned a double play in the ninth, before Stephens secured the final out in an uneventful final frame.

Gray led Fresno State with a line of 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Morgan and Tyler Davis each drove in two runs for the visitors. Henderson allowed five runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and four walks in his six innings of work, before giving way to a trio of relievers for the final three innings. Zach Statzer struck out four hitters but took the loss, allowing five runs in 1 2/3 innings.

LOBO NOTES: New Mexico is now 33-34-1 all-time against Fresno State and is 20-9 in games played in Albuquerque…the Lobos evened the season series at 2-2…Friday was Runion’s fourth multi-double game of the season…Runion now has 42 doubles in his collegiate career…Ashby’s double in the fifth inning was the 55th of his collegiate career…Runion’s home run was the 36th of his career and the 20th of his tenure with the Lobos…Spenrath’s home run was the 37th of his collegiate career.

NEXT UP: The series resumes on Saturday afternoon, with a 2 p.m. first pitch scheduled at Santa Ana Star Field.