Olson leads 7 HR day as Lobos trounce Bulldogs 17-7

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A career-high three home runs and eight RBIs by Justin Olson on Saturday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field highlighted a blowout 17-7 victory for the New Mexico baseball team, as the Lobos ensured a Mountain West series victory over visiting Fresno State.

The Lobos hit a season-high seven home runs – the fourth-highest total in program history – with Olson leading the barrage with a three-run home run, a grand slam, and a solo shot in successive at-bats. Olson had a chance to tie the school and Mountain West records in the bottom of the seventh inning, but his deep fly ball to center field carried to the warning track before being hauled in by Bulldog centerfielder Nikoh Mitchell.

New Mexico had an insurmountable lead by the end of the fourth inning, when the margin read 12-2. The Lobos improved to 21-17 overall and are now 9-10 in conference play, while Fresno State slipped to 21-21 overall and 11-12 in league play with the defeat.

Olson’s eight RBIs were the most by a New Mexico player since DJ Peterson drove in eight on March 17, 2013 against No. 21 UNLV. He joined Reed Spenrath – who also homered Saturday – as the second Lobo this season to hit three home runs in a game.

Spenrath clubbed his 14th home run of the season in the first inning, kick-starting a game that the Lobos led by no fewer than five runs after the third inning. Lenny Junior Ashby hit his fifth home run of the year, Braydon Runion hit is seventh of the season and made it three straight games with a long ball, and Kyle Smith delivered his fourth homer of the season.

Amid the offensive chaos, Lobo starter Tristin Lively secured his Mountain West-leading sixth victory of the season, battling through 5 1/3 frames to collect the win. The senior allowed seven runs on 10 hits, while striking out three and walking none in the 105-pitch effort. Adolfo Iturralde delivered another scoreless performance to complete the sixth, before Jaren Jackson picked up his first collegiate save. The junior left hander allowed just one hit and one walk over the final three innings, while striking out a pair in just his second relief appearance of the season.

Olson doubled his career single-game high in RBIs, as he had collected four in a game twice before including on April 2 with a grand slam against San Diego State. Spenrath was 3-for-5 with three runs scored, Runion was 2-for-6 with three RBIs and three runs, and Sean Stephens had another productive day going 3-for-5 at the plate.

Roman Angelo took the loss for the Bulldogs, allowing 12 runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts and five walks in 3 2/3 innings to start the game. Bryce Armstrong limited UNM to two runs on five hits in his 3 1/3 innings of work, and Robbie Peters pitched the eighth for the visitors.

The Bulldogs grabbed the early lead for the second day in-a-row, this time however managing just one run in the top of the first thanks to a wild pitch.

Spenrath delivered his 14th home run of the season in the bottom of the first, a two-run shot that gave the Lobos their first lead of the day at 2-1. Lively responded with a shutdown top of the second inning, using his first strikeout and a runner caught stealing by his battery mate Smith to keep the Bulldogs off the board.

Ashby and Olson flexed their muscles in the bottom of the third, with the former clearing the fence in left for a solo shot and Olson following with a three-run no-doubter into the parking lot in right field to make the score 6-1.

Tommy Hopfe led off the fourth inning with a double, and the Bulldogs got a run back on an RBI-ground out from Ben Newton.

Smith drew a walk with the bases loaded to start a six-run fourth inning, and Olson followed by crushing his second grand slam of the season over the fence in right. Chase Weissenborn capped the big frame with a two-out, RBI-single to right field, as the Lobos opened up a 12-2 advantage.

The Bulldogs hung around, scoring three runs in the fifth on a bases-loaded double by Murf Gray and a sacrifice fly by Hopfe that narrowed the deficit to 12-5.

Olson homered for the third straight inning in the bottom of the fifth, this time clearing the fence in deep right-center field. Fresno State scored two more runs in the sixth to make the score 13-7, before running into the dominant Jackson on the mound and going scoreless over the final three innings.

Smith’s solo home run was a line-drive shot to right field, before the Lobos delivered the final blow in the bottom of the eighth inning. After a walk to David and a knock by Ashby, Runion unloaded a three-run blast over the fence in center field to restore UNM’s 10-run advantage.

Four different Bulldogs had two hits in the game, while Gray was the lone player on the visiting side with multiple RBIs. Fresno State stranded six runners on Saturday.

LOBO NOTES: UNM is now 34-34-1 all-time against Fresno State and is 21-9 in games played in Albuquerque…UNM leads the season series between the teams 3-2…Olson became the 42nd player in NCAA baseball this season to hit three home runs in a game…Spenrath’s home run was the 38th of his collegiate career…Air Force’s Jay Thomason hit his 15th home run of the year on Saturday, as Spenrath remained one back of the conference lead in long balls…Ashby’s home run was the 37th of his collegiate career…Olson’s three home runs upped his career total to 19…Runion’s home run was the 36th of his collegiate career…he became the first player since Jeff Deimling in 2019 to hit a home run in three consecutive games…Smith’s home run was the 11th of his collegiate career…Spenrath made his first collegiate appearance in the outfield, getting the start in right on Saturday…Saturday was Jackson’s 38th collegiate appearance but only the second time he took the mound in relief…the UNM single-game record for home runs is 10, set on March 30, 1999 in a game against New Mexico State…the Lobos hit eight home runs on April 18, 2004 against Air Force and then achieved that feat again on April 12, 2008 against Air Force.

NEXT UP: The series wraps up on Sunday afternoon, with the Lobos going for their first conference series sweep of the season at noon.