Lobos split DH with Nevada Friday

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lenny Junior Ashby had seven hits including two home runs on Friday at Santa Ana Star Field, highlighting New Mexico’s doubleheader split with Nevada in Mountain West baseball action.

Ashby was finished the day 7-for-9 with five RBIs and five runs scored on a day where the Lobos racked up 30 hits in the doubleheader. Chase Weissenborn was 5-for-8 on the day including four hits in the opening game, and Jeffrey David was 4-for-4 in the nightcap. Braydon Runion went 5-for-10 with his ninth home run of the year and five RBIs. The Lobos moved to 25-20 with the split, and remained in fifth place in the Mountain West standings with a league record of 12-13.

Jesse Pierce was 4-for-10 with four RBIs to lead Nevada, which had 21 hits in the doubleheader. The Wolf Pack moved to 18-29 on the season and is now 8-16 in conference play with the split.

Game 1 – New Mexico 9, Nevada 5

The Wolf Pack jumped out to an immediate lead, with Nolan Wilson leading off with a single and Matt Clayton smashing a two-run home run over the fence in left-center. UNM starter Riley Egloff limited the damage during the stressful first inning, using a pair of strikeouts and an impressive running catch by Devon Dixon to keep the score at 2-0 in favor of Nevada.

New Mexico got on the board in the bottom of the second, when Weissenborn’s first run-scoring hit of the game brought home Dixon after the latter stole his second base of the year. Dixon then saved a run in the top of the third, racing forward to field a re-directed ground ball and throwing to first just in time to strand the bases loaded.

The Lobos struck for four runs in the bottom of the third, with Runion, Justin Olson, Weissenborn, and Dylan Ditzenberger all driving in runs to give the hosts a 5-2 advantage. Runion’s team-leading 19th double of the year clashed off the wall in left-center to kick-start the big inning.

Runion delivered his ninth home run of the year and the Lobos’ 80th of the season in the bottom of the fourth, extending the lead to 7-2. Nevada prevented further damage with a double play turned by Pierce and Jackson Waller at the keystone to end the inning and strand a runner on third.

Egloff continued to keep Nevada’s bats at bay over the middle innings, retiring seven in-a-row and 9 of 10 across the fourth through sixth innings. Ashby supplied his starter with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, crushing his seventh home run of the season over the fence in right-center to make the score 9-2.

The Wolf Pack drove Egloff from the game with one out in the seventh, when Henry Strmecki drilled a two-run double to the gap in left-center to get the visitors within five runs. In his final start at Santa Ana Star Field, Egloff allowed five runs on 13 hits, with seven strikeouts and just one walk in his 6 1/3 innings of work.

Arthur Steinkamp was stellar in relief for the fifth straight outing, extending his scoreless inning streak to 10 1/3 by closing down the Wolf Pack over the final innings. The left-hander allowed just one hit, while striking out a batter to solidify the victory.

Game 2 – Nevada 9, New Mexico 8

Nevada overcame a 7-3 deficit, scoring four times in the bottom of the fourth and then taking the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to salvage the split. Kolby Kmetko struck out three batters while not allowing a hit over the final two innings, as he solidified his seventh save of the season.

Playing as the visiting team and hitting in the top of the first, the Lobos wasted no time jumping out to an early lead. Runion delivered an RBI-double to get the scoring started, before Reed Spenrath blasted a two-run shot off the wall in center field to make the score 3-0.

Nevada was quick to respond however, scoring three times in the bottom of the inning which included a two-run home run off the bat of Pierce.

RBI-knocks by David and Ashby in the top of the second restored UNM’s lead at 5-3, and Lobo starter Tristin Lively settled into a groove putting up back-to-back zeros in the second and third. The senior struck out the side in the bottom of the third, and he was rewarded in the next half inning when David led off with a single and Ashby launched his second home run of the day just fair down the right-field line.

Momentum shifted in the bottom of the fourth however, as Nevada staged a comeback with its back against the wall trailing 7-3. Three walks aided in the Wolf Pack pushing across four runs, with Clayton delivering the big blow with a game-tying two-run double. Brian McBroom kept the game tied, striking out the final two batters of the frame to strand runners on second and third.

Weissenborn had the defensive play of the day to wrap up the fifth inning, diving to stop a sharp ground ball off the bat of Dawson Martin before popping to his feet and firing a strike to first base to complete the bang-bang play. The Lobos built off the momentum-changing play in the top of the sixth, taking the lead on an RBI-ground out by Runion that paid off a leadoff double by David.

Nevada had a response once again, rallying with a hit batter and a walk to put two aboard with two out. Pierce had what proved to be the most important swing of the day for the visitors, punching a two-run double to left-center to make the score 9-8.

Jake Holland led off the seventh with a double off the wall in center, but was stranded as Morgan White pitched well under pressure to keep the lead in his team’s hand. The righty earned the win, allowing one run on three hits with one strikeout and one walk in two innings of work.

New Mexico’s best chance to pull even came in the top of the eighth, when a hit batter and an error put runners on second and third with no outs. Kmetko somehow got out of the jam, using a ground out and back-to-back strikeouts to strand the runners aboard. He followed by pitching around a two-out walk in the top of the ninth, ending the game with a routine ground out to ensure the doubleheader split.

Nevada starter Peyton Stumbo allowed seven runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and two walks in the no-decision.

LOBO NOTES: New Mexico is now 27-30 all-time against Nevada and is 13-16 in home games against the Wolf Pack…New Mexico leads the season series 3-1…Runion’s home run was the 38th of his collegiate career, and his double was the 48th of his collegiate career…Ashby’s home runs were the 39th and 40th of his collegiate career…Egloff threw a season-high 111 pitches in Game 1…Weissenborn’s four-hit game was the third of his career.

UP NEXT: The series continues on Saturday night, with a 6 p.m. first pitch scheduled at Santa Ana Star Field.