Nevada deals Lobos 8-6 loss Saturday night
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A two-run home run by Nevada’s JR Freethy broke a ninth-inning tie on Saturday night at Santa Ana Star Field, as he lifted the visitors to an 8-6 Mountain West victory over the New Mexico baseball team.
Lenny Junior Ashby tied the score at 6-6 with his third home run in as many games in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Wolf Pack responded right away with the two-run blast to take the lead for good. Kolby Kmetko pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his eighth save of the year, but it was hardly a comfortable outing.
The Lobos put the tying run on base with just one out, as pinch-hitter Konner Kinkade and Sean Stephens drew back-to-back walks. Kmetko won a seven-pitch battle with Ashby to catch him looking, before ending the game with a strikeout and stranding both runners on base.
Ashby was the lone Lobo with multiple RBIs in the game, while Braydon Runion was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. The Lobos lost traction in the Mountain West playoff race, falling to 25-21 overall and 12-14 in conference play with the defeat. At the end of Saturday, New Mexico trailed fourth-place Fresno State (27-24, 16-14 MW) by four games in the win column with four games left on the regular season schedule.
Nevada won its second straight game over New Mexico, after claiming a 9-8 triumph on Friday night in Game 2 of a doubleheader. The Wolf Pack is now 20-29 overall and 10-16 in league play. Nolan Wilson was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Kyle Becker went 2-for-3 with two runs scored to lead the visitors.
Nevada starter Jason Doktorczyk went 7 1/3 strong innings, allowing six runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts against just one walk. Morgan White and Kmetko combined to keep the Lobos quiet over the final 1 2/3 frames to complete the victory on the mound.
Lobo starter Isaac Gallegos allowed six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and four walks in a seven-inning no-decision. Justin Still took the loss, allowing the two-run home run while striking out a season-high five hitters in two innings of work.
Chase Weissenborn helped Gallegos limit the damage in the top of the first inning, making a diving back-hand play to take away a hit from Jesse Pierce. The Wolf Pack managed to push across a run on a sacrifice fly by Freethy, but the deficit for UNM sat at just 1-0.
The Wolf Pack struck again in the second, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jake Harvey and a pop-up double by Wilson to make the score 3-0. Ashby saved another run from scoring with one of his best defensive plays of the season, leaping near the wall in left field to take away a run-scoring hit from Matt Clayton and end the inning.
New Mexico got on the board in the bottom of the second, when Runion and Justin Olson had the hosts’ first two hits of the game. Runion came home on a wild pitch to make the score 3-1, but Doktorczyk limited the damage with three strikeouts in the frame.
After a clean top of the third by Gallegos, the Lobos responded by hitting three triples in the bottom of the third on their way to four runs to take a 5-3 advantage. Weissenborn led off the big inning with a triple, before an RBI-single from Dylan Ditzenberger, an RBI-triple from Jeffrey David, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ashby. Reed Spenrath brought home the final run of the inning after a triple by Runion, as the Lobos took command.
Nevada got one run back in the top of the fourth on a solo home run by Becker, but Gallegos retired eight of the next 10 hitters he faced to keep UNM in front. Wilson brought home another run with an RBI-double in the top of the seventh, and a ground out by Henry Strmecki nudged Nevada back in front to the tune of 6-5.
The Lobos left seven runners on base compared to eight left aboard by Nevada, while both teams struck out nine times in the game.
LOBO NOTES: UNM is now 27-31 all-time against Nevada and is 13-17 in home games against the Wolf Pack…UNM leads the season series between the teams 3-2…Ashby’s home run made it 15 consecutive games with a long ball for New Mexico…the Lobos upped their season total to 83 home runs, which ranks fourth in UNM single-season history…Ashby’s home run was the 41st of his collegiate career.
COMING UP: The series concludes on Sunday, with a noon first pitch scheduled for the finale. The Lobos’ 14 seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony at 11:35 a.m.