Lobos end season with 8-6 loss to Aztecs
SAN DIEGO – Rallying from a 6-1 deficit on Saturday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium, host San Diego State topped the New Mexico baseball team 8-6 in the final game of the Mountain West Conference regular season.
The Lobos built an early advantage after two innings, but were held scoreless the rest of the game while the Aztecs mounted their comeback effort. New Mexico finished the season with a record of 26-25 overall and placed fifth in the Mountain West with a league mark of 13-17. San Diego State secured at least a share of the conference regular-season title with the win, improving to 24-27 overall and finishing 18-11 in conference play.
Reed Spenrath hit his team-leading 19th home run of the year and drove in three runs to lead the Lobo offense. New Mexico managed just four hits in its final game of the season, while leaving five runners on base.
Shaun Montoya and Xavier Gonzalez each had three hits for the hosts, who totaled 13 knocks while leaving 10 runners on base. TJ Fondtain, Gonzalez, and Tino Bethancourt each drove in two runs to lead the Aztecs to victory.
In his final start of the year, New Mexico junior Isaac Gallegos allowed five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Jaren Jackson tossed 1 1/3 innings allowing three runs, and Brian McBroom finished the game allowing no runs while striking out two in the final inning.
The Lobos made a first-inning error by the Aztecs pay, as Spenrath’s team-leading 63rd RBI of the year came in the form of a sacrifice fly to make the score 1-0. SDSU pulled even in the bottom of the inning, on a double by Irvin Weems and an RBI-single off the bat of Fondtain.
Lenny Junior Ashby worked a favorable 3-1 count with the bases loaded in the second, before delivering a two-run single to right-center. Braydon Runion followed with a sacrifice fly, and Spenrath crushed a two-run home run over the fence in right to make the score 6-1.
Gallegos built off the momentum of the five-run inning, overpowering hitters with strikeouts and getting help from his defense over the next two innings. Just as he did on Friday night, Devon Dixon turned a line drive into a double play with a powerful throw to first in time to nab the runner in the second. Chase Weissenborn then took away a hit from Bethancourt with a diving play in the third.
The Aztecs capitalized in the bottom of the third, scoring four times to pull within a single run. Fondtain had another RBI-single, Gonzalez knocked in two runs with a bloop single to left field, and a wild pitch capped the rally which cut UNM’s lead to 6-5.
SDSU threatened again in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with just one out. Gallegos got out of the jam with a ground ball to Dixon that he turned into an inning-ending double play to keep the Lobos in front by a run. The Aztecs evened the score in the sixth inning, on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ruiz to make it a 6-6 ballgame.
Gonzalez led off the seventh with a single, and Cole Carrigg beat out an infield hit to give the hosts two runners aboard. Bethancourt delivered what proved to be the game-winning swing of the bat, with a two-run knock that made the score 8-6.
New Mexico went down in order in the top of the eighth, and the game was concluded due to a drop-dead travel time limit restriction.
After SDSU starter Chris Canada lasted just 1 2/3 innings and surrendered six runs on three hits, Omar Serrano handled the Lobos over the final 6 1/3 innings to collect the win. He allowed just one hit and two walks, while striking out eight hitters in the shutout performance.
LOBO NOTES: New Mexico is now 84-132 all-time against SDSU and is 37-73 in road games against the Aztecs…SDSU won the season series between the teams 6-0…Spenrath’s home run was the 43rd of his collegiate career.