Lobos Close Out Surprise Tournament With 6-2 Win Over Bakersfield

SURPRISE, Ariz. – New Mexico Baseball closed out its stay in Surprise with a 6-2 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Monday, pushing across six runs with efficient small ball and keeping the Roadrunners off the board until the final frame.

With the win, UNM gets back to .500 before its Home Opening Weekend, finishing its weekend at the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic with a season sweep of CSUB (0-4).

Two days after hitting three homers to beat the Roadrunners, the Lobos maintained pressure with some small ball to win the rematch — after Sean Stephens was stranded on first in the bottom of the first frame, UNM got a runner in scoring position in each of the next seven frames, extracting six runs across the third through sixth innings behind hits from nine different Lobos. UNM’s six runs were driven in by three singles, two bases-loaded walks and a grounder.

Ethan Ott and Konner Kinkade both finished with two RBI’s, with Ott drawing walks in all three at-bats and Kinkade bunting for an RBI single and scoring two runs himself. Tye Wood (1 R) and Sean Stephens both added a hit and drew two walks each, with Kyle Smith and Will Asby both adding a base knock and an RBI.

Luke Mansy (1 R, 1 BB), Josh McAlister (1 R, 1 BB), Devon Dixon (1 R) and Chase Weissenborn (2B) all rounded out the effort with one knock each.

UNM’s hitters finished with 11 walks to eight strikeouts, with the Lobos’ pitchers only issuing one walk while striking out nine.

RHP Ben Baker-Livingston was dominant in the start after bouncing back from a pair of hits from CSUB to open the game – the junior righty held the ‘Runners to just one knock the rest of the way while striking out five over four scoreless innings. Freshman RHP Cristian Mogen took over in the fifth for his collegiate debut, keeping the shutout going with two innings of scoreless relief (2H 0 BB, 0 K) to get the win before Wyatt Hardy (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) closed things out with the Lobos still in front to earn the save.

New Mexico Baseball now returns home to play host to South Dakota State for Opening Weekend at Santa Ana Star Field on Feb. 22-24, with a doubleheader on Saturday’s series finale. This weekend’s series will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, with live stats available via GoLobos.com/BaseballStats. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• UNM’s 11 walks are a new season-high – the first time this season the Lobos have gotten two or more walks from three different players in the same game, with seven different players drawing at least one.
• Four games in, Asby’s 4 RBI on 4 hits lead UNM’s lineup, with his .400 average ranking No. 1 among MW players who’ve appeared in four games and his 1.000 slugging average ranking No. 2 in the league overall.
• Ott’s two-game hit streak remains active despite going hitless today – he drew walks in all three at-bats, including two bases-loaded walks for two RBI.
• UNM is now up to six double plays in four games after stitching another today.
• Despite still being hitless on the season, Reed Spenrath extended his on-base streak – dating back to last season – to seven games with a walk today.
• Kinkade’s 2 RBI are a new career-high. He’d driven in one run on 14 separate occasions in his career playing for CSUB (2021) and UNM (2023-present), doing so 12 times for the Lobos last season.
• Weissenborn’s double was the Lobos’ only extra-base hit of the game – he’s hit two doubles through four games so far this season.
• Prior to today, Stephens hadn’t drawn two walks in a game for the Lobos since Aril 24, 2022 against UNLV.

THE ACTION
Getting the seventh start of his career in his season debut on the mound, Baker-Livingston settled in after back-to-back base hits from CSUB to open, responding with a strikeout and flyout in the succession before ending the inning with a three-pitch strikeout. He kept rolling in the second, reaching three consecutive punchouts en route to a 1-2-3 inning punctuated with a flyout.

UNM got a leadoff runner aboard in both of the first innings – Stephens singled and Ott walked, with Wood singling in the second to get Ott to scoring position – but the Lobos were turned back both times. In the bottom of the inning, CSUB got another runner on base on a hit-by-pitch that eventually reached third, but Baker-Livingston ended the inning with a groundout.

Weissenborn made it three straight innings with the leadoff man aboard in the bottom of the inning after scorching his second double of the weekend – this time down the left field line. After Kinkade took second as a pinch runner, Stephens drew a walk and both advanced to second and third on an error before Holland drew another base on balls to juice the bases with one out.

After a CSUB pitching change, Ott drew UNM’s third walk of the frame to push across the Lobos’ first run of the game, but a double play in the subsequent AB kept the Lobos from capitalizing further.

UNM finally broke through in the fourth after Wood walked and Dixon picked up his first hit of the season to push him to third, squeezing out three runs on a successful bunt from Kinkade, a bases-loaded single from Asby and Ott’s second bases-loaded walk in as many innings.

Mogen made his collegiate debut on the mound to start the fifth, tossing a fifth scoreless frame despite a base hit with a pair of flyouts and a grounder. UNM kept capitalizing off of free passes in the next inning, tacking on a fifth run after Kinkade got McAlister across – who walked to lead off the frame –  on an RBI grounder.

After Mogen worked around a leadoff double for another scoreless frame thanks to two more groundouts and another flyout, Mansy connected on his first hit as a Lobo while pinch-hitting for Holland with a single to left center, advancing to second on a wild pitch with two outs on the board before Smith brought him in with an RBI base knock for a fourth consecutive inning with a run scored.

Hardy took the mound to start the seventh, striking out the first two batters he faced before inducing a routine fly ball for UNM’s second 1-2-3 inning. The junior Pima CC product continued to attack the zone in the top of the eighth after the ‘Runners finally managed to keep the Lobos off the board in the bottom of the seventh, retiring the side in order again while adding a strikeout. With three outs to go, Hardy reached seven consecutive batters retired with his fourth punchout of the day but gave up a single and a homer back-to-back for CSUB’s first runs of the day. Another two-out base hit and subsequent advance to scoring position on a wild pitch threatened to complicate things further, but Hardy induced a foul ball on a 2-2 count that Smith corralled to seal the deal.

UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday’s series opener against the Jackrabbits is set for a 2 p.m. (MT) start. Live stats and streaming options are available via GoLobos.com/Surprise  — follow @UNMLoboBaseball on Instagram and X for live updates, highlights and more.