Lobos Fall to No. 17 Texas Tech, 11-8
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Baseball took an 8-7 lead heading into the sixth against No. 17 Texas Tech in midweek action Tuesday at Santa Ana Star Field, but the Lobos were kept off the board the rest of the way after a four-run response to fall 11-8.
Down 7-0 heading into the bottom of the second, the Lobos stormed back with four runs in the second and three more in the third to tie things, taking their first lead of the game on a fielder’s choice knock from Konner Kinkade. But the Red Raiders’ four runs in response in the top of the fourth were enough to last the rest of the way as neither team scored again.
The Lobos (7-6) are back home this weekend to open up Mountain West play against UNLV (9-2, 2-1), with Friday’s series opener set for a 6 p.m. first pitch. Live stats for all three games will be available via GoLobos.com/BSBStats, with streaming via the Mountain West Network at GoLobos.com/Watch — follow @UNMLoboBaseball on Instagram and X for live updates, highlights and more.
BY THE NUMBERS
Devon Dixon went 3-for-5 – matching a career-high he’d notched just three times in his career prior – to lead a 12-hit outing for UNM, with Sean Stephens (1 R, 2 RBI) and Konner Kinkade (4 RBI) both adding two knocks each. Kinkade’s four runs driven in are a new D-I career-high.
In his season debut, Akili Carris got the start at third base and picked up his first career RBI with a double and Khalil Walker (2 R, 1 RBI), Tye Wood (2 R), Reed Spenrath (1 R), and Will Asby all added a hit each. UNM actually outhit Texas Tech 12-11, with four Lobos connecting on a two-bagger each.
RHP Wyatt Hardy was tagged for five runs on four hits in the first in his first start on the mound, striking out one and walking three. Freshman RHP Ryan Castillo took over in the second, allowing two more runs on four hits but keeping the Red Raiders off the board for the rest of a career-high four frames of work – he struck out two without any walks.
LHP Arthur Steinkamp also struggled to open things up after taking the mound in the sixth, with TTU plating four runs – three earned – in that inning before he settled things down with three consecutive scoreless innings. He struck out one and walked one in that span.
THE ACTION
After TTU’s explosive five-run first, Castillo took the mound for the second, keeping the damage to two runs on three hits before inducing two outs in succession to stop the bleeding.
Spenrath and Wood connected on a double and single back to back to put runners at the corners with nobody out, with Wood stealing second to put two in scoring position with two outs on the board. The Lobos followed with three consecutive two-out base knocks from Walker, Stephens and Kinkade that yielded four runs to get back in the game.
Castillo kept the momentum going with a 1-2-3 third, throwing only seven pitches to induce a pair of flyouts and end the inning and keep TTU off the board for the first time.
After Wood drew a walk and stole second for the second straight inning, Carris came through with his first career double to get him across for his first career RBI. Carris advanced to third on a fielder’s choice knock that caught Dixon at second to put the second out on the board, but Stephens and Kinkade drove in two more runs with two-out singles back to back – same as in the prior inning – to tie things up.
Two outs in right field were corralled by Kinkade on a tough running catch and Wood at the warning track and followed by Castillo’s second punchout of the day for another 1-2-3 inning that was nearly a carbon copy of his first. After the Lobos were retired in order in the bottom of the fourth, Castillo tossed a third scoreless, working around the leadoff double and two HBP with UNM’s 15th double play of the season and a grounder Dixon smoothly transferred to first.
Dixon got another runner in scoring position with a one-out double in the bottom of the frame, reaching third on a wild pitch and scoring the go-ahead run on Kinkade’s fourth RBI of the day – this time a fielder’s choice knock – to set a new career-high.
Another TTU leadoff double complicated things as Steinkamp took the mound to start the sixth, with a bases-clearing two-out double and an error at first driving in four runs to put the Red Raiders back on top, 11-8.
Steinkamp calmed things down in the seventh with the help of Dixon, who stitched two assists and corralled the lineout to end the inning without any further damage. He followed with two more scoreless frames, only allowing one hit over the final three innings, but two Lobos were stranded on base in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run at the plate to end the game.
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
The Lobos’ 12-game homestand continues on Friday when they open up Mountain West play against UNLV (9-2, 2-1). Friday’s series opener set for a 6 p.m. first pitch, with probable starters still TBA. Live stats for all three games will be available via GoLobos.com/BSBStats, with streaming via the Mountain West Network at GoLobos.com/Watch — follow @UNMLoboBaseball on Instagram and X for live updates, highlights and more.