Lobos Drop Tight One in Reno, 4-3
RENO, Nev. – New Mexico led through six innings and tied things up late in the top of the ninth before a walkoff homer lifted Nevada to a series-sealing win in the second game of a Mountain West weekend series on Saturday afternoon, 4-3.
Sunday’s series finale is set for a 1:05 p.m. MT first pitch. This weekend’s action will not be streamed, but fans can listen to the games via the Varsity Network and follow live stats at GoLobos.com/BSBStats. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball for gameday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.
BY THE NUMBERS
UNM scored three runs on 10 hits, getting a season-high three hits from Chase Weissenborn (1 RBI) and two triples from Reed Spenrath (1 R, 1 BB) to go with two more base knocks from Konner Kinkade. Tye Wood (1 R, 1 BB), Jake Holland (2B, RBI), and Will Asby (1 R) all added one each.
The Lobos got their best outing of the season on the mound from LHP Daxton Purser, who struck out six over six scoreless innings while scattering two hits and walking four. It’s the longest a UNM pitcher has gone this season without allowing a run to score.
RHP Josh Barnhouse (0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K), RHP Brian McBroom (0.0 IP) and LHP Jaren Jackson (1.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) pitched the rest of the way, with Jackson tossing a scoreless bottom of the eighth to give the Lobos a chance to tie things up late.
THE ACTION
Purser was sharp in the bottom of the first despite the leadoff walk, striking out two looking without allowing a hit. UNM plated the first run of the game in the top of the second for the second day in a row, loading the bases with one out thanks to a leadoff knock from Asby, a hit-by-pitch from Smith and a walk from Dixon but only getting one run across on a left-field single from Weissenborn after Kinkade grounded into an inning-ending double play.
A double from Nevada’s Bryce Matthews got the Wolf Pack’s first runner in scoring position, but Purser stranded him with a grounder and a fly ball in the next two at-bats. He kept rolling after the Lobos went hitless in the top of the third, recording his third punchout of the day with a third scoreless frame.
Spenrath connected on his second triple of the season with one out on the board in the fourth, and Dixon brought him in with an RBI grounder to extend the lead to 2-0. Dixon’s now driven at least one run in five of his last six games.
With the Lobos’ bats unable to provide any more insurance runs, Purser opened the fourth with two retired batters, getting himself out of a slight jam after back-to-back walks put two on with his fourth K of the day before retiring three of his next four in another hitless frame in the fifth.
Spenrath tripled for the second time – the first time a UNM player has done so twice in a game since Willie Cano did it against Holy Cross on Feb. 25, 2022 — but was stranded by a popup. Nonetheless, Purser needed no support to get through a career-high sixth inning without any damage, inducing a pair of grounders and recording his sixth strikeout of the day for his first 1-2-3 inning to close his time on the mound
Back-to-back singles from Weissenborn and Kinkade to open the seventh gave the Lobos another opportunity to capitalize, but a pair of grounders stranded them on third and second respectively after a bunt advanced them both in exchange for the first out.
Taking the mound in relief in the bottom of the inning with two runs to work with, Barnhouse produced the first two outs with a popup and a strikeout, but allowed the Wolfpack to break up the shutout with back-to-back hits. McBroom took over from there for the save opportunity, allowing a two-run homer that gave Nevada its first lead of the game and putting two on base via walk and HBP to cue Jackson’s entry into the game.
Trailing for the first time all game with six outs left to work with, the Lobos came up empty in the eighth before Jackson worked a tense bottom of the frame. Down to their last inning in the top of the ninth, a pair of clutch two-out hits from Wood and Holland scored the tying run and got the go-ahead to the third to keep the Lobos alive, but a solo homer in the bottom of the frame walked things off to end the game before UNM got another chance to swing the bat.
UP NEXT
Sunday’s series finale is set for a 1:05 p.m. MT start, with RHP Wil Bannister set to get the start on the mound against Nevada RHP Peyton Fosher. This weekend’s action will not be streamed, but fans can listen to the games via the Varsity Network and follow live stats at GoLobos.com/BSBStats. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball for gameday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.