Lobos Down San Diego State 8-4 in Series Opener

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Baseball took control with a four-run seventh inning and got a career outing from RHP Dayne Pengelly on the bump in its MW series opener with San Diego State on Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field, winning 8-4.

Chase Weissenborn finished with four RBI for the second game in a row after making his return from a monthlong absence due to injury in UNM’s 17-3 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday, finishing 3-for-4 to lead a 10-hit night for UNM that makes it four games in a row with double-digit hits. Pengelly gave six solid innings (6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB) in the start to earn his third win this season, striking out nine for a new career-high to set the stage for a shutdown relief effort from both LHP Jaren Jackson (2 IP, 2 H, 0 R) and RHP Wil Bannister (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R) for the second game in a row. Coincidentally, all four are New Mexico natives.

The win lifts the Lobos (21-19, 10-9 MW) to 2-2 against the Aztecs on the season after they dropped two of three against them on the road March 28-29. It’s the first time UNM has beaten SDSU twice in the same season since 2019, when the Lobos took the series at Tony Gwynn Stadium (0-8, 2-0, 7-4).

After snapping an eight-game skid with a win over Fresno State on April 14, the Lobos have now won five of their last seven. After Nevada (18-21, 11-11 MW) split two games with Air Force (19-22, 11-8 MW) and San Jose State (16-24, 11-11 MW) fell to UNLV (23-18, 10-12 MW) today, UNM moves into sole possession of third place in the league standings for the time being.

The Lobos will get two chances to go for their first weekend series win over the Aztecs since 2019 – and first at home since 2016 – in tomorrow’s Game Two (2 p.m. MT) and Sunday’s Game Three (12 p.m.). 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
UNM got the outing it needed from its pitchers for the second game in a row, with RHP Dayne Pengelly notching new career-highs in strikeouts (9) and innings pitched (6) and LHP Jaren Jackson (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K) and RHP Wil Bannister (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K) combining to retire the final nine in order to slam the door in relief. Jackson earned the win to improve to 3-5 on the season. Pengelly extended into triple-digits for the second start in a row (107) after not throwing 100 pitches all season prior to last Friday’s opener at Air Force, throwing 63% of them for strikes.

A 10-hit outing for UNM – led by a 3-for-5 night from Chase Weissenborn (4 RBI) – makes it four straight games in which the Lobos crack double-digits. Will Asby (1 RBI), Tye Wood (2 R), and Khalil Walker all finished with two hits each, with Kinkade driving in a run with his lone hit and both Reed Spenrath and Kyle Smith scoring two runs each without any hits after getting aboard twice each via either a walk or HBP.

GAME NOTES

• Asby’s double in the first was his 14th of the season, moving him into a tie for most on the team with Jake Holland and Reed Spenrath. Khalil Walker doubled in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
• Since returning to the lineup on Tuesday for the first time since March 23, Weissenborn is batting .714 (5-for-7) and has finished with four RBI in both games while scoring three runs. He’s now up to four games with three or more RBI in just 15 games played this season.
• Pengelly’s career-high nine strikeouts match LHP Daxton Purser for most in a single game by a UNM pitcher this season. He got four of his first six outs via strikeout.
  
• Pengelly’s last win was also against San Diego State nearly a month ago — his six K’s and five innings of work in that game were new career-highs that he surpassed today.
• Both Jackson and Bannister combined to opponents scoreless in relief for the second game in a row after both tossed scoreless innings against Texas Tech on Tuesday. Bannister has now retired seven straight across his last three outings and has only allowed an earned run in one of his last 10 appearances.

THE ACTION
Pengelly was aggressive from the onset, making short work of the order with two strikeouts in the opening frame for a 1-2-3 inning. In the bottom of the frame, Asby smacked his 14th double of the season – moving him into a tie with Spenrath and Holland for most on the team – for UNM’s first baserunner and Holland wore a hit-by-pitch to make it two aboard with one out. But Aztecs starter Jacob Riordan produced the outs he needed to keep the Lobos from advancing further, striking out Spenrath and inducing a grounder from Smith to keep things scoreless heading into the second.

Pengelly struck out two more in the bottom of the frame for the first two outs, but gave up a two-run homer from SDSU’s Irvin Weems that gave the Aztecs the early lead before ending the frame with yet another punchout to reach five K’s in the first six outs.

Wood smoked a ball to left on a 3-1 count to lead off the bottom of the frame and sped to third for his second triple of the season after hitting his first last Sunday at Air Force, with McAlister making good on it with a sac fly in the next at-bat to get him across for UNM’s first run. Both Weissenborn and Walker reached on back-to-back base knocks in the next two AB’s, with Asby getting the tying run across with a single up the middle to tie things up before Holland flew out to end the inning.

As Pengelly settled back in with a hitless third, the Lobos kept producing – Spenrath and Smith drew walks to lead things off, with both advancing on a flyout from Wood to make it two in scoring position with one out on the board. Weissenborn brought them both in with an RBI single to give the Lobos their first lead of the night – the senior shortstop’s second game with multiple RBI in his first two appearances since returning to the lineup on Tuesday at Texas Tech.

The Aztecs were poised to get back on the board in the fourth after loading the bases with one out, but Pengelly responded after a mound visit with his seventh strikeout – a new career-high – and Asby collected a flyout to right to strand all three. 

Pengelly kept attacking the zone after the Lobos were retired in order in the following half-inning, flashing the heater for his eighth K to open things up. The Aztecs got back on the board thanks to a double from Shaun Montoya and a costly wild pitch that got him to third, but Pengelly kept things moving with a grounder to second to keep the lead intact.

Another big fly from Weems tied things up at 4-all in Pengelly’s sixth frame of work, with a single from SDSU’s David Whittle threatening to complicate things before Holland gunned him down at second on a steal attempt for out No. 2. Pengelly followed with his ninth punchout to end the frame, matching LHP Daxton Purser for most in a single game from a UNM pitcher this season.

After the Lobos came up empty again despite a ground-rule double from Walker – his second double in as many games – LHP Jaren Jackson took over for the seventh, allowing two hits with nobody out before beginning his string of six straight retired with a strikeout, a lineout and a flyout.

UNM swung the complexion of the game entirely with a four-run seventh sparked by Spenrath and Smith once again getting aboard in succession to lead things off (BB, HBP). Wood produced a single in the next at-bat, with a costly error in the outfield giving Spenrath time to advance to third and then home to retake the lead before McAlister was intentionally walked to load the bases with nobody out. Weissenborn took full advantage, bringing in two more with an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-4 and notch four RBI for the second game in a row. Kinkade got his first hit of the day to bring in one more and Asby drew a walk to load the bases once more, but Holland hit into a double play to end the frame without any further advance.

Suddenly working with a four-run lead, Jackson leaned on the middle infield to retire the side in order in the eighth, with Kinkade transferring two grounders for the first two outs before Weissenborn corralled the third to end the frame. Bannister didn’t let off the gas either after taking over for the final frame, inducing two popups and a flyout for yet another shutdown ninth — has now pitched the final frame in each of UNM’s last five wins.

UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
RHP Brett Russell (3-0, 7.84 ERA, 31.0 IP, 25 K, 9 BB) is set to get the start on the bump for the Lobos against SDSU’s Omar Serrano (3-4, 4.20 ERA, 55.2 IP, 51 K, 20 BB) in tomorrow’s Game Two, set for a 2 p.m. MT first pitch. All of this weekend’s action will be streamed via the MW Network, with live stats available via GoLobos.com/BSBStats. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball on socials for promotional/marketing and gameday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.