Spenrath Hits Two Grand Slams, Lobos Blank Nevada 16-0 in Opener
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The conditions may have been messy at Santa Ana Star Field for Friday’s weekend opener, but the Lobos on the diamond were anything but.
Even with heavy winds and gusts upwards of 40 mph playing a factor all game long, the Lobos (26-21, 15-10 MW) put together their most complete performance of the season to dismantle Nevada (21-24, 13-12 MW) and keep pace at the top of the conference standings, with Reed Spenrath matching a program record with two grand slams and three homers total and the Lobos’ pitchers completing their first shutout this season en route to an errorless 16-0 victory.
UNM – still tied for first in the league with the win tonight – has a chance to clinch a massive series win in tomorrow’s Game Two, set for a 2 p.m. MT first pitch.
Spenrath finished with 9 RBI on his three homers – he hit two grand slams in the same game for the first time since 1992, when Mark Gulseth did it against San Diego State. It’s also the first time in over 12 months that a Lobo has hit three homers in the same game (Justin Olson vs. Fresno State, 4/29/23).
RHP Dayne Pengelly struck out 12 – the most in a single game since Justin Armbruster (May 22, 2021) also struck out 12 at San Jose State – for a new career- and team-high over seven scoreless frames, walking three and surrendering only four hits in that span to improve to 4-4 on the season. LHP Arthur Steinkamp picked up where he left off with two hitless and scoreless innings of relief to close, striking out two and not allowing a single baserunner to complete the shutout.
After struggling with Nevada ace Jason Doktorzcyk in a 2-13 loss in Reno in March, the Lobos racked up 16 runs on 17 hits tonight. Along with Spenrath, Chase Weissenborn (1 R) and Khalil Walker (2 R, 1 RBI) both added three hits apiece and Tye Wood (1 R, 1 RBI), Akili Carris (2 R, 2 RBI) and Ethan Ott (2 R) both added two each. Both Walker and Ott doubled twice, while Jake Holland (1 RBI) and Will Asby (2 RBI) both scored two runs on one hit each.
Reed Spenrath discusses the Lobos' hot stretch and a statement performance against Nevada in the series opener.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
⚾️ Highlights from @UNMLoboBaseball 16-0 Win over Nevada ‼️#AtThePeak | #MWBSB | #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/IAZUppASIv
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) May 11, 2024
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
The Lobos get a chance to clinch a third-straight weekend series win in tomorrow’s Game Two, set for a 2 p.m. MT first pitch. Live streaming for all of this weekend’s series will be available via the MW Network at GoLobos.com/WatchBSB, with live stats at GoLobos.com/BSBStats. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball on socials for promotional/marketing and gameday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.