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Lobos Put Away Nevada in Senior Day Rubber Match, 11-5

Lobos Put Away Nevada in Senior Day Rubber Match, 11-5Lobos Put Away Nevada in Senior Day Rubber Match, 11-5

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – With a series – and New Mexico Baseball’s recent hot streak – on the line in a Senior Day rubber match with Nevada at Santa Ana Star Field, the Lobos’ bats delivered late, plating five runs in back-to-back innings to put away the Wolf Pack (22-25, 14-13) for a third consecutive weekend series win.

After avenging their series loss to Nevada on the road earlier in the season, the Lobos improve to 27-22 overall and 16-11 in conference matchups – with Fresno State’s loss to UNLV today, they move back into a tie for first place in the MW standings with just one series left to play next weekend at San Jose State (20-30, 14-13 MW). They remain the only team in the conference that has won seven of its last 10.

Ethan Ott opened things up with a three-run bomb in the bottom of the sixth to give the Lobos their first lead of the game at 5-3 and they didn’t look back, scoring six more by the end of the seventh and slamming the door on a rally with effective relief outings from LHP Arthur Steinkamp (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K), RHP Wil Bannister (2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) and LHP Jaren Jackson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K). Jackson struck out two as he retired the side in order in the ninth to seal the deal emphatically.

Ott scored two runs and finished with four RBI on two hits to lead an 11-hit outing for the Lobos, who’ve now surpassed double-digit knocks in 12 of their last 13 games after having their streak snapped with seven hits in Saturday’s Game Two. Will Asby (3 R, 1 BB) and Chase Weissenborn (1 RBI) both added two hits each and Akili Carris drove in two runs with a single to lead four other Lobos that picked up a hit.

On the weekend, UNM pitchers held the Wolf Pack to just seven earned runs over 27 innings of work – their lowest ERA (2.33) in a three-game series this season. The Lobos only allowed two runs in the first 18, shutting them out in Friday’s 16-0 series-opening win but falling 0-2 on Saturday to set up today’s rubber match.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

ALL-TIME SERIES
With the series win, UNM improves to 31-34 against Nevada all-time and 31-32 since the Wolf Pack joined the conference in 2012, with a 16-18 record in games in Albuquerque. Head Coach Tod Brown is 8-7 against the Wolf Pack during his tenure at UNM.

SENIOR DAY
13 Lobos were honored pregame before their final game at Santa Ana Star Field on Sunday – here they are, listed below:

BLANE ROMERO
A senior transfer who decided to spend his final year here in Albuquerque, Romero accumulated 28 K’s over 30 innings of work in his collegiate career here and at Sam Houston State. Blane will be graduating with a degree in business administration.

WILL ASBY
After transferring to UNM for his final season by way of San Francisco, Asby matched a UNM single-season with three grand slams this year while hitting 10 home runs, driving in 52 runs and scoring 53 more. Asby will be graduating with a degree in liberal arts.

JAREN JACKSON
A graduate of Cleveland High School, Jackson joined his hometown team by way of Pima community college last season and has made 32 appearances with 10 starts on the bump in two seasons for the Lobos, totaling over 83 innings of work while earning six wins and two saves. Jackson will be graduating with a degree in communications.

ARTHUR STEINKAMP
Steinkamp is a fifth-year senior who has seen his role grow in each season and was fundamental to this year’s pitching staff. He earned three wins this season and struck out a career-high 20 to cap off a career with over 76 innings pitched in 52 appearances. He’ll be graduating with a masters in business administration.

SEAN STEPHENS
Stephens batted .304 over his three seasons with the Lobos in 110 appearances, scoring 58 runs, stealing 18 bases and adding 35 RBI while posting a .975 fielding percentage in that span. He’ll be graduating with a degree in business administration.

KYLE SMITH
Another three-year Lobo, Smith has 92 appearances to his name with 30 extra base hits and 54 RBI in that span – he has three games of four or more RBI this season, including a seven RBI performance against UNLV. A Mountain West Scholar Athlete and Academic All-Conference selection last season, he’ll be graduating with a degree in communications.

KONNER KINKADE
Kinkade joined the Lobos last season and has batted .300 over 76 appearances the last two seasons, with a .400 on base percentage and 27 RBI this season as UNM’s leadoff man and a .966 fielding percentage in the infield. He’ll be graduating with a degree in business administration.

DEVON DIXON
In his two years as a Lobo, Dixon has produced over 250 assists and 125 putouts while appearing in 95 games. He’s driven in over 50 runs with 9 career homers, including a massive walk-off grand slam to help the Lobos rally and sweep San Diego State two weeks ago. He’ll be graduating with a degree in Liberal Arts.

WIL BANNISTER
Bannister has been effective in a variety of roles during his two seasons at UNM after joining the Lobos by way of Pima CC – he’s thrown over 63 innings in that span, with four saves and three wins in 35 appearances to go with 38 strikeouts. Bannister will be graduating with a degree in liberal arts.

BRETT RUSSELL
A team captain this year for UNM, Russell has set the standard in the classroom and on the diamond – a two-time Academic All-Conference selection, Russell has appeared in 34 games with 20 starts, earning four wins on the bump this year over 57 innings of work. He’ll be graduating with a bachelor’s in biochemistry and a minor in psychology.

JAKE HOLLAND
Holland has batted .356 with 27 homers and 95 RBI in his two years as a staple of the Lobos’ lineup – he’ll close his career with one of the Top 10 career batting averages in program history. The big righty ranks among the most productive hitters in the conference and the nation, and he’s not done just yet. Holland will be graduating with a degree in business administration.

REED SPENRATH
Another team captain and All-conference selection last year, Spenrath has accumulated 33 homers and 113 RBI in 98 appearances as a Lobo, matching a program record with two grand slams in the same game on Friday. He’s generated over 730 putouts and 39 assists in his career and started all but one game at first this season. He’ll be receiving a master’s organizational informational learning systems to close out his time in college.

CHASE WEISSENBORN
A four-year Lobo with 146 games played in that span, Weissenborn has racked up 145 hits with 89 runs and 72 RBI during his time in Albuquerque. The local boy is your Lobos’ third team captain and a stellar representative of this program since the day he stepped on campus. He’ll be graduating with a degree in business administration.

UP NEXT
The Lobos conclude the regular season on the road next weekend with their final conference series of the year at San Jose State (19-30, 14-13 MW) May 16-18. They need just one win next weekend to clinch their first MW Tournament berth since 2017. Live streaming for all of next 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.