Lobos Top Seton Hall in Desert Invitational Finale, 5-3
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A pair of chaotic two-run plays proved to be the difference for New Mexico Baseball in a 5-3 win over Seton Hall (1-2) in the Lobos’ MLB Desert Invitational finale Sunday afternoon at Salt River Fields, with another three-hit outing from Cooper Brass and an inside-the-park homer from Josh McAlister leading the way behind a shutdown start from RHP Ryan Castillo.
After going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBI in his collegiate debut on Saturday against UC Irvine, Brass did it again against the Pirates on Saturday – the redshirt freshman connected on three singles and scored a pair of runs while drawing a walk. He’s now batting .857 on the season with a 2.018 OPS.
The first Lobo to go yard this year with his seventh-inning solo shot in Friday’s season opener, Josh McAlister became the first UNM player to notch an inside-the-park home run since 2011 – when DJ Peterson did so against TCU (5/20/11) – with a looping 108.5 mph line drive that zagged under the center fielder’s glove. From there, he utilized a 28.7 ft/sec sprint speed to scoot around the bases for an inside-the-park homer, scoring both himself and Brodey Williams to break the scoreless tie. McAlister finished the weekend having reached base in six of his 10 plate appearances.
The 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞-𝐭𝐡𝐞-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 homer for @JoshMcAlister4_ breaks the scoreless tie 🔥🔥🔥
B2 | UNM 2, Seton Hall 0 pic.twitter.com/vhM5GHmbsg
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) February 16, 2025
Jordy Oriach added two more hits and Akili Carris and Khalil Walker finished with one knock apiece to round out an eight-hit outing for the Lobos (2-1).
In his season debut, Castillo blanked the Pirates across five frames on the mound to earn the win (1-0), striking out five without a single walk while surrendering only four hits. The sophomore out of Los Lunas, N.M. retired three of four in each of his first four innings before using only eight pitches – including two three-pitch strikeouts – to toss a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. His five innings of work match a career-high he set as a true freshman in 2024.
Ryan Castillo puts 5 zeros up on the board in his season debut at the Desert Invitational 🔥@UNMLoboBaseball | @MLBDevelops pic.twitter.com/07AbtK2eE6
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 17, 2025
In relief, RHP Jack Messmore (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) struck out two in his UNM debut and RHP Josh Barnhouse (1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) got the Lobos out of two high-leverage situations in the seventh and eighth innings with two runners on the basepaths and one out on the board, surrendering just one run to keep the damage minimal. RHP Ty Cunningham (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) also made his Lobo debut when he came out to throw the final inning, keeping the lead intact to earn his first save.
The Lobos conclude their weekend at the MLB Desert Invitational 2-1 after bouncing back from a 18-4 loss to UC Irvine on Saturday – they’ll stick around in the Grand Canyon state for a midweek matchup with Arizona at Hi Corbett Field on Tuesday before returning to Albuquerque for next weekend’s four-game home series against Northern Colorado.
ON DECK
Tuesday’s matchup with the Wildcats (0-3) in Tucson will be available to stream via paid subscription to ESPN+, with live stats, streaming options and more available via GoLobos.com/BSBGameDay. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball on IG, X and Facebook for comprehensive coverage, promotional updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.
