Lobos Take Weekend Finale Over N. Colorado, 12-7

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Baseball secured the weekend series split with a 12-7 win over Northern Colorado in Sunday’s finale at Santa Ana Star Field thanks to an early eight-run deluge in the first two innings and late homers from Khalil Walker and Jordy Oriach that put the Bears (4-4) away for good.

Oriach went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, and four runs scored, Akili Carris went 3-for-4 while driving in a team-high four RBI and Walker added a homer among his three hits to lead a 14-hit effort for UNM that saw six different players drive in runs. Over the four-game weekend series vs. Northern Colorado, Oriach batted a team-high .632 (12/19), scoring 10 runs and driving in seven while hitting four doubles and two homers. Carris batted .579 with a team-high 11 RBI in the same span, scoring three runs and doubling twice.

Will Asby and Brodey Williams both doubled for the second game in a row while Ethan Ott drove in two runs and scored two more despite not recording a hit, drawing a team-high three walks. Cooper Brass and Josh McAlister each contributed an RBI, with Brass also notching a stolen base. 

As a team, UNM drew five walks and three HBP while the Lobos’ pitchers only hit one batter and issued three walks.

After dropping the first two games despite cracking double-digit runs in both, the Lobos (4-4) held the Bears (4-4) to five or less runs in the next two to get back to .500 on the season. RHP Ryan Castillo (4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R/3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) opened with his sixth and seventh consecutive scoreless innings in his second start of the season as UNM built the early lead and RHP Tommy White (4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) calmed things down with three shutout frames in a row before RHP Brian McBroom (1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) tossed the final inning in his season debut.

ON DECK
The Lobos (4-4) continue their homestand on Tuesday, hosting New Mexico State for their first Rio Grande Rivalry matchup of the season at 6 p.m. MT. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast for free via the Mountain West Network, 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.

KEY MOMENTS

• UNM loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first and squeezed out three runs on a walk from Ethan Ott and a two-run single from Akili Carris. The Lobos found themselves in the same situation in the second and capitalized further, pushing across five more for a commanding lead that would hold through nine.
• Walker broke up a three-inning scoreless spell with his solo homer out of right field in the sixth – a drive that narrowly stayed fair and was upheld after review. With two outs on the board and bases loaded, Akili Carris and Josh McAlister followed with back-to-back RBI base knocks to extend the lead to 11-5.
• RHP Tommy White took the mound in the fifth, escaping a jam with a double play to get out of that inning and calming things down over the next three – he retired nine of the next 10 he faced to put three zeroes on the board in a row heading into the ninth.
• On the first pitch of the bottom of the eighth, Jordy Oriach went yard for the second time in as many games to tack on the Lobos’ 12th run.