Lobos Put Away Rebels at Home in MW Opener, 12-6

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico (9-9, 1-0 MW) opened up Mountain West play in emphatic fashion in the Lobos’ return to Santa Ana Star Field on Friday night, putting UNLV away with three momentum-swinging innings to win 12-6 and snap a four-game skid.

After getting a runner aboard in each of the first three frames but coming up empty in each, the Lobos exploded for five runs in the fourth to take their first lead of the game tacking on three more in the fifth and four more in the eighth, piling up 16 hits to hand the Rebels (11-6, 0-1 MW) only their second loss in their last 10 games.

Ethan Ott (2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2B) and Josh McAlister (3-for-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI) led the offensive surge, both mashing multi-run homers in the process — Ott’s two-run bomb in the fourth put UNM on the board and tied it up at 2-2, while McAlister drove in two more with his homer to left in the eighth to make it 12-6.

👋👋👋 https://t.co/LbN8BrlzaT pic.twitter.com/Ictq0CnLwY

— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 15, 2025

Tye Wood (2-for-4, 1 R, 2B, 2 RBI), Brodey Williams (2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI), and Jordy Oriach (1-for-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI) all added an extra-base hit apiece, while Akili Carris (3-for-5, 2 R), Karsen Waslefsky (1-for-4, 2 RBI) and Khalil Walker (1 H, 1 RBI) rounded out the Lobos’ offense. In total, UNM connected on six extra base hits – three doubles, one triple and a pair of home runs.

Does this ball still even exist? https://t.co/YOsxmjvAar pic.twitter.com/gb3JDPRxcy

— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) March 15, 2025

On the mound, Daxton Purser (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) kept the damage minimal across a five-frame quality start to earn his first win of the season, surrendering two early runs on five hits and a pair of walks before retiring four of the next six batters faced to put a zero on the board in the fourth and fifth. Taking over in relief, RHP Diego Alvarez (0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER) ran into trouble in the sixth before RHP Josh Barnhouse (2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) shut down the Rebels to preserve the lead. Ty Cunningham (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) put the finishing touches on the victory with a hitless ninth to seal the deal.

ON DECK
New Mexico (9-9, 1-0 MW) gets a chance to clinch the weekend series with a win in Saturday’s Game Two, set for a 2 p.m. MT first pitch. All of this weekend’s series will be broadcast free via the MW Network at GoLobos.com/Watch, 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.

ALL-TIME SERIES
With the win, the Lobos have now won six of their last seven against the Rebels for the first time since 2019. The Lobos went 5-1 against the Hustlin’ Rebels last season, with UNM’s sweep in March marking the first series win over the Rebels since 2019. Head Coach Tod Brown improves to 8-8 against UNLV in his tenure at UNM.

UNM still trails the all-time series 92-103 but holds a 46-29 advantage over the Rebels at home with a 44-74 record against them in Vegas.