Lobos' Rally Falls Short in Sunday Finale vs. Washington State, 16-11
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Baseball (19-16, 8-7 MW) mounted an aggressive late push couldn’t complete the weekend sweep of Washington State on Sunday at Santa Ana Star Field, falling 16-11 to the Cougars (14-21, 7-8) despite seven runs in the final three frames and 15 hits on the afternoon.
The Lobos surrendered 11 runs across the first three innings and were never able to fully recover, as the Cougars piled on 16 total runs behind 10 walks, a grand slam and five extra-base hits to salvage the final game of the series.
Still, UNM rallied to score seven of the game’s final nine runs – including a pair of three-spots in the eighth and ninth – to make things interesting late. The Lobos have now finished with 15 or more hits and double-digit runs in four games in a row to conclude the week 3-1 at home, including run-rule wins over Texas Tech (15-5) and Washington State (24-14).
Jordy Oriach (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB, HBP) led the Lobos offensively with his fourth multi-hit game in his last six, while Luke Mansy (2-for-3, 2B, 2 R) extended his team-leading hit streak to eight games, raising his average to .476 on the season. Since moving into the starting lineup vs. New Mexico State last Tuesday, Mansy is 15 for his last 33 (.455), with six multi-hit outings in that span.
Andrew Neil (2-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI) and Caleb Herd (2-for-2, HR, 2 RBI) added a combined four runs driven in off the bench, with Herd crushing a two-run homer – his fourth of the year – and Neil connecting on two RBI knocks in the final two frames. Entering at shortstop in the seventh, Karsen Waslefsky (2-for-2, HR, 2 R, RBI) stayed hot in a reserve role, launching his third home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the ninth.
Also contributing at the plate were Josh McAlister (1-for-2, BB, HBP, SB), who reached base three times, and Khalil Walker (1-for-2, 2B, BB), who notched his team-leading 11th double of the year before Neil replaced him in the outfield over the final two frames.
On the mound, RHP Dayne Pengelly (2.0 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 3 BB) took the loss, as the Cougars jumped on him early with a pair of big innings. RHP Brian McBroom (0.0 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 3 BB) was unable to record an out in the third, but RHP Jack Messmore (3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) stabilized things in the middle innings. LHP Blake Bell (2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) tossed two hitless frames and struck out the side in order in the seventh before RHP Josh Barnhouse closed things out with a scoreless ninth.
ON DECK
The Lobos head back to Las Cruces for their third rivalry matchup with New Mexico State on Tuesday at Presley Askew Field, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. MT. Tuesday’s midweek non conference action 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.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
⚾️ #MWBSB Highlights from @wsucougarbsb‘s 16-11 win over New Mexico pic.twitter.com/o0MxVhMD4J
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) April 13, 2025
ALL-TIME SERIES
With the series, UNM is now an even 2-2-1 against Washington State all-time. Prior to this weekend, the Lobos had only faced the Cougars twice in a pair of neutral-site matchups in 1992 and 1994, drawing in the first (8-8) before the Lobos fell 0-11 in the second. Friday was the first meeting between the two teams as conference opponents as well as the first in Albuquerque. UNM Head Coach Tod Brown is now 2-1 against the Cougars as a head coach after his first weekend series with Wazzu.