ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After winning a nailbiter on Opening Day on Friday, New Mexico Baseball dominated Fordham with a pair of seven-inning run-rule victories (18-8, 16-6) on Saturday to improve to 3-0 on the season.
With the series win secured, the Lobos (3-0) will go for their first sweep of a nonconference opponent since 2023 in Sunday’s finale, set for an 11 a.m. MT first pitch.
In the opener, UNM broke things open early and often, scoring three in the first, five in the third and eight more in the fourth en route to 18 runs on 11 hits. Tristan Russell and Lenny Ashby both homered to combine for eight RBI, while the Lobos drew 13 walks and went 8-for-15 with runners in scoring position. RHP Ryan Castillo earned the win with four strong innings, allowing just one run and striking out five before LHP Cooper Corkrean closed it out with the 10-run lead intact.
Game Two followed a similar script – after Fordham plated five runs over the second and third innings, the Lobos answered with five of their own in the second and five more in the third to seize control. UNM finished with 16 runs on 16 hits, highlighted by a four-hit game from Antonio Gianni and a six-RBI effort from Gene Trujillo. RHP Tyler Do picked up the win in relief with three steady innings, and RHP Josh Barnhouse tossed a scoreless seventh to finish things off.
HITTING LEADERS
Lenny Ashby paced the Lobos with a .750 average (3-for-4), five runs scored, four RBI and a home run, finishing the day with a 1.500 slugging percentage and .889 on-base percentage. Antonio Gianni matched that .750 average (3-for-4) despite only starting the second game, scoring four runs with a homer and four RBI while posting a 1.500 slugging percentage.
Karsen Waslefsky went 4-for-6 (.667) with three runs and a double, while Luke Mansy hit .600 (3-for-5) with two runs and two RBI. Gene Trujillo delivered a team-high seven RBI across the two games, going 4-for-9 with two doubles and a .667 slugging percentage.
Aidan Kuni added three RBI and hit .500 (2-for-4), while Khalil Walker scored four runs and drew four walks to post a .600 OBP on the day. As a team, the Lobos drew 24 walks and hit three home runs while going 17-for-33 (.515) with runners in scoring position.
PITCHING LEADERS
On the mound, RHP Ryan Castillo (4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R / 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) earned a win in his start, allowing just one run on one hit over four innings to finish with five strikeouts and a 0.50 WHIP. RHP Tyler Do (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R / 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) also picked up a win in relief in his Lobo debut, tossing three innings with one run allowed and two strikeouts in that span.
Earning the start for Game Two, RHP Diego Alvarez (3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R / 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) kept things under control while limiting free passes, while RHP Josh Barnhouse (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) tossed a flawless inning of relief to close things out. RHP Cooper Corkrean (3 IP, 8 H, 7 R / 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) earned a save in his first outing as a Lobo after keeping the 10-run lead intact and preserving the run-rule victory in Game One.
As a staff, the Lobos struck out 14 batters across 14 innings while only issuing four walks in total – they only surrendered 10 earned runs in total, good for a 6.43 ERA on the day.
ON DECK
Sunday’s series finale is slated to get underway at 11 a.m. MT, with Freshman RHP Ethin Woltz set to get the start. Sunday’s game will be streamed via the Mountain West Network at GoLobos.com/Watch, with live stats 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.