ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico leaned on late-inning execution in two of their closest games yet to improve to 11-0 on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader with St. Thomas with a 5-1 win in Game One and a 4-3 walkoff victory in Game Two.
In the opener, the Lobos broke open a tight game in the eighth inning with a sudden power surge. Nursing a 2-1 lead, Damian Garcia ignited the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to right -- his second in as many games -- before Lenny Junior Ashby was hit by a pitch and Garrett Rede entered as a pinch runner. Gene Trujillo followed with a towering two-run shot to right to stretch the lead to four, and the Lobos never looked back as the Lobos' relievers kept the Tommies off the board.
Ryan Castillo set the tone on the mound with 7.0 innings of one-run ball, striking out seven. Talor Grubbs recorded three strikeouts in a scoreless eighth, and Luke Wiseman closed it out with a clean ninth to secure the win.
Game 2 required even more late drama.
Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the eighth after a dominant start on the bump from RHP Diego Alvarez, the Lobos finally put together the run they needed. Tristan Russell singled, Antonio Gianni followed with a base hit of his own and Garrett Rede ripped a two-run double down the left-field line to give UNM a 3-2 lead.
But St. Thomas answered in the top of the ninth, capitalizing on an error and a pair of hits to tie the game at 3-3 and force UNM to bat once more.
In the bottom half, the Lobos once again delivered. Caleb Herd singled to right and Luke Mansy followed with a base hit to center to put the winning run aboard. After an intentional walk loaded the bases and a fielder’s choice cut down the runner at the plate, Rede stepped up with two outs and lined a single to center field, driving in Mansy for the walk-off 4-3 victory. It's the third time this season that the Lobos have won on the last at-bat of the game.
Josh Barnhouse earned the win with two-thirds of an inning of relief, stranding the tying and go-ahead threats in the ninth before the offense finished the job.
Across the doubleheader, New Mexico scored six of its nine runs in the eighth or ninth innings, relying on timely power in Game 1 and clutch two-out hitting in Game 2 to stay unbeaten through 11 games.
ON DECK
The Lobos (11-0) and Tommies (2-8) will square off once more in Sunday's finale as UNM goes for its third straight four-game series sweep, with first pitch set for 11 a.m. MT. Sunday’s game in Albuquerque will be available to stream free via the MW Network at GoLobos.com/Watch, with live stats available via GoLobos.com/BSBStats. Follow @UNMLoboBaseball on IG, X and Facebook for comprehensive coverage, promotional updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.
ACROSS 18 INNINGS
Gene Trujillo headlined the Lobos’ offensive production in the doubleheader, hitting .667 (4-for-6) with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and a 1.500 slugging percentage. He reached base at a .750 clip and totaled nine bases across the two games.
Garrett Rede delivered in the biggest moments, batting .400 (2-for-5) with a double and a team-high three RBI, including the game-tying two-run double in the eighth and the walk-off RBI single in the ninth of Game 2.
Caleb Herd went 2-for-4 (.500) with a pair of singles, while Damian Garcia scored twice and homered in Game 1, finishing with a .200 average but an .800 slugging percentage.
Overall, the Lobos totaled 17 hits in the twin bill, with six of their nine runs coming in the eighth or ninth innings as timely extra-base hits from Trujillo and Rede proved decisive.