ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico dropped a back-and-forth extra-inning battle on Saturday, falling to Abilene Christian 11-7 in 10 innings at Lobo Baseball Field.
The Lobos (14-9, 1-2 MW) will look to stave off the sweep in tomorrow’s series finale, set to get underway at 12 p.m. MT.
UNM built an early lead behind a balanced offensive effort, scoring in the first, third and fourth innings to go in front 5-0. Brodey Williams and Khalil Walker delivered back-to-back solo home runs in the fourth, while Lenny Ashby and Luke Mansy each drove in a run apiece in the third.
RHP Ryan Castillo was sharp through 5 ⅓ innings – allowing just one run while striking out 10 – but the Wildcats erased the deficit with a three-run sixth and another three-run seventh that gave them the go-ahead.
New Mexico battled back late, scoring in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Gene Trujillo and tying the game in the ninth on an RBI fielder’s choice after putting the tying run in motion.
Abilene Christian broke the tie in the 10th, plating four runs on three hits, two hit batters and a walk to regain control.
The Lobos finished with 11 hits in total, with Karsen Waslefsky scoring a team-high three runs and Anthony Diaz and Khalil Walker each collecting two knocks apiece.
Despite the strong start and late push, New Mexico left 12 runners on base and went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
ON DECK
Sunday’s weekend finale is set for a 12 p.m. MT first pitch. All of this weekend’s games will be broadcast 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.