Another stellar performance by reigning Mountain West Pitcher of the Week Tristin Lively wasn’t enough for the New Mexico Lobos baseball team on Saturday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field, as visiting San Diego State (9-13, 6-3 MW) rallied for two runs in the ninth to win 3-1.
The series concludes on Sunday with first pitch set for noon (streaming at themw.com). The Lobos (15-10, 5-5), who fell 5-3 on Friday night in the series opener, look to avoid the sweep.
Lively, a senior right-hander, matched his season high with eight strikeouts in eight innings, limiting the Aztecs to a run on five hits and a walk.
SDSU starter Chris Canada was equally effective, however, striking out nine Lobos and holding UNM to a run on five hits in his 61/3 innings pitched. Ricky Tibbett, Robert Brodell, and Kelena Sauer combined to hold UNM scoreless over the final 22/3 innings.
The Lobos brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth for the second day in a row, when Chase Weissenborn hit a one-out single to right. Konner Kinkade followed with a hard line drive up the middle, but it was right at Aztec shortstop Xavier Gonzalez, who turned it into a calm, game-ending double play.
Brian McBroom took the loss for UNM, surrendering the two runs – one earned – in the ninth inning.
Dylan Ditzenberger’s streak of 37 games reaching base, and his 19-game hitting streak, both came to an end, after the Lobo leadoff man went 0-for-3 on Saturday.
• In Huntsville, Texas, New Mexico State scored the game’s first three runs, but the rest of the contest emphatically belonged to Sam Houston State, which won 17-4 in seven innings on Saturday. The Bearkats sent 24 batters to the plate as they combined to score 15 runs in the third and fourth innings.
The Aggies (4-19, 2-9 Western Athletic Conference) also fell 3-2 to the Bearkats (18-10, 10-1) in the series opener Friday and look to avoid the sweep on Sunday.
SOFTBALL: In Fresno, Calif., New Mexico (16-20) left runners stranded at third base in both the fifth and sixth innings in a 1-0 loss to Fresno State (14-19). UNM, which lost the series opener 3-1 on Friday, tries to avoid the three-game series sweep in Sunday’s noon finale.
• In Las Cruces, Kayla Bowen belted a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh as New Mexico State (15-15, 4-5 Western Athletic Conference) walked off Grand Canyon (29-7, 5-4) with a 6-5 win. The two teams split a Friday doubleheader.
Felicia De La Torre earned the win as the last of four Aggie pitchers. She worked 22/3 scoreless innings,.
TRACK AND FIELD: UNM’s Emma Heckel and Gracelyn Larkin ran the season’s seventh- and eighth-fastest times, respectively, in the NCAA late Friday in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational in California.
Heckel finished in 32:31.42 minutes to finish sixth in the premier heat of the event, with Larkin right behind in seventh with a time of 32:32.61 minutes.
