UNM BASEBALL
Lobos stun Fordham with wild walk-off win
Newcomer Aidan Kuni’s five-RBI debut and a ninth-inning rally capped a dramatic victory on opening day
Early start and late drama were opening day themes for the University of New Mexico baseball team.
The Lobos and visiting Fordham started three hours ahead of their scheduled 2 p.m. first pitch to avoid expected rain showers in the Albuquerque area.
As it turned out, UNM narrowly beat the rain and the Rams, plating two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull out an entertaining 10-9 victory at Lobo Field.
Newcomer Aidan Kuni went 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs for the Lobos, but UNM needed a two-run ninth-inning rally to escape its opener with a win. Lenny Junior Ashby and Gene Trujillo singled to help the Lobos load the bases. Khalil Walker drew a walk to bring home the tying run, and the Lobos walked it off when Anthony Diaz's two-out chopper to first base was misplayed for an error.
It was the second comeback of the day for New Mexico, which trailed 6-1 after five innings and 9-8 heading to the bottom of the ninth. Fordham hit four home runs in the opener of the four-game series, including Joey Donnelly's two-out, two-run shot in the top of the ninth that threatened to spoil UNM's opening-day party.
Instead, the Lobos mobbed Diaz after his game-ending ground ball. Diaz went 3-for-5 on the day and scored three runs.
"Great feeling. It was electric," said Kuni, who transferred to UNM after playing at Hawaii last season. "It felt good getting my first homer here. I've never hit at elevation before and I definitely like it. I was lucky guys got on base in front of me and set me up."
UNM outhit the Rams 13-12 in the high-scoring affair, but Lobos coach Tod Brown credited pitcher Ty Cunningham for giving his team a chance to pull out the win. Cunningham came on with Fordham leading 6-1 and allowed just one run over the next four innings.
"Down 6-1, if Ty gives up a couple more runs we're looking at a run-rule game," Brown said. "He settled things down and gave us an opportunity to come back. I felt like he was our MVP today."
UNM led 1-0 after two innings but was stung by shaky defense in the third. Fordham scored five runs in the frame off Lobos starter Cristian Mogen, three on a two-out blast to left-center by Tommy McAndrews. The Rams also capitalized on a walk, a hit batsman and a throwing error on a potential double-play grounder.
Meanwhile, the Lobos' offense managed just two hits in the first five innings against Fordham starter Beau Elson, who struck out five. But UNM got to Elson in the sixth, scoring four runs on five hits, including doubles by Kuni and Akili Carris.
Kuni's two-run homer to left-center highlighted a three-run rally in the seventh that gave the Lobos an 8-6 lead. Fordham made it 8-7 in the eighth and regained the lead on Donnelly's two-run shot off reliever Luke Wiseman, but UNM got the last laugh just minutes before a steady rain started to fall.
"Overall, I thought our pitching was good," Brown said, "but you've got to score runs to win here and we finally got the job done. Aidan Kuni driving in five runs was huge and I'm really happy for him. He's been battling a quad injury and can't run full speed right now, but he's a professional hitter. He stepped up today."
