New Mexico 11, Nevada 5
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Albuquerque, N.M. - Santa Ana Star Field

WP: Arthur Steinkamp (4-1)
LP: Peyton Fosher (3-6)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - New Mexico scored five times in each of the sixth and seventh innings Sunday, erasing a slim Nevada lead and taking the rubber game, 11-5.

The Wolf Pack (22-25, 14-13 MW) heads into the final week of the regular season, beginning the four-game home stand Tuesday at 5 p.m. against Pacific.

Nevada will then host San Diego State Thursday-Saturday at Peccole Park. The Pack is tied with San José State for fourth in the conference standings, and holds the head-to-head tiebreaker as the race for the four spots at May 23-26's Mountain West Championship in San Diego hits the home stretch.

Sunday, Nevada manufactured runs early, getting a sacrifice fly from JR Freethy in the third, an RBI single from Nolan Wilson in the fourth, and a run-scoring groundout from Bryce Matthews in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.

Nevada starter Peyton Fosher got help in the form of a pair of 6-4-3 double plays to hold the Lobos to just a run through five, but ran into trouble in the sixth.

New Mexico (27-22, 16-11 MW) put two runners on to open the bottom half of the sixth, and Jake Holland sent a 3-2 pitch up the middle for an RBI single to make it a one-run game. Two batters later, Ethan Ott lifted what appeared to be a routine one-out fly ball to right, but the Albuquerque wind took it and carried it out to right, the three-run homer giving New Mexico its first lead at 5-3.

The Lobos added a run on Chase Weissenborn's RBI single to close the five-run frame. Nevada, however, would get within two on Freethy's solo homer to right, staying within range at 6-4.

But the Lobos shut the door with another five-spot in the seventh. Reliever Eddie Tierney hit two batters, walked another, gave up a single, and two wild pitches put two more across for New Mexico. Dominic Desch came on, and, after a bases-loaded walk to Ott scored another run, Akili Carris capped the frame with a two-run single to make it 11-4.

Fosher fell to 3-6 with the loss, giving up six runs over 5.1 innings. For the Lobos, Arthur Steinkamp spelled starter David Lopez in the fifth, and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings for his fourth win.

Freethy led the Pack at the plate, going 2-for-4 and driving in two. Taylor Holder and Derek Tenney also had two hits apiece. For the Lobos, it was Ott who did the damage, driving in four while going 2-for-4 at the plate.