Nevada 3, New Mexico 2
Friday, April 17, 2026
Albuquerque, N.M. - Lobo Baseball Field

WP: Aidan Brainard (4-2)
LP: Cristian Mogen (1-1)
SV: Andres Castro (2)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Aidan Brainard worked out of early trouble then cruised for the rest of his scoreless six-inning outing as Nevada took the opener at New Mexico, 3-2.

Then it was Andres Castro who escaped on final jam in the bottom of the ninth. After New Mexico put a second run on the board and two on against Dominic Desch, Castro came on with two out and, after a walk to Shane Miller to load the bases, struck out Damian Garcia to secure the win and his second save.

At a locale which is often hostile to pitchers, Brainard overcame five walks and stranded seven Lobo baserunners over his first three innings before retiring the final 10 batters he faced. Allowing just two hits and striking out seven over his six innings, Brainard improved to 4-2 on the season.

At the plate, Nevada's (20-14, 9-4 MW) offense came primarily from Jacob Doyle, who hit two solo homers over a 3-for-4 day. Jake Harvey added an RBI single in the Pack's two-run second and went 2-for-4 on the night.

Cristian Mogen fell to 1-1 for New Mexico (22-14-1, 8-4-1 MW), giving up three runs on seven hits over five innings. Reliever Josh Barnhouse struck out two over three scoreless innings to keep the Lobos in it.

The teams return for the second game of the series Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.