New Mexico falters in MWC opener vs. Nevada

Walks and hit batsmen play key role in Wolf Pack triumph

Generosity was not a valuable trait for the University of New Mexico baseball team Friday night.

The Lobos gave visiting Nevada far too many free base runners and the Wolf Pack made them pay by taking a Mountain West Conference-opening 9-5 victory at Santa Ana Star Field.

Bases on balls, hit batsmen, an infield error and even a passed ball on a strikeout contributed greatly to Nevada’s scoring innings, leaving Lobo coach Ray Birmingham shaking his head afterward.

“We keep shooting ourselves in the foot,” Birmingham said. “Nevada’s pitching and defense were better than our pitching and defense tonight. We have a good ballclub in this locker room, we just haven’t put it together yet.”

Nevada (4-4, 1-0) did nearly all its damage in two innings, a five-run third and a three-run eighth. A dropped third strike by UNM catcher Daniel Herrera and a pair of walks by starting pitcher Justin Slaten (1-2) keyed the Wolf Pack’s first rally. A hit batsman and two walks issued by reliever Drew Gillespie set up the eighth-inning runs.

Gillespie pitched well otherwise, retiring the first 10 batters he faced in relief. But UNM’s offense did not manage a hit for four straight innings off Wolf Pack reliever Cooper Powell (1-1).

“It came down to command in key situations,” Birmingham said, “and Nevada made the pitches that mattered. Our guys missed their spots and Nevada makes you pay. They capitalize on mistakes and we made too many.”

UNM (4-4-1, 0-1) outhit the Wolf Pack 9-8 but left 11 runners on base. Chris Dunn led the Lobos’ offense, going 3-for5 and driving in three runs. His two-run single in the first gave UNM a 2-1 lead that lasted until Nevada’s five-run outburst in the third. Joshua Zamora’s twoout, bases-clearing double was the big blow for the Wolf Pack.

Hayden Schilling went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and scored twice, including in the bottom of the third when the Lobos scored two runs to get within 6-4. It would not get any closer, however, thanks to Powell’s solid relief work.