UNM overwhelms No. 8 Texas Tech
Schneider’s pitching checks Red Raiders
Long wait but worth it. The University of New Mexico baseball team weathered a lightning delay and a cold, lengthy night at Santa Ana Star Field to come away with a 16-5 victory over No. 8 Texas Tech late Tuesday night.
It was the Lobos’ first win over the Red Raiders (33-11) in three tries this season and their largest over Texas Tech since an 18-3 romp in 1985. New Mexico (24-16-1) hadn’t defeated a higher ranked opponent since a 3-2 win over No. 4 TCU in 2010.
Senior pitcher Carson Schneider set the tone for the Lobos, pitching into the seventh inning while his teammates steadily built a 10-2 lead. Schneider (3-0) allowed seven hits, struck out a career-best seven and did not walk a batter.
Schneider pitched in UNM’s previous loss to Texas Tech but the outcome was much different.
“I just located my pitchers better,” Schneider said, “and all the run support really helped. I was a lot more relaxed out there.”
UNM outhit the Red Raiders 15-8. Luis Gonzalez led a balanced Lobo attack with a 3-for-5 night and three RBIs. Danny Collier also drove in three runs.
“Just about everyone got involved,” UNM coach Ray Birmingham said, “which was nice to see because Carson pitched his tail off. That’s a big win for our RPI.”
After waiting through a lightning delay of just over an hour, the Lobos wasted no time setting a positive tone. Schneider set the Red Raiders down in order on three ground balls, and UNM batted around against Tech starter John Henry Gonzalez in the bottom of the first.
Collier’s two-run single and a bases-loaded walk to Justin Watari gave the hosts a 3-0 lead, and UNM added two runs in the second to make it 5-0. Jack Zoellner’s RBI double and a run-scoring single by Carl Stajduhar highlighted the rally.
Luis Gonzalez’s two-run double helped build the lead to 8-1 in the third, and Schneider had more than enough to work with. He left with two runners on in the seventh and Tech’s Grant Little brought them home with a three-run homer off Drew Gillespie to make the score 10-5, but it would get no closer.
Andre Gregory’s two-run triple was the big blow in UNM’s six-run eighth inning.
“It’s a big win,” Schneider said, “because it shows the young guys we can beat a top10 team in the country. (The Raiders) will come back angry (today), so we have to be ready to match that.”
After Little’s home run, Lobo relievers Gillespie, Justin Slaten and Christian Tripp worked three scoreless frames to put the win on ice.