LOBO AT THE ZOO
A former UNM runner leads the way in the half marathon at the Run for the Zoo
Luis Gonzalez wanted this one.
The University of New Mexico baseball team’s junior lefthander simply would not allow visiting Air Force to get out of Albuquerque with a win on Sunday. Gonzalez did it all, pitching seven strong innings and going 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs to power the Lobos to an 11-6 victory over the Falcons at windy Santa Ana Star Field.
“It’s double the fun when you’re pitching and hitting well,” Gonzalez said with a smile. “We needed this win, so it feels really good.”
UNM (28-20-1 overall, 18-4-1 Mountain West) rallied to win the high-scoring three-game series after dropping Friday night’s opener. The Lobos reduced their magic number for clinching a Mountain West regular-season title to four with six games remaining.
Gonzalez (4-2) and the Lobos had to overcome some adversity to do it. First, Air Force (24-22, 11-15) capitalized on a UNM error to take a 5-2 lead. Later, the visitors got a chance to do more damage after a bizarre ruling by the umpires. The latter was enough to make UNM coach Ray Birmingham play the contest under protest.
The initial problem came after Gonzalez’s solo home run to center field gave the Lobos a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Air Force’s Rob Dau hit a potential inningending double-play grounder to third that was mishandled for an error in the top of the fourth. The next batter, Daniel Jones, smacked a three-run homer to left, and the Falcons added another run later in the inning.
UNM regained a 7-5 lead with a five-run rally in the fifth, highlighted by Robby Campillo’s first collegiate homer.
But things were in the balance in the sixth, when Air Force put runners at first and third with one out. Bradley Haslam then hit a low line drive that UNM third baseman Carl Stajduhar appeared to grab cleanly. Stajduhar fired to first to double off Adam Groesbeck, who was diving back into the base, and the Lobos raced to the dugout.
The Falcons were warming up
for the bottom of the inning when AFA coach Mike Kazlausky came out to argue the double play for several minutes. The umpires then met for several more before ruling Groesbeck safe and bringing UNM’s defense back onto the field.
“The third-base ump gave the safe sign when Carl caught the ball,” Birmingham said. “He thought it hit the ground before Carl caught it, which it didn’t, and (Kazlausky) said the safe sign fooled his runner.”
Birmingham protested, fans booed and Gonzalez went back to the mound to face Air Force No. 3 hitter Tyler Jones with two runners on base.
“It was all really weird,” Gonzalez said. “We were upset because we thought Carl did catch it and it was a double play. But the umpire called us back out and everyone was yelling, ‘Strike him out, Luis.’”
Gonzalez did just that, getting Jones swinging on a high fastball. Gonzalez and Danny Collier then hit RBI doubles in the bottom of the inning, and UNM pulled away.
“That strikeout was a huge momentum play,” Birmingham said. “Luis was the player of the game today. He was clutch pretty much every way you can be.”
Collier finished 3-for-5 with three doubles, and Justin Watari went 2-for-3 and scored three runs for UNM.
NOTES: Outfielder Jared Mang left the game after colliding with outfield fence in the second inning. Birmingham said Mang was sore but cleared a concussion evaluation. … Pitcher Carson Schneider tied former Lobo and Sandia High teammate Taylor Duree for the program record in appearances (77) with a scoreless eighth inning. … The Lobos and Falcons combined to score 163 runs in six meetings this season.