Lobos keep swinging it, split twin bill

Softball loses twice in tourney

Visiting St. Bonaventure emphatically ended New Mexico baseball’s five-game winning streak on Saturday, but the Lobos romped in game two to split a doubleheader at Santa Ana Star Field.

Braydon Runion homered went 4-for-4 with five RBIS in UNM’s 20-3 seven-inning win. It followed the Bonnies’ 17-8 win in game one.

UNM (8-2) and St. Bonaventure (1-6) wrap up the series Sunday with a noon game at Santa Ana Star Field.

Runion and Jake Holland also had two hits each in an 11-run Lobo first inning, made worse by five walks and two errors by the Bonnies. UNM walked nine times in the game.

Jaren Jackson (1-0) allowed three runs over six innings to get the pitching win.

In Saturday’s opener, St. Bonaventure first baseman Danny Manion slammed two home runs in a 5-for-5 performance for his team’s first win of the year. The Bonnies collected 20 hits against six Lobo pitchers. Starter Tristan Lively (2-1) allowed five runs over two innings and took the defeat.

■ In Las Cruces, New Mexico State fell to 0-8 late Friday with a 6-4 loss to Pacific in the debut of interim coach Keith Zuniga. Earlier in the week, NMSU fired coach Mike Kirby in the midst of an 0-7 start. The

Aggies and Pacific were set to play again late Saturday and wrap up their series Sunday with an 11 a.m. contest at Presley Askew Field.

SOFTBALL: At the ASU/ GCU Classic in Phoenix, New Mexico (8-13) fell 3-0 to No. 11 Washington (163) and then lost 6-1 to host Grand Canyon on Saturday. Lauren Garcia and Maddie Boldt had UNM’s two hits in game one. The Lobos had eight hits in game two but stranded eight base runners.

The Lobos wrap up the tournament Sunday vs. Charlotte.

■ In Las Cruces, leadoff hitter Jillian Taylor was 3-for-3 and hit one of four New Mexico State homers in a 12-3 win over UTEP (8-10) on Saturday at the NM State Round Robin. The Aggies (8-7) fell 6-4 later to Northern Colorado (8-9). The Aggies again play UNC and UTEP on Sunday.

TENNIS: The UNM men (7-2) host Rice Sunday at 2 p.m. at McKinnon Family Tennis Center and will look to win their fourth consecutive match.

On Friday, the Lobos, ranked 68th nationally, defeated Portland 4-2 to match the program’s best start since going 7-2 in 2014.

At No. 1 singles, UNM’s Arda Azkara, a sophomore from Izmet, Turkey, defeated Portland’s Sema Pankin 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) to improve to 9-1 at home in dual match play. Eldorado alumnus Georgio Samaha won at No. 6 singles and has a team-best 16 wins.

Portland and Rice were to play Saturday at UNM.