JACKRABBITS FALL IN SLUGFEST AT NEW MEXICO

Friday, February 23

Albuquerque, N.M.

2 p.m. MT/3 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

3-3

New Mexico

3-3

South Dakota State

New Mexico

Photo by: Zachary Lucy

2/23/2024 9:19:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull out a 12-11 victory over South Dakota State in a back-and-forth nonconference baseball game Friday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field.

In evening the four-game series at a game apiece, the Lobos improved to 3-3 overall. SDSU also moved to 3-3 on the season.

Will Asby started the final Lobo rally with a walk issued by Owen Bishop, who was in his third inning of work. Ethan Ott greeted Jackrabbit reliever Reece Arbogast with a single to put runners at the corners. Konner Kinkade then stepped to the plate and hit a ground-rule double down the left-field line that plated pinch runner Tye Wood and put another pinch runner, Andrew Neil, at third base with nobody out. After an intentional walk to Josh McAlister loaded the bases, Reed Spenrath came through with the game-ending single to right field.

UNM's game-winning rally came after the Jackrabbits regained the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the final frame, starting with Thatcher Kozal leading off the inning with a game-tying home run to right-center field. With the lineup rolling back over to the top of the lineup, freshman Bryce Ronken recorded his third extra-base hit of the day — a double to the right-center gap — and later scored the go-ahead run on a single up the middle by Carter Sintek.

For the first time this season, the Jackrabbits did not score first. New Mexico grabbed a 1-0 first-inning lead on an RBI single by Luke Mansy.

SDSU responded with a four-run second inning and tacked on two more runs in the third to build a 6-1 advantage. The Jackrabbits took advantage of some shaky defense as Davis Carr plated the first two SDSU runs with a double to left field and Ronken followed with his first collegiate homer, a two-run shot to right.

The Jackrabbits' third-inning runs scored on an RBI single by Jess Bellows that plated Cael Frost and on a safety squeeze bunt that drove in Cade Stuff.

The Lobos drew even at 6-all with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and three runs in the fourth, chasing SDSU starter Arlen Peters from the game before an out was recorded in the latter frame. Jackrabbit reliever Dylan Driessen minimized the damage in the fourth and kept UNM off the board with two more scoreless frames.

Carr delivered his second run-scoring hit of the day in the top of the fifth, singling home Adam Benes as SDSU took the lead back at 7-6. The Jackrabbits capitalized on UNM errors to add single runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.

New Mexico rallied to take the lead for the first time with a four-run seventh inning highlighted by a Spenrath RBI double.

The Jackrabbits notched a season-high 19 hits, including Ronken, Sintek and Cael Frost each going 3-for-6 at the plate. Four other SDSU players collected two hits.

UNM's Sean Stephens was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and triple on the day and also drew two walks to reach base five times.

Arbogast was assessed the loss in his brief relief stint. Driessen tossed three scoreless frames, striking out one and walking one, while Peters was charged with six runs — five earned — on six hits. He walked five and struck out only one.

UP NEXT
The four-game series concludes Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon Mountain Time (1 p.m. Central).

NOTES

New Mexico leads the all-time series, 24-4
Nine of the Jackrabbits' 19 hits went for extra bases — six doubles, one triple and a home run
Jess Bellows was credited with a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to 15 games dating back to last season and also reached base safely for the 25^th consecutive game
Dawson Parry posted two hits for his fifth multi-hit game this season
SDSU has homered in all six games this season and eight different Jackrabbits have hit round-trippers
Sintek recorded the first triple of the season for the Jackrabbits in the seventh inning
Ronken hit the first pitch of the game for his first of two doubles
Carr has six RBIs so far in the series and 11 for the season