Fresno State has not enjoyed much success in Albuquerque.
The Bulldogs are now just 1-14 when playing UNM on its home turf following Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Lobos.
“Fresno hates to come here,” head coach Ray Birmingham said.
Whether it was because of the altitude or UNM’s potent lineup, Fresno State’s pitching had a rough time against the Lobos. Before coming to Santa Ana Star field, Fresno State’s rotation lead the Mountain West in ERA, allowing just 2.9 runs per contest. The Lobos averaged 7.6 runs over the three-game series.
“You’ve always got to be patient with these guys,” Lobos starting pitcher Colton Thomson said about UNM’s lineup. “It could be a 0-0 ballgame through seven, but they could blow up at any moment.”
On Sunday, it only took six innings for New Mexico to get its offense in gear.
After trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, UNM exploded for a five-run frame, headed by DH/catcher Chris DeVito’s RBI single to get things started for the club.
DeVito had a monster series, highlighted by his three home run game on Saturday. However, the catcher said it’s not just him that’s seeing the ball well at the plate. He attributed a lot of success to Jack Zoellner and Carl Stajduhar, the four and five hitters that follow him in the lineup.
“It’s definitely a team effort, it’s not just me,” DeVito said. “Carl is swinging it well; Jack is swinging it hard right after. Our whole lineup, one to nine, is just swinging it well.”
DeVito wound up hitting 9-15 and collecting three extra-base hits, each of which were home runs, on Saturday. He also tacked on seven RBIs in the series.
Thomson said it’s good to have the run support he needs, especially on days when all of his pitches aren’t coming out of his hand the way he wants them to.
“I didn’t have all of my stuff I needed today,” the Lobo ace said. “I didn’t have my curveball. I threw one for a strike and it got hit pretty hard and I left a lot of balls up. So I’m lucky and fortunate that I beat this team.”
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At the midpoint of the season, injury and fatigue play a role in games as Jared Holley was limping around the bases after walking in the seventh inning.
“He’s hurting, he’s hurting,” the head coach said. “But he’s a gamer, he’s a tough kid, and he typifies this program.”
Holley would leave the game at the top of the eighth, but not before hobbling across home plate to extend the lead 7-4.
“If you couldn’t tell, you’ve got Jared Holley out there. He’s a bulldog. He’s the definition of a bulldog,” Thomson said. “He’s going out there and he’s working his ass off for us. That’s big time.”
The Lobos (23-9, 12-3 MW) have now taken complete control of the conference, but with plenty of games left, Birmingham said he’s not counting his chickens quite yet.
“It was a great series. Hard fought, very good team,” Birmingham said. “That’s the halfway point in the season and we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Up next for the Lobos is a trip to California as New Mexico will take on Santa Clara on Tuesday, followed by San Francisco on Wednesday before returning to conference action on the road against San Jose State.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
