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In one of its most complete outings of the year, the New Mexico baseball team on Thursday dominated SDSU 14-3 to take possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference standings.
In the bottom of the first, the Lobos scored when first baseman DJ Peterson hit a double to left center to plate second baseman Sam Haggerty. In the next at-bat, catcher Mitch Garver hit an RBI single up the middle of the infield to score Peterson. After designated hitter Alex Real hit into a fielder’s choice and left fielder Ryan Padilla walked, center fielder Josh Melendez doubled to left center to bring home Real for a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third inning, Padilla hit a two-RBI triple to plate Garver and Peterson. In the next at-bat, Melendez hit a sacrifice fly to score Padilla for a 6-0 edge for UNM.
After the Aztecs scored their first run of the game in the top of the fourth, the Lobos answered with two more runs in the bottom of the inning for an 8-1 advantage. The fourth inning would be the last for Aztec starting pitcher Michael Cederoth, who allowed only nine earned runs combined in 39 innings. Cederoth pitched four innings, allowing eight earned runs, eight hits and four walks with five strikeouts.
Lobo starting pitcher Kevin Baumgartner found himself in a bases-loaded squeeze with two outs in the sixth inning. He said he found his groove after Aztec center fielder Greg Allen grounded out to end the inning.
“I felt good today. Especially after that bases-loaded jam, I was able to get out of that and I felt that everything just clicked,” Baumgartner said. “I was able to use my changeup and I was able to hit my spots today.”
UNM (12-12, 5-2 MWC) added another run in the bottom of the sixth for a 9-1 lead. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, two Aztec pitchers walked three Lobos in succession to load the bases for right fielder Chase Harris. In his fifth at-bat of the day, Harris raked a grand slam to extend UNM’s advantage to 13-1. It was the Lobos’ third grand slam of the season and the first one not by Peterson.
SDSU (12-13, 4-3) put two more runs on the board in the top of the eighth. UNM scored another run in the eighth when Real hit a home run to left center, making the final score 14-3.
Baumgartner tossed 7 1/3 innings, giving up three runs and one earned run on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
Peterson went 3-3 with one RBI and four runs, while Garver went 4-5 with four RBIs and scored one run. Garver’s single in the first inning extended his career-best hitting streak to 23 games.
In the seventh inning, DJ Peterson slid awkwardly into second base. Head coach Ray Birmingham said Peterson hyperextended his right knee, but he should be fine.
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With the victory, the Lobos are at .500 for the first time since Feb. 22, when they were 2-2.
