New Mexico brought out the brooms on the back of left-handed pitcher Colton Thomson's gem of a game in an 11-1 rout over San Jose State on Sunday.
The game was sailing along in what looked to be a pitchers’ duel between Thomson and Josh Nashed (0-4). However, a rocky 7th inning for Nashed ruined any shot of a Spartan comeback.
While every pitcher would like to have the backing of the offense, Thomson received more than enough in this blowout victory in the final game of the series. The seven run bottom of the seventh proved to be plenty for Thomson (2-1), who shut down SJSU in his eight innings pitched, his longest career outing.
“It’s awesome, but then again it sucks because you’ve got to sit on the bench for about 30 minutes,” Thomson said. “I’m not going to complain about the run support, they’re awesome.”
He said that he was pleased with his performance, and that he would have liked to have waved head coach Ray Birmingham back to the bench in the ninth inning after allowing a leadoff walk.
“He had so many pitches, we wanted another kid to get back in there,” Birmingham said. “We told him that if he lets anyone get on, we’re pulling him.”
Thomson was able to joke about it after the game, but he said that recording his first career complete game was in the back of his mind.
“Are you kidding me? You’re not going to let me finish?” Thomson said about his thought process as his coach approached the mound. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with a little rest, so it’s fine. We got the win.”
In eight plus innings, Thomson allowed four hits and one run on just 82 pitches. Thomson walked two and also added four strikeouts to his stat sheet.
“They’re early swingers, so I just got ahead, they swung early,” Thomson said. “I just had to throw strikes. They got themselves out.”
Birmingham said a lot of the credit towards Thomson’s pitching progress should go to Ken Jacome, UNM’s pitching coach. He said that Jacome has turned Thomson into a championship pitcher.
Thomson’s gem may have been overshadowed a bit by the thunder from UNM's offensive lineup, particularly the seven run seventh inning.
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Despite the offensive explosion, none of the team's 11 runs came off the back of a homer.The Lobos didn’t need the long ball all day as the extra base hits they lined up proved to be plenty. New Mexico collected five extra base hits on the day, one of which came on a triple from first baseman Jack Zoellner in the monster of a seventh inning.
Zoellner’s three hit day was the backbone of UNM’s ability to score runs, as he knocked in four of them individually.
UNM is now riding a five game win-streak after their sweep over the Spartans (6-13, 2-6 MW), and the team has been reliant on its starting pitching during that stretch.
Birmingham said the series was highlighted by UNM’s starting pitching and its bullpen. He said that the club can’t always rely on its offense to bail shaky pitching out, and as the squad continues to get better, it will be on the backs of its pitching staff and defensive play.
“The starters were very good; the bullpen was too. That’s what you need to win championships,” Birmingham said. “You can’t do it with offense, you have to do it with pitching and defense.”
Up next for the Lobos (13-6, 5-1 MW) is Texas Tech on Tuesday. Birmingham said that, while he isn’t worried about talent on his roster or the quality of other schools his team will face, the grueling part of the season is something that has crossed his mind.
“The biggest thing I’m worried about right now is fatigue,” Birmingham said. “We get on a bus tomorrow at one o’clock.”
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.
