The Lobos broke out of their six-game losing streak with a bang on Wednesday afternoon, scoring 22 runs on 25 hits to split a two-game series with Grand Canyon University at Santa Ana Star Field on Wednesday
UNM fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but responded with a four-run frame of their own, highlighted by a three-run home run by shortstop Andre Pratt.
“That first inning set the tempo,” UNM coach Ray Birmingham said in a quote to GoLobos.com ”We aren’t facing weekend pitching and that’s what Lobos are supposed to do against midweek pitching. Our struggles could’ve been a combination of things like fatigue or feeling sorry for themselves for losing a bunch of one-run games against one of the best teams in the country – but you still go to fight and compete.”
Fight and compete they did, with two more runs in the second inning before placing a 10-run crooked number in the fourth to blow the game wide open.
Six Lobos posted multi-hit performances on the day, including third baseman Carl Stajduhar, who notched five hits in six at-bats, while scoring four runs. Left fielder Danny Collier and right fielder Jaren Mang each plated a team-high four RBIs.
“The struggles hitting as a team were frustrating,” Stajduhar said. “We had a couple of meetings trying to figure out what was going on. We finally realized we have to go up there and trust ourselves. We work super hard with hitting, and with our pitchers throwing the way they are, we have to get runs for them because they are throwing their butts off for us.”
Stajduhar and the Lobos will look to continue their hot hitting with a three-game conference series against UNLV over the weekend before heading south for a rematch against New Mexico State.
Be sure to catch all of the action live on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM.