In a thrilling comeback, the New Mexico Baseball team (28-24, 17-13 MW) secured their first trip to the Mountain West Tournament since 2017. Down 6-0 after seven innings, the Lobos rallied for a 10-9 victory over San Jose State (22-31, 16-14 MW) in the 11th inning on Saturday.
This win secures them the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, just behind Air Force (26-26, 18-12 MW) who swept Fresno State to claim the regular season title. While a shared title slipped through their grasp, the second-place finish marks their best performance since winning it all in 2017.
Despite a slow start with only two hits in the first seven innings, the Lobos exploded for 12 hits in the next four. Will Asby smashed a program-record fourth grand slam in the eighth, tying the game at 6-6. The Lobos continued to battle, adding three runs in the ninth before allowing San Jose State to tie it again.
Josh McAlister delivered the winning blow in the top of the 11th with a bases-loaded single. Left-handed pitcher Daxton Purser closed the door, striking out three and allowing just one hit over the final two innings to secure the win (1-2).
Kyle Smith led the offense with a 3-for-6 performance, while Jake Holland, Chase Weissenborn, and McAlister each had two hits. Asby drove in a team-high five RBIs with his grand slam and a crucial single later.
The Lobos will now head to the Mountain West Tournament at Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego, California, starting on May 23rd. In a remarkable twist of fate, they’ll face the same San Jose State team for the fourth consecutive time and seventh time overall this season. The Lobos and Spartans will kick off the tournament with the 2:30 PM start on the 23rd, with the winner advancing to take on the winner of the Air Force and Fresno State game later that day at 7:00 PM MT.
