March 27, 2004
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - New Mexico sent 10 men to the plate, scoring five times in the third innings as it went on to a 13-6 win over San Diego State Saturday evening at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque. It was a game in which the Aztecs fought back late only to see the Lobos equal their scoring efforts over the final four innings. Lobo starting pitcher Danny Herrera (1-4) won for the first time this season, pitching into the sixth inning. The loss ended SDSU's four-game win streak, its longest of the season.
The Lobos (6-15-1, 3-2 MWC) scored their first two runs on solo homers, the first by Chris Dabbs in the second and the second by Jeff Grady to lead off the third. Grady's homer was the first of four straight hits for UNM in that inning off Aztec starter Daryl Harang, who gave up the Lobos' first six runs of the game and suffered the loss to fall to 1-4.
Down 6-0, San Diego State (14-18, 4-1 MWC) rallied for four runs in the sixth on four hits and a walk. Brock Ungricht's two-run single and a two-out two-RBI double by catcher Clay Coulter made it a 6-4 game.
However, the Aztecs gave three of those runs back in the bottom of the inning as a pair of errors, two walks and a single gifted the Lobos a 9-4 advantage. Those three runs would keep the home team in the lead as SDSU scored a pair in the next frame (seventh) on an RBI double by Ungricht, his second two-bagger of the contest, that only allowed them close within three once again at 9-6.
The Lobos responded in the bottom of the seventh, sending nine men to the plate and scoring four times on five hits, two sacrifice flies and a hit batter off Aztec reliever J.T. Zink to put the game away.
Ungricht was SDSU's offensive leader on the night with three hits including two doubles and five runs batted in. Lance Zawadzki also contributed three hits and walk while scoring three times.
San Diego State and New Mexico will play the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday (March 28) at noon at Isotopes Park.
New Mexico 13, San Diego State 7SDS 000 004 200 - 7 9 3UNM 015 003 40x - 13 14 2Harang, Jenson (3), Zink (7), Pace (8) and CoulterHerrera, Pacas (6), Letz (7), J. Smith (8) Salas (9) and J. GradyW - Herrera (1-5)L - Harang (1-4)Sv - NoneHR - UNM: Dabbs (2nd-none on), J. Grady (3rd-none on)Att. - 5,671Time - 3:01