Jake Goebbert
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Northwestern dropped a pair of games to New Mexico Saturday, falling in a 16-12 shootout in the opening contest before dropping the nightcap 10-6 at Isotopes Park. The Wildcats jumped out to an early four-run lead in the second contest but were unable to hold on.
NU (4-13) trailed by as many as 13 in the first game but rallied back to get the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning. However, the Wildcats were unable to make it all the way back.
The high-powered Lobos’ offense was able to get to steady sophomore starter Eric Jokisch, touching the lefty for seven runs before he exited in the fifth inning. New Mexico connected for four home runs through the first five innings and five overall in the game.
NU trailed just 3-1 following Chad Noble’s RBI single in the top of the fourth. But two runs in the bottom of the fourth and then nine more in the fifth helped New Mexico pull away. The Lobos entered the weekend with a team batting average of .399.
The Wildcats refused to go away, though. Freshman Paul Snieder got Northwestern two runs back in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer, the second of his young collegiate career. In the seventh, a two-run double by Jake Goebbert and an RBI single by Tony Vercelli made it 14-6.
The Lobos got two of the runs back in their half of the seventh before Northwestern made New Mexico sweat in the the eighth. Each of the first three batters reached before Chris Kontos singled home a run. Back-to-back walks to Goebbert and Vercelli plated two more runs to make it 16-9, prompting a pitching change. After Chris Lashmet was hit by a pitch to bring home NU’s 10th run, Snieder singled home a pair to bring the tying run to the plate. However, the Lobos were able to record a double play, prompting a sigh of relief.
NU got a one-out single by Quentin Williams in the ninth but was unable to complete the rally.
New Mexico finished with a 22-13 advantage in the hit column. Snieder, who drove in four, and Goebbert, who drove in three, finished with two hits apiece. Eleven different Wildcats had a hit in the contest.
Northwestern surged out to a 4-0 following its first two at-bats of the second game.
Noble continued his red-hot series by driving home Trevor Stevens and Tommy Finnwith a first-inning single. The Wildcats added to their lead in the second as a single and an error put two on with no one out. Stevens reached on a fielder’s choice and Zach Morton came around to score from second on an error on the play. Finn would later chip in with an RBI single to make it 4-0.
However, New Mexico answered back with four in the bottom half of the second against Joe Muraski to tie the game. The Lobos would then take the lead with a pair of tallies in the third thanks in part to three errors by NU in the frame.
Northwestern knotted the game 6-6 with two runs in its half of the fifth. Kenneth Avila got the Wildcats within one with a double that plated Lashmet and Morton later scored on a fielder’s choice on a ball hit by Stevens.
The decisive runs came in the seventh as Adam Couchra hit a two-run home run to put the hosts ahead 8-6. The Lobos would tack on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth to extend their advantage to four, which would be the final margin.
Each team had five errors in the sloppy contest. New Mexico posted a 12-8 edge in the hit column. Stevens paced NU with two hits.
The teams conclude their four-game series at 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
