New Mexico’s first trip to Les Murakami Stadium in 17 years went much differently than it was used to.
Michael Eaton homered and scored three times and Carl Stajduhar hit two of the Lobos’ four doubles in a season-opening 6-4 win over Hawaii on Friday night.
Danny Collier added a two-run single for the Lobos (1-0), who were 6-34 against Hawaii (1-2) in the islands coming in, but hadn’t made the trip since leaving the Western Athletic Conference following the 1999 season.
“We struggled on the mound today,” Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. “I can stomach the 11 hits, but you can’t have the walks that we have and we won’t do that. We don’t do that.”
The co-favorites in the Mountain West Conference showed off a potent lineup that registered five extra-base hits and took advantage of nine walks issued by UH pitchers.
The turning point of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when UH had runners on first and third and nobody out trailing 3-2.
The crowd of 2,446 got excited when junior Alex Fitchett, who started at designated hitter after missing both Hawaii Hilo games last week with a dislocated shoulder, doubled off the wall in left and Marcus Doi reached on an infield single.
Reliever Matt Villalobos, who replaced starter Carson Schneider to start the inning, got out of the jam needing only four pitches. Second baseman Josh Rojas hit into a double play and Kekai Rios popped out to first on the first pitch he saw.
New Mexico then turned it into a three-run lead when pinch hitter Collier hit a two-run single against a drawn-in infield in the top of the seventh.
“We just got into a tough situation there where we were not able to get the run in,” Trapasso said. “Honestly, the turning point was the walk that set everything up (in the seventh) inning. (New Mexico) is going to get its hits. It’s going to hit double and extra-base hits. You can’t allow (them) to hit the double with a runner on first that you just gave the free pass to.”
Matt LoCoco tripled in a run in the ninth inning and Hawaii scored twice to make it 6-4. New Mexico brought in reliever Victor Sanchez, who walked Fitchett to put the tying run on first before striking out Doi to end it.
Hawaii starter Brendan Hornung labored through the first three innings, throwing 71 pitches and walking four. He only gave up three hits, but they all went for extra bases, topped off by Eaton’s leadoff homer to left in the top of the third.
Carl Stajduhar started the scoring with an RBI double in the first and Jack Zoellner doubled to lead off the second and scored on a wild pitch.
The pitch was blockable for catcher Chayce Ka’aua, who had a rough three innings. He allowed two stolen bases on two throws that got away from Jacob Sheldon-Collins covering at second and was doubled up at second base on a line drive by Johnny Weeks that was caught by Zoellner at first.
Rios, a freshman out of Kamehameha, replaced Ka’aua defensively to start the fourth inning. Ka’aua fractured his finger sliding into second in the bottom of the third.
“Chayce did struggle the first couple of innings defensively, but I took him out because he was hurt,” Trapasso said. “We’re going to be seeing a lot more of Kekai. Kekai can catch. He’s super defensively.”
Rios’ presence seemed to calm down Hornung, who retired the next five he faced. A two-out infield single off the end of the bat and a double by Jared Mang ended Hornung’s night at 99 pitches and 4 2/3 innings.
Lawrence Chew relieved Hornung and walked Zoellner to load the bases before Reece Weber tried a two-out bunt and was thrown out at first.
Hornung struck out six and gave up five hits with four walks.
The Rainbow Warriors cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fifth inning on a two-out, two-run double by Sheldon-Collins, who led the team in hitting last season.
Weeks singled and LoCoco drew a two-out walk before Sheldon-Collins ripped a line drive to the wall in left field to score two.
Sheldon-Collins finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Alan Baldwin was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
Chew worked 2 2/3 innings in relief and allowed three hits and two runs with four walks and a strikeout.
Scottie Graham added a two-out RBI single in the ninth inning for New Mexico.
NEW MEXICO 6, HAWAII 4
| lobos |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
BB |
SO |
| Gonzalez cf |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Eaton 2b |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
| Stajduhar 3b |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| Holley 3b |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| DeVito dh |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Collier dh |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Manf lf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Vigil lf |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Zoellner 1b |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| Weber rf |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Graham c |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Bowers ss |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
| TOTALS |
35 |
6 |
11 |
5 |
9 |
9 |
| rainbow warriors |
AB |
R |
H |
BI |
BB |
SO |
| LoCoco cf |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Sheldon-Collins ss |
5 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
| Ramirez 1b |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Fitchett dh |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
| Doi lf |
5 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Rojas 2b |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Ka’aua c |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Rios c |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Weeks 3b |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Baldwin rf |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Candaroma rf |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| TOTALS |
35 |
4 |
10 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
| New Mexico (1-0) |
111 |
000 |
201 |
— |
6 |
11 |
3 |
| Hawaii (1-2) |
000 |
020 |
002 |
— |
4 |
10 |
0 |
E—Gonzalez; Stajduhar; . DP—New Mexico 3. LOB—New Mexico 12; Hawaii 10. 2b-Stajduhar 2; Mang; Zoellner; Sheldon-Collins; Fitchett; Baldwin. 3b-LoCoco HBP—none. SF-none. SB-Graham. CS—Bowers 2.
| new mexico |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Schneider (W, 1-0) |
5 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
| Villalobos |
12/3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Fernandez |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
| Sanchez (S, 1) |
1/3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| HAWAII |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Hornung (L, 0-2) |
4 2/3 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
6 |
| Chew |
2 2/3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
| Culp |
1 1/3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| WP-Hornung; Fernandez. HBP—none. PB-Chew. |
Umpires—(Plate): Jeff Henrichs (First): Billy Speck. (Third): Patrick Riley. T—3:30. A—2,446
