Fresno State hung close — to the bottom halves of the final innings — against a New Mexico team that ended the weekend in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference standings.
It was a wild weekend for the Bulldogs, one filled with competitive games that turned into routs.
Fresno State fell to the Lobos 11-4 on Friday, 14-3 on Saturday and 4-3 on Sunday in the Bulldogs’ home conference series at Beiden Field.
On Friday, it was a seven-run Lobos barrage in the seventh inning that doomed the Bulldogs, who, up until that point, kept the score tied at four.
On Saturday, it was a monumental 12-run Lobos comeback in the eighth inning that sent Fresno State spiraling.
And on Sunday, it was more of the same story.
This time, it was a ninth-inning walk-off pitch that gave way to the Lobos’ 4-3 win at home.
Jordan Brink had his longest outing of his career on Sunday, pitching eight complete innings and allowing seven hits.
The Lobos, with the game tied at one at the top of the eighth, grabbed the game-winning run inthe ninth with Tim Borst in relief for Brink.
Jared Holley scored the winning run after a wild pitch by Borst sailed to the backstop. Borst was trying to intentionally walk D.J. Peterson, the Mountain West Co-Player of the Year, with first base open.
Bulldogs freshman Blake Quinn took the mound on Saturday — his second straight start — for six innings and gave up four hits and two runs.
It wasn’t enough for the Bulldogs, who fell prey to a monster eighth inning by the Lobos.
“That’s two outstanding starts for Quinn and at least you can take that to the bus right now,” Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said after Saturday’s loss. “We played outstanding baseball for seven innings, but we play nine-inning games here in Division I baseball. We still have some things to work out.”
Fresno State hosts CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday (6:35 p.m.) for a midweek matchup before hosting Air Force in a jam-packed five-game conference series at Beiden Field this weekend.
The Bulldogs and the Falcons will play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday and a game on Sunday. Two games of the teams’ first series at Air Force had to be rescheduled for a later time due to inclement weather.
