May 12, 2005

Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The New Mexico baseball team recorded its largest margin of victory over San Diego State in school history with a 16-0 thrashing of the Aztecs Thursday afternoon at Isotopes Park. Senior right-hander Karsten Gaarder fired a four-hit complete game shutout and the Lobos slugged 21 hits and four homers in the victory. Jordan Pacheco recorded his second multi-homer game of the season and went 5-for-6 with five RBI and three runs. The two teams will meet for the second game of the series Friday at 12 p.m.

Sophomore Chris Carlson, who earlier in the day was named to the Academic All-District VI team, belted two homers for the second time this season and went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Carlson hit a solo blast in the first to give UNM a quick 1-0 lead.

Pacheco smashed the first of his two homers with a solo shot deep past the centerfield fence in the bottom of the third inning, putting the Lobos (22-27, 12-13 Mountain West) up 2-0.

The Lobos took a 5-0 lead with three runs in the fourth, knocking out Aztec starter Alex Hinshaw (5-7) in the process. Brandon Bingham brought home the first run with a sacrifice fly, then Pacheco delivered his second dinger of the game - and 14th of the season - with a two-run shot to left.

UNM added three in the seventh, including RBI singles by Matt Foote and Jeff Grady, to take a commanding 8-0 lead.

The Lobos broke the game open with eight runs in the eighth. Carlson crushed a two-run homer to left, his 13th of the season, while Ian Hollick, Chris Dabbs and Pacheco all tallied RBI hits in the inning. Pacheco's five hits and five RBI were both season highs for the freshman standout, who improved hit batting average to a MWC-best .424.

While the Lobos were supplying the power, Gaarder cruised through San Diego State's (21-30, 15-10 MWC) lineup all day long. Gaarder struck out six and retired eight of the last nine batters he faced.

Ryan Barba tied a school record with two triples in the game and went 3-for-6 with a run and an RBI. Daniel Stovall went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs, Hollick went 3-for-5 with two runs, and Foote and Dabbs each collected two hits and two runs.

GAME NOTES: • UNM's previous largest margin of victory over San Diego State came last season, as the Lobos topped the Aztecs 18-9 in San Diego on May 2 • This marks the first time UNM has shut out San Diego State since a 3-0 win in Albuquerque on April 26, 1985 • Gaarder's complete-game shutout is the first for UNM since Jamie Vermilyea fired a six-hit shutout over New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 8, 2003 at Lobo Field • This marks UNM's first shutout since a 1-0 win over BYU on April 2, 2004 at Isotopes Park