UNM's Spenrath hits two grand slams in win over Nevada
May 10—Reed Spenrath smacked three home runs — two of them grand slams — and the University of New Mexico baseball team routed Nevada 16-0 at windy Santa Ana Star Field on Friday night.
Spenrath's nine-RBI power display backed a combined four-hit shutout by Lobos starter Dayne Pengelly and reliever Arthur Steinkamp. Pengelly (4-4) was masterful, allowing four hits and striking out 12 over seven innings. Steinkamp retired the final six batters in order with two strikeouts.
The Lobos (26-21, 15-10 Mountain West) moved two games ahead of the Wolf Pack (21-24, 13-12) in the tightly bunched leage standings. UNM retained at least a share of first place with Fresno State, which hosted UNLV in a late game Friday.
UNM and Nevada were scoreless until the third inning, when Spenrath lofted his first grand slam, a two-out opposite-field shot to left field to make it 4-0. He added another slam during an eight-run sixth inning that broke the game open.
Spenrath's final home run was a solo shot in the eighth. All three homers went to left field, giving him 14 for the season. He was the first UNM player to hit two grand slams in a game since Mark Gulseth did it against San Diego State on April 19, 1992.
Chase Weissenborn and Khalil Walker each collected three of UNM's 17 hits. Walker extended his hitting streak to 18 games and raised his MWC-leading batting average to .424. Akili Carris went 2-for-5 with a double and drove in two runs for UNM.
The Lobos and Wolf Pack will play game two of the three-game series Saturday at 2 p.m. The finale is set for Sunday at noon.
