Baseball falls at home 5-2 to Lobos, loses seventh straight

Aztecs inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities lingered through all nine innings

by Jacob Fogelstrom, Staff Writer • March 29, 2024

San Diego State left handed pitcher Chris Canada throws a pitch off the mound against the New Mexico Lobos at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Canada allowed 3 earned runs and 2 hits in the 5-2 loss to begin the series against the Lobos on March. 28.

The rough month of March continues for San Diego State baseball as they fell to New Mexico, 5-2, Thursday night at Tony Gwynn stadium to begin their three-game homestand.

Pitcher Chris Canada started on the mound after an unexpectedly slow start to the season and gave SDSU 4.1 IP, allowing 3 earned runs and just 2 hits.

“He did a great job tonight,” said head coach Shaun Cole. “We made some adjustments in his delivery and gave him time off mentally, it proved to be a huge positive.”

Infielder Colby Turner continued his strong freshman campaign, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run of his own. This pair of hits added to his 29 on the season while raising his batting average to .383, both team highs.

The lone runs of the game for the Scarlet and Black (6-17, 2-8 MW) came in the 8th inning. The inning began with a walk from outfielder Irvin Weems, followed by an RBI single from infielder Colby Turner. A base hit from infielder Tino Bethancourt moved Turner to third, and led to a sacrifice fly from catcher Evan Sipe to make it 5-2.

Despite just scoring two runs, SDSU had a runner in scoring position in eight of the nine innings, but could not capitalize on these scoring opportunities consistently.

“We’ve been trying to improve our clutch hitting the last two weeks,” Cole said. “If we can fix that area, we’ll compete in more games and see a lot more wins.”

The New Mexico offensive outburst came in the 5th inning with the help of sloppy Aztec pitching. The SDSU pitching staff would draw up an inning including 6 walks, 1 batter hit by a pitch, and a double to give the Lobos (16-9, 7-3 MW) a 5-0 lead. Two of these six walks came with the bases loaded, walking in 2 runs and taking pressure off the Lobos bats.

Freshman pitchers Chris Canavan and Evan Miranda gave the Aztecs a fighting chance to close the game, combining for 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit combined

SDSU looks to bounce back in a doubleheader against the Lobos to close out the series on Friday.

First pitch times are set for 2 and 6 p.m. in Tony Gwynn stadium.

About the Contributors

Jacob Fogelstrom, '24-25 Sports Editor

Stemming from Brentwood, California, Jacob Fogelstrom is a fourth-year student majoring in Journalism. This is Jacob’s second year at the Daily Aztec, and first year as Sports Editor. Prior to the DA, Jacob wrote for the LPC Express news, as well as his high school newspaper. Growing up, Jacob's life revolved around sports. His father and grandfather played college football, with his grandfather being in the Fresno State hall of fame. In his free time, Jacob likes to go to the gym, play basketball, and explore his passion of photography. Jacob's goals in the Daily Aztec are to grow his writing and tell the stories of athletes on a deeper level than simply what happens during game-day.

Chinedu Nwoffiah, Photographer

Chinedu Nwoffiah (he/him/his) is a fourth-year Communication major specializing in Digital & Social Media Studies. He has always had a passion for sports and storytelling and has been able to enhance his skills throughout his time at The Daily Aztec. Since joining in 2023, he has covered nearly every sport through photography and contributed as a writer, broadcaster, and multimedia specialist for men’s basketball.