Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
New Mexico
Wildcats Rally Late But Fall to New Mexico, 5-3
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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New Mexico 5, Northwestern 3 Surprise Stadium • Surprise, Ariz. | Box Score 
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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- New Mexico scored five unanswered runs to come fro behind to top Northwestern in the second game of the Surprise College Baseball Classic, 5-2.
As it did in the season-opening game against Oregon State, Northwestern struck first on the scoreboard Saturday. Joe Hoscheit roped a double to center field to open the top of the second inning, and one batter he scored after Matt Hopfner singled and New Mexico's Aaron Siple committed an error that allowed the run to come in.
The 'Cats clawed out another run in the top of the third inning. Shortstop Grant Peikert reached on an infield single with one away and he moved up to second on a groundout off the bat of Zach Jones. Designated hitter, and Tucson, Ariz., native, Reid Hunter belted Northwestern's second two-bagger in as many innings to bring Peikert home and increase the lead to two runs.
Over the next two innings, the Lobos were able to erase the deficit and post a two-run lead of their own. NU's Reed Mason allowed just one hit over his first two innings on the hill before UNM broke through on the scoreboard in the third. In the home half of the third inning, New Mexico got an RBI groundout that scored Cory Voss before Siple crossed the dish following a passed ball to tie the game.
Northwestern went down in order in the top of the fourth and the Lobos took the lead in their next at-bat. Carl Stajduhar hit an RBI double and Siple added a sacrifice fly to center that out New Mexico ahead, 4-2.
New Mexico added another run in the bottom of the fifth before the Wildcats looked to mount a comeback. Northwestern was in good shape when Hunter and Hoscheit kicked off the sixth with back-to-back base hits. Unfortunately a nifty double play and a strikeout ended that threat.
Nate Walker came on in relief of Mason in the bottom of the sixth. The latter finished his first start of the season after 5.0 innings and 91 pitches. He scattered seven hits and allowed five runs, one of which was unearned. Mason struck out three in his 2015 debut.
Walker retired the first three batters he faced before the Lobos got to him in the bottom of the seventh. Sam Haggerty opened the stanza with a single through the right side before a walk and a hit batsmen loaded the bases with one out. Walker fanned Andre Vigil on a 2-2 pitch for the second out and he coaxed Stajduhar to fly out to Walker Moses in left field to end the inning and escape unscathed.
Northwestern's Jake Stolley threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth to give the offense one last chance. Hoscheit reached on an error to begin the inning and pinch hitter Luke Dauch drew a one-out walk to put two aboard. Moses singled through the left side to drive home Hoscheit from second base and cut the deficit to two runs.
Cody Stevens followed Moses with another single, one that loaded the bases for freshman third baseman Connor Lind. Dauch tried to scamper home on a pitch in the dirt from Vic Sanchez, but he was cut down before Lind grounded out to end the game.
Hunter, Hoscheit and Stevens all notched multi-hit games for Northwestern, while Hoscheit scored two of the team's three runs. The sophomore is batting .375 on the young season.
The Wildcats wrap up the opening weekend in Arizona against a familiar foe Sunday. Northwestern will play Michigan State in a nonconference game at 12 p.m. CT (11 a.m. local time). Sophomore left-hander Matt Portland takes the ball for Northwestern, opposed by MSU's Anthony Misiewicz, a fellow southpaw.
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