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Kesler Dominates Utah in Lobos' 5-2 Win
Mar 21, 2010 (Albuquerque Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Senior Willy Kesler pitched his first career complete game and had a career-high 13 strikeouts in the University of New Mexico's 5-2 baseball victory over Utah at Isotopes Park on Saturday.
Kesler (1-1) gave up only seven hits, and the UNM bats provided plenty of support to even the three-game Mountain West Conference series at one apiece.
"We needed a great pitching performance and we got it from Willy Kesler," said Lobos head coach Ray Birmingham. That timeliness especially was evident after Friday's series opener, an ugly performance for the Lobos (14-6, 1-1) in a 16-2 loss, in which the Utes accumulated 21 hits.
"Willy got up to 94 mph and threw a complete game with 13 strikeouts," Birmingham said. "That's impressive. The longer the game went, the longer he became a bulldog."
Kesler also set career highs for innings pitched, nine, and and fewest walks allowed, one.
"I tried to get our defense back in the dugout as fast as possible so we could hit," Kesler said.
Sophomore Rudy Jarmaillo threw the Lobos' last complete game on May 1, 2009 in an 8-4 victory over UNLV.
Utah (8-8, 1-1) followed its lopsided Friday win by getting two runs on three hits off Kesler in the top of the first inning.
Then, the senior from Thornton, Colo., retired nine straight batters in the second, third and fourth innings and gave up only four hits the rest of the way. He struck out eight Utes over the last five innings.
Junior Ryan Honeycutt was 4-for-4 with three RBIs for New Mexico. Senior Adam Courcha went 3-for-5 with a double.
Senior Justin Howard went 2-for-3 with two doubles and has hit in every game this season -- and 21 overall.
Today
Utah at UNM, noon. Radio: KQTM-FM (101.7)
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