ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth season opener that stretched past midnight local time, the New Mexico Lobos staged a dramatic ninth-inning rally to walk off with a 10-9 victory over the Fordham Rams on Friday evening.

The game, played on Feb. 13, 2026, saw the Lobos erase an eight-run deficit, only to fall behind again in the top of the ninth before capitalizing on a costly Fordham error to secure the win in the bottom half.

Fordham’s offense erupted early against New Mexico starter Cristian Mogen. The Rams struck for five runs in the third inning, highlighted by a solo home run from Dean and a three-run blast from McAndrews. They added another run in the fourth on a solo homer by Ocko, building a commanding 9-1 lead by the middle of the fifth inning.

New Mexico’s comeback began in earnest in the sixth. Trailing 9-1, the Lobos sent nine men to the plate, scoring four runs on four hits, including a two-run double from Kuni and RBI singles from Mansy and Herd. The rally chased Fordham starter Beau Elson and cut the deficit to 9-5.

The Lobos continued their charge in the seventh. After a leadoff single and error placed Diaz on third, Kuni launched a two-run homer to deep center field. Later in the inning, Trujillo delivered an RBI single, bringing New Mexico within a single run at 9-8.

Fordham appeared to deliver a critical insurance run in the top of the eighth when Markey doubled home Ocko, extending the lead to 9-8. In the top of the ninth, facing reliever Ty Cunningham, the Rams struck again. After a leadoff single by Grabau, Donnelly hammered a two-run homer to right-center field, seemingly crushing the Lobos’ hopes and putting Fordham ahead 9-8.

Undeterred, New Mexico mounted its final, decisive rally in the bottom of the ninth against Fordham reliever Koen Smith. Ashby led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Antonio Gianni. After a popout, Gene Trujillo singled to right, moving Gianni to third. Pinch-runner Tristan Russell replaced Trujillo. Smith then walked Caleb Herd to load the bases with one out. A popout for the second out brought Walker to the plate, who worked a bases-loaded walk to force in Gianni and tie the game at 9.

With the bases still loaded, Diaz hit a sharp ground ball to first baseman Dieguez, whose fielding error allowed Russell to score from third, giving the Lobos a stunning 10-9 walk-off victory.

Fordham collected 12 hits in the loss, with Grabau, McAndrews and Dean each recording multiple hits. New Mexico out-hit the Rams with 13, led by multi-hit games from Diaz, Kuni, Ashby, Mansy and Trujillo. The New Mexico bullpen, after the early exit by Mogen, was anchored by Cunningham, who worked 3 2/3 innings before giving way to Wiseman in the ninth.

The win improved New Mexico’s record to 1-0, while Fordham fell to 0-1. The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 14, to continue the series.

The most important sequence of the game was the bottom of the ninth inning. After Fordham had reclaimed the lead in the top half on Donnelly’s two-run homer, the Lobos, down to their final out with the bases loaded, first tied the game on a walk and then won it on a defensive miscue. This capped a monumental comeback from an 8-1 hole and encapsulated the game’s chaotic, back-and-forth nature, shifting the outcome on the final play.