ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –  New Mexico rallied from an early deficit for the second night in a row against Missouri State, as the Lobos climbed out of a four-run hole by scoring nine unanswered runs to claim a 9-5 victory over the Bears Friday evening at Santa Ana Star Field.

After the Lobos (20-13-1) overcame a pair of two-run deficits in Thursday's 17-8 victory, they would mount an even bigger comeback to secure the non-conference series win in game two. MSU jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind Jake Burger's two-run homer in the first and a two-run single by Jack Duffy in the third. It would not be enough, as the Lobos turned in another big night at the plate, recording 10 hits and coaxing six walks from MSU pitching.

UNM scored in four straight innings to turn the tide, including a three-run fifth that included a pair of walks, a hit batsman and four wild pitches from MSU hurlers. Given the lead, Lobos starter Tyler Stevens and four relievers combined to hold the Bears scoreless until Duffy's ninth inning triple led to the fifth and final MSU run.

Stevens (5-3) struggled with his command early, walking four Bears and reaching the 90-pitch mark by the fourth inning. But the right-hander helped stymie several early scoring chances that could have added to the MSU lead and worked into the sixth inning to earn the victory. In all, the Lobos fanned 11 Bears hitters en route to stranding 15 MSU baserunners.

For the second night in a row, Jared Mang led the UNM offense, this time going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, two RBIs and his second homer of the series.

Duffy also logged a big night for MSU with his second three-hit performance in as many nights, but it would not be enough to help the Bears (21-13) avoid their sixth straight non-conference loss.

Like they did in Thursday's series opener, the Bears put a pair of runs on the board in the first inning to grab an early edge. Hunter Steinmetz led off the game with a line single to center off Stevens, before Burger lifted off for his 14th home run of the season to center, giving MSU a 2-0 lead.

It would be Duffy's turn to spark the MSU offense in the top of the third, as the freshman delivered his fourth hit in just six at-bats in the series to push the margin to four runs. Justin Paulsen lined a leadoff hit off the first-base bag, before Aaron Meyer extended the inning with a two-out double to right-center. With runners at second and third, Duffy lined an 0-1 pitch to center to drive in his third and fourth runs of the series.

The Bears would have multiple opportunities to extend the lead, but instead left nine men on base through the first five frames. MSU left runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings, including the fifth, when Steinmetz was called out at first on a bang-bang play to leave the bases loaded.

UNM would battle back with two runs in the third, getting a Mang RBI double and a Carl Stajduhar run-scoring ground ball to cut the deficit in half. The Lobos pushed across another tally in the fourth, capitalizing on the first of two key Hayden Schilling singles to start the inning. Danny Collier's one-out single to left brought home the UNM shortstop to make it a 4-3 game, but Bears starter Dylan Coleman (4-2) avoided further damage by inducing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play ball.

But the Lobos, who scored a total of 10 two-out runs in the series opener, would strike with yet another two-out rally to seize control in a marathon fifth. Moments after Burger snared a line drive off the bat of Jack Zoellner for the second out, Coleman's third wild pitch of the inning allowed Andrew Pratt to come home from third with the tying run. Schilling and Beau Capanna followed with run-scoring singles to put the home team in front.

MSU reliever Austin Knight stopped the bleeding to get Collier on a pop up to short, but the Lobos would strike against the right-hander for two more runs in the sixth to double their advantage. A one-out walk to Luis Gonzalez started UNM's eighth rally of at least two runs in the first 15 innings of the series, as back-to-back run-scoring hits by Stajduhar and Zoellner made it an 8-4 game.

A Lobo throwing error and back-to-back two-out walks led to another MSU scoring chance in the seventh. But UNM reliever Justin Slaten came up with a big strikeout of Steinmetz to end the inning and preserve the four-run lead.

Mang would account for the final UNM tally with his solo blast in the bottom of the eighth.

Coleman suffered his second loss of the season after allowing the first six Lobo runs on seven hits and four walks in his 4 2/3 innings. Knight would close out the game with 3.1 innings of relief, over which he allowed three runs on just three hits.

The Bears will attempt to salvage the final game of the series Saturday (April 15), when the two clubs square off again in a 1 p.m. (CDT) contest.