ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sophomore pitcher Krissy Fortner tossed a three-hit shutout to help the University of New Mexico softball team to a 4-0 win Utah State, claiming the Mountain West series 2-1. The Lobos are now 17-12 on the season and 2-1 in the Mountain West.
The Lobos had the offense today but what happened on defense and in the circle is what helped the Lobos to victory.
Fortner did not allow a run and only allowed three hits on the day while striking out one and walking two. The Aggies didn’t get a hit until the third inning. They pounded out two hits in the third but their third hit of the day didn’t come until the fifth inning.
Fortner forced the Aggies to fly out or pop up 14 times throughout the game. The Lobos picked up a double play to end the third inning and freshman D’Andra DeFlora made a diving catch in left center that helped the Lobos stop some Aggie momentum in the sixth.
“Krissy threw a fantastic game,” said head coach Erica Beach. “And our defense had some amazing moments behind her. As a pitcher, that brings a lot of confidence.”
But the win didn’t come without some consistent offense.
“We were threatening a lot this game and had a lot of opportunities to score more runs but I am proud that they scored in multiple innings.”
The Lobos took a 1-0 lead in the second as senior Karissa Haleman singled to third base with one out. She then moved on over to third off DeFlora’s single to left center. Fresman Cheyenne Smith singled into short left to score Haleman for the Lobos’ first run.
In the fourth inning, freshman Jade Gray and Haleman led off the inning with back-to-back hits, putting them on second and third. Gray then took advantage of a wild pitch and scored to take a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore Chelsea Johnson took one more pitch over the fence, a two-run bomb to center, extending the Lobos lead to 4-0. That was her third home of the weekend, as she hit one in each game of the series.
Fortner claimed the win in the circle to improve to 3-1 on the season. At the plate, Haleman went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Erickson and Rimmer each went 2-for-4 while Johnson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
The Lobo will look to next weekend as they head to Nevada for their second Mountain West series. They play Friday at 5 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. For live stats or video, visit GoLobos.com.