ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico softball team fell in the final game of the series to UNLV 7-3 Sunday afternoon at Lobo Softball Field. New Mexico is now 20-20 on the season and 5-9 in the Mountain West. UNLV improves to 23-24 on the season and 7-11 in conference action.
New Mexico got on the board first with a run in the first inning. Freshman Cheyenne Smith singled to the infield and later scored on an RBI single by sophomore Chelsea Johnson.
But UNLV wasn’t going down easy again as they put three runs up in the second off Lobo starter Lisa Rodrigues.
The bats were silent for both teams until Johnson cut the UNLV to 3-2 after her seventh home run of the season, a solo shot over the center field wall.
Four more runs came across for UNLV, extending their lead to 7-2 going into the seventh. The Lobos made a pitching change, going to junior Tess McPherson. She was able to get the Lobos out of the inning and held the Rebels in the 7th.
The Lobos tried to make a comeback in the seventh, plating one run off an RBI from Johnson but a final strikeout ended the game.
Johnson led the Lobos with a 3-for-4 effort with three RBIs and a run scored. Juniors Jasmine Casados and Michala Erickson had two hits each.
In the circle, Rodrigues took her first loss of the season, dropping to 2-1. She allowed seven runs, five earned, off 10 hits while striking out three and walking one. McPherson allowed just one hit in her 1.2 innings of work.
The Lobos will look to regain their winning momentum on the road as they travel to Boise State next weekend for a three-game series.