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Lobos Mercy Rule NMSU, 13-4 in Six Innings

BOX SCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Paced by 14 hits, including three homeruns, The University of New Mexico softball team mercy ruled rival New Mexico State by a final score of 13-4 in six innings on the road in Las Cruces on Tuesday night. The victory marks UNM’s first over the Aggies since March 19, 2014.

The victory snaps an eight-win streak for the Aggies over the Lobos in the series, as well as NMSU’s six-win streak on the season going into Tuesday night’s game. Their streak started on March 21 vs UNM and ends with UNM.

Sophomore Jensen Main pitched all six innings for the Lobos, allowing four earned runs on eight hits while striking out three batters. She improves to 5-12 on the season. UNM struck out just three times on the night coming off of a conference contest in which the Lobos struck out 15 times without a hit on Saturday.

The Lobos tallied six extra-base hits on the day including a double and a homerun for four RBI from senior Chelsea Johnson. Johnson went 3-for-4 at the plate while sophomore Cameryn O’Grady went 3-for-3, scoring three runs. The three Lobo homers came from Johnson, junior Monica Salas and freshman Andrea Howard.
 

The Lobos took off running early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. O’Grady led off the game with a bunted single, running out the throw to arrive safely at first. After two straight outs, junior D’Andra DeFlora doubled to the left wall to score O’Grady and put the Lobos up 1-0.
 

Howard immediately followed with a homer over the right-field fence, scoring DeFlora to put the Lobos up 3-0. Howard’s homer marked her sixth of the season to lead the Lobos on the year.
 

The Aggies responded with one run in the bottom of the first after a one-out triple to left center put a runner on base. It was followed up with a single to junior Aleyah Wilbon in left field and after a misplay in the field, Wilbon recovered and fired to O’Grady, who turned and fired to junior Kasey Hallen, to tag the batter out at second. One more foul out worked the Lobos out of the inning, 3-1 UNM.

The Lobos added to their lead in the top of the second. Freshman Sydney Broderick and Wilbon posted back-to-back singles with one out, spurring an Aggie pitcher change. O’Grady took the first pitch from reliever Analise De La Roca and doubled to left center, scoring Wilbon and Broderick to put the Lobos ahead by four, 5-1.

The Aggies added two more runs in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with a double an error and a walk. With two outs, NMSU’s Amy Bergeson doubled to center field to plate two, and narrow the Lobo lead to two, 5-3. Salas nearly got the tag at third, but contact made the ball pop out and the umpire overturned the call. A lineout to junior Kasey Halleen on the next play closed the inning.

In the top of the third, a pair of Lobos reached base on error and Salas slid home to add another run to the board, 6-3 Lobos. The Aggies responded with a lead-off, solo homer in the bottom of the frame to make it 6-4 UNM.

Back at the top of the order in the fourth, O’Grady led off with a single to center field, followed by an out. Johnson then stepped to the plate to smack her sixth homerun of the season, tying Howard for most on the team, 8-4 Lobos. UNM shut down three straight in the bottom of the inning.
 

Neither team scored in the fifth and the Lobos entered the top of the sixth leading by four, 8-4. It was then that UNM unleashed a barrage of runs to put the game out of reach for NMSU. 

O’Grady led off the inning getting hit by a pitch followed by freshman Taylor Jones who pinch hit for junior Sydney Townes. Jones hit her second career double, a stand-up, to put a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. Both crossed the plate when Johnson jacked a double, 10-4 UNM. 

An Aggie fielding error allowed Howard to reach base and Johnson to score from third with one out, 11-4 Lobos. Howard scored on Salas’ second homerun of the season to make it 13-4 before the final two batters grounded out. 

Main gave up a double and a single in the final frame, but struck out two batters to end the game.

UNM is back in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a three-game series at Colorado State.

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