HOUSTON, Texas – The University of New Mexico softball team used solid pitching and late clutch hitting to claim a 2-1 win over the University of Houston on Thursday evening at the Hilton Houston Plaza Classic.
The first four innings proved to be a pitcher’s duel between Lobo starter Carrie Sheehan and Houston’s Summer Groholski. Sheehan threw four scoreless innings before Houston’s Courtney Klinger put one over the left field wall for a 1-0 Cougar lead.
Sheehan regrouped and kept the Cougars scoreless in the sixth, allowing just four hits before being relieved in the seventh by sophomore Krissy Fortner.
The Lobos’ offense was scoreless in the first five innings. In the fifth, the Lobos had a chance to get a run across but ended the inning with a hard-fought strikeout. They opened up its scoring in the sixth, plating two runs off junior Mariah Rimmer’s blast up the middle with two outs.
Fortner finished the game in the circle for the Lobos. She walked the first batter and allowed a hit but re-grouped to get the final three outs and her second save on the season.
With the win, Sheehan is now 2-1 on the season. In six innings of work, she allowed one run on four hits. She struck out four and walked two. Fortner allowed one hit in an inning of work with one walk and one strikeout.
Rimmer led the Lobos at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance. She had a double, a single and two RBIs. Mia Hignojos, Shelbie Franc and Chelsea Johnson were the only other Lobos with a hit.
The Lobos improve to 5-6 on the season. They continue the Hilton Houston Plaza Classic tomorrow with a doubleheader. The first game, the Lobos will be up against Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 10 a.m. MT with the following game versus Illinois at 12:30 p.m. MT.