PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The University of New Mexico softball team had an explosive offensive day pounding out 26 hits between two victories Saturday at the Mary Nutter Classic. The Lobos put together an 8-4 win over Bethune-Cookman and a 13-5 five inning win over Pacific in the nightcap.
“I’m very proud of the offensive output we got tonight,” said head coach Erica Beach. “We hit the ball well and executed very well in all areas of our lineup. These were two great team wins and I am so proud of how hard they fought.”
After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning of the first game, the Lobos put together a big second inning, going through the lineup to score five runs and take a 5-2 lead. Freshman Brooke Breland drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second on Karissa Haleman’s single up the middle.
Breland then scored off Lisa Rodrigues’ double down the left field line. Both Haleman and Rodrigues scored on the next at-bat as Michala Erickson singled to right center. Mariah Rimmer then plated Cheyenne Smith and Erickson.
BCU answered in the third with two runs to cut the lead to one, 5-4. But more offense was in the mix for UNM as it plated an insurance run in the fifth and two more insurance runs in the sixth.
In the fifth, Erickson singled to right center to score Breland. The two runs in the sixth came off a single up the middle by Jasmine Casados, scoring Rimmer and Shelbie Franc.
In the circle, Rodrigues got the start. She went 2.1 innings before Lauren Soles came in to finish out the game. Soles did not allow a run in 4.2 innings of work, earning the win to improve to 2-1 on the season. She allowed six hits while striking out two. Rodrigues allowed four runs off seven hits while striking out two.
Game two was an even bigger offensive showdown. The Lobos fell behind 3-0 after the top of the first but the Lobos came back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring eight runs to take a 8-3 lead over the Tigers.
Rimmer started off the inning with a single through the left side. Casados singled up the middle with one out and Breland walked to the load the bases. Haleman and Rodrigues drew back-to-back walks with bases loaded to put the first two runs on the board. Erickson and Smith strung together back-to-back singles to score three more.
Shelbie Franc grounded out to second but Erickson scored. Rimmer came to the plate for the second time in the inning and blasted her second home run of the season, a bomb over the center field wall to take a 8-3 lead over the Tigers.
Pacific responded with two runs in the top to bring the Tigers within three, 8-5 but nothing else came across the rest of the game.
The Lobos added two more in the fourth off a Kasey Halleen two-RBI single. Three more in the fifth capped the scoring for the Lobos and took home the victory on the mercy rule. Casados doubled to score Callie McGarrigle and Rimmer. Two batters later Rodrigues hit the walk-off single to score Casados.
In the circle, Tess McPherson started for the Lobos. She allowed five runs, two earned, off just five hits while walking two and striking out one. McPherson earned the win to improve to 1-0 on the season. Colette Robert came in to finish off the game, earning her first save as a Lobo. She allowed just one hit.
The Lobos are now 5-4 on the season. They will wrap up the Mary Nutter Classic with a tough test tomorrow, taking on No. 25 Texas A&M. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m. MT.