HONOLULU, Hawai’i— After The University of New Mexico softball team used a four-run fourth inning to take a 5-1 lead on Thursday afternoon against the DePaul Blue Demons, the Lobos couldn’t maintain their lead as DePaul answered with eight unanswered runs to come from behind to hand UNM a 9-5 defeat.
Of the five hits that UNM tallied in the opening game of the Hawai’I Invitational, three of them went for home runs, with Monica Salas, Lauren Wilmert and Daryn Haslam all driving the ball beyond the fences at Rainbow Wahine Softball Field. It was just the second time this season that UNM has had multiple home runs, with the last instance being against New Mexico State on Feb. 9. In addition, the home runs marked the first of the season for Wilmert and the first collegiate home run for Haslam.
Haslam led UNM at the plate with a 2-for-3 outing and was responsible for three of the team’s runs behind a single and a home run. The freshman was the only leadoff hitter to reach base for UNM with a single to right center in the bottom of the third.
The Lobos were the first on the scoreboard, plating a run in the bottom of the second. On the second pitch of the at-bat, and ahead of the count at 1-0, Salas cleared the wall to right center for her second home run of season to give UNM not only its first hit of the game, but its first run as well.
DePaul would go on to tie the game in the top of the fourth on a double down the left field line that scored the baserunner from second, but UNM’s bats came alive in the bottom half of the inning to quickly take back the lead.
With one out in the inning, first baseman Lauren Wilmert drove a 3-2 pitch to left center for her first home run of the season and gave UNM a 2-1 advantage. Salas grounded out to the pitcher on the next at-bat, but the Lobos went on a two-out offensive surge to break open the game.
Maggie Buckholz reached base on a five-pitch walk, followed by a walk for Sydney Broderick to put runners on first and second. Haslam delivered with a three-run home run to left center to expand the Lobo lead to 5-1. Aleyah Wilbon kept the inning alive with a single to right field, and with it, came the exit of the DePaul starting pitcher Natalie Halvorson.
Halvorson entered the contest coming off of earning a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after being named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for the opening weekend. The sophomore entered the game with a team-best 1.99 ERA, pitching four complete games in four starts, allowing just eight runs and six walks on the season.
UNM chased Halvorson after 3.2 innings, in which the right-handed pitcher gave up five runs on five hits and walked three while striking out three on 28 batters faced. Of those five hits, three of them went for home runs, which for comparison, Halvorson entered the game only having given up one on the season.
In the fourth inning the Lobos scored four runs on three hits, two of them home runs, and two walks.
It didn’t take long for the Blue Demons to cut into the lead, as DePaul hit a two-run home run to start the inning following a leadoff walk to cut the lead to two at 5-3.
Starting pitcher Kennedy Ferguson was replaced with two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the fifth, with Bailey Klitzke entering the circle. Klitzke got the Lobos out of the inning on a strikeout to leave the two runners stranded.
DePaul (9-1) left a total of 13 runners on base in the game, compared to just three for the Lobos, while also outhitting UNM 12-5.
The Lobos couldn’t get anything started in the bottom of the fifth against DePaul pitcher Krista Dalgarn as D’Andra DeFlora, Cameryn O’Grady and Wilmert went down in order to keep momentum on the side of DePaul. Dalgarn would finish with the win in the game, pitching 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one while not allowing a hit on 11 batters faced.
Klitzke recorded the first out of the inning on a pop up to Haslam at second, but the Blue Demons registered consecutive singles to put runners on first and second and put pressure on the Lobo defense. The runners moved up a base on a wild pitch although Klitzke later walked the batter to load the bases. A second-straight walk brought in a run to make it a one-run game at 5-4, leading to UNM going to the bullpen to replace Klitzke.
Kiana Spencer entered the game with bases loaded and just one out, but fared no better. The first hitter she faced grounded out to Wilmert at first for the second out of the inning, however the tying run crossed the plate. Th next batter walked on four-straight pitches to load the bass once more and a walk on the next at-bat brought in another run to give DePaul a 6-5 lead. With the bases still loaded, Spencer hit the next batter with a 3-2 count to make the deficit two. A pop out to O’Grady at short ended the frame, but not before DePaul scored four runs on two hits, four walks and a hit by pitch. Three of the runs were scored as a result of a walk or hit-by-pitch.
Pinch hitter Taylor Jones reached base with a two-out walk, but she was the last baserunner for UNM in the game as Haslam popped up to second and the Lobos went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
The Blue Demons went on to add two unearned runs in the top of the seventh as Ferguson re-entered the game in the top of the inning to close the game for the 9-5 final.
Kennedy finished with a line of 5.2 innings pitched, throwing 125 total pitches, 72 of them going for strikes. The freshman right-hander gave up 10 hits and was ultimately charged with five runs, three of them earned, in the loss.
Klitzke pitched 0.2 innings with four runs on two hits, all runs earned, one strikeout and two walks on six batters faced. She threw a total of 24 pitches with 11 called strikes.
Spencer also threw 0.2 innings with two walks and a hit batter on five batters faced and 24 pitches.
UNM, now 3-7 on the season, has two games scheduled for Friday, with a 5:30 p.m. MT game against Canisius and a 10 p.m. MT game against Hawai’i.