FULLERTON, Calif. — For the second time this season, The University of New Mexico softball team battled a top-10 team to the brink, as the Lobos took the No. 3 team in the country, the Florida Gators, to extra innings before falling 1-0 on a walk-off hit on Thursday morning to begin the Judi Garman Classic.
It was the second time in the last 13 days that UNM held a top-10, and a SEC, team scoreless through at least six innings (with Alabama being the other time on Feb. 15), but this time the Lobos made the Gators, a team that has played in the Women’s College World Series the last two years, earn the win in extra innings.
“I felt like we had prepared the kids for Florida and expected good things from them,” second-year head coach Paula Congleton said. “We knew it was going to be a tough battle. Their pitchers have sub-1 ERAs and I think as the game went on and we were hanging in there with them, then we just kind of expect more. To be very honest, I thought like some of our offensive prowess kind of fell apart and we left our game plan instead of sticking with it.
“But, really proud of the kids. Kennedy threw a heck of a game; really hit her pitches and did phenomenal against a phenomenal hitting team. When we get close, it’s nice to know that we can win and we’re disappointed in that respect, but really proud of the kids for hanging in there.”
On Thursday, it was Kennedy Ferguson in the circle, who threw a masterful complete game with 109 pitches, 66 of them going for strikes. The freshman right-hander held her own in the matchup, allowing just five hits and one walk, while striking out five batters. It is the third game this season that Ferguson has allowed just one walk, but the first time that she did so while pitching a complete game.
Also of note, the five hits posted by Florida is the second-fewest hits in a game for the Gators this year, only second to Arizona who limited the Gators to four on Feb. 9, but the Wildcats also gave up three runs in the game.
In addition, it is just the second time this season that the Gators have been held to one run in a game, with the other instance being in Wednesday night’s game versus No. 2 UCLA in which the Gators lost 7-1. Entering the Judi Garman Classic, and prior to its loss to UCLA, Florida was outscoring its opponents 127-18.
“Kennedy showed some really strong grit and I’m really proud of that. As a freshman, she’s really kind of commanding some respect early on and we’re excited about that.”
Behind her, the defense held tough when the Gators (19-1) were able to put runners on, making tough outs to keep the game scoreless.
On the other side, the Lobos went up against Florida starting RHP Natalie Lugo, who entered the game only giving up 18 hits and four walks all season. Against UNM (5-10), the sophomore allowed four hits and gave up a walk in seven innings of work for a no-decision. The win was credited to Kelly Barnhill who entered the game in the eighth inning, who threw 14 pitches to four batters faced, striking out three and intentionally walking one.
Of the four hits that UNM tallied in the eight-inning tilt, junior Bailey Klitzke accounted for two of them batting as the designated player, both going for singles.
Junior shortstop Cameryn O’Grady recorded the lone extra-base hit of the game for UNM on a double in the top of the sixth and Maggie Buckholz singled in the top of the fifth for the remaining hit for UNM.
The only other player to record an extra-base hit in the contest was Florida’s Jade Caraway, who hit a double to score the runner that started the bottom of the eighth on second that ended the game.
UNM left six runners on base compared to just five for UF in the game.
After the Lobos went down in order to start the game, the Lobos got the leadoff hitter out on a grounder to Kasey Halleen at second, but two singles through the left side of the field by Florida put runners on first and second for the Gators’ first opportunity of the game to score. UNM prevented any further damage as a pop up to Lauren Wilmert at catcher and a fly out to Buckholz in left, who tracked down the ball moving to her left to record the final out of the inning, left two Gators stranded.
Wilmert was the first Lobo to reach base on a leadoff walk in the top of the second, just the fifth walk given up by starting pitcher Lugo, but the Lobos weren’t able to create any momentum from it.
Defensively, the Lobos retired the Gators in order with a strikeout and two groundouts in the bottom of the second, and after giving up two singles in the first, would ultimately go on to sit down six straight batters through the bottom of the third, capped by a called strike three to get Caraway looking for Ferguson’s second strikeout of the game. A four-pitch walk ended the streak, but a called third strike on the outside corner and a shoestring catch by D’Andra DeFlora moving to her left on a well hit ball to right center ended the third inning with another Gator left stranded.
The Gators threatened with another runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth after a one-out bunt advanced to second when the Lobos couldn’t turn the double play. However, the Lobos got out of it with a catch by Buckholz on a flyout to left ended the inning, leaving the runner on second.
UNM’s first opportunity to get on the board was in the top of the fifth, when Klitzke recorded the first hit of the game for the Lobos on a single through the right side of the infield and Buckholz followed that up with a hit up the middle to give the Lobos two on with two outs and their first runner in scoring position. Halleen made contact on the first pitch of her at-bat and lined out to the shortstop to end the inning with two left on.
O’Grady came within feet of giving UNM a lead in the top of the sixth on a hard hit ball that clipped the top of the center field wall, with the junior reaching second standing up for the first extra base hit by either team. Unfortunately, a swinging strikeout by pinch hitter Daryn Haslam and groundout to third by DeFlora left O’Grady stranded and the game scoreless.
Ferguson recorded her second 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth and in the top of the seventh, the Lobos once again put a runner in scoring position. Klitzke hit a two-out single to left field and advanced to second on a wild pitch, which brought in Aleyah Wilbon off the bench to pinch run. Buckholz struck out swinging however to end the top half of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ferguson and the defense didn’t allow the Gators to get anything going, recording three straight outs on a line out to Buckholz in left, a strikeout and a dribbler to Halleen at second for the third out.
For the second time this season the Lobos went to extra innings, but this time in a scoreless affair. With the international tie-breaker rule in effect, Sydney Townes was placed on second as a pinch runner for Buckholz to start the top of the eighth. Florida went to its bullpen to bring in Barnhill for Lugo, who struck out Halleen and pinch hitter MacKenzie Peterson. O’Grady was intentionally walked to put two runners on board for UNM, but Howard struck out to end the top half of the inning.
In the bottom half of the inning, with a Gator placed on second, leadoff batter Caraway hit a double to right center which scored Hannah Sipos to end the game.
Up next for the Lobos: Due to forecasted rain on Saturday, UNM’s game against LMU has been moved to Friday morning at 10 a.m. MT/ 9 a.m. PT. The game against No. 7 Tennessee is still scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon, but has been pushed back to 3:45 p.m. PT.