LOS ANGELES, Calif.— The University of New Mexico softball team concluded the non-conference tournament portion of its schedule on Sunday afternoon at Smith Field with a late-inning loss to the LMU Lions.
The Lobos struck first and held a lead through the top of the fifth inning, but it was the Lions who closed the game with six unanswered runs for the 6-2 decision.
For the second-straight game, UNM couldn’t capitalize on getting runners on board, leaving 11 runners stranded, including a bases-loaded opportunity with no one out in the top of the sixth. UNM was just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-4 with runners on third with less than two outs.
UNM had six hits in the contest, with freshman Daryn Haslam contributing a team-high two hits on four plate appearances and accounted for one of the two RBI in the game. A sacrifice fly by Lauren Wilmert produced the other run after Cameryn O’Grady reached base on an error by the right fielder and advanced all the way to third in the fifth. Andrea Howard had the lone extra-base hit with a double in the first and Monica Salas, Sydney Townes and Taylor Jones, who entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth, tallied the other hits for the Lobos.
Howard created the first chance for the visitors to get on the board in the first at-bats of the game with a one-out double to center. However a strikeout and a line out to third left her standing on second.
UNM again put itself in position to score the game’s opening run in the top of the second with unners on the corners with one-out after Salas singled to left but managed to advance to second with heads-up base running. Salas moved up to third on the next at-bat on a passed ball and Maggie Buckholz walked. A foul out to third and a fly out to left field spoiled that opportunity.
Back-to-back walks by Howard and O’Grady put two on with one out in the top of the third and LMU made a pitching change to pull starting pitcher Samantha Manti in favor of Hannah Bandimere after just 2.1 innings. On her first batter faced, Wilmert reached on a fielder’s choice and on the next-at bat, Haslam singled to right field to bring in O’Grady from second and move Wilmert to third. A pop up by Salas ended the top half of the frame with two more runners left on, including a runner in scoring position.
The Lobos made it 2-0 in the fifth after O’Grady ended up on third on an error by the right fielder and Wilmert hit a sacrifice fly to right to allow O’Grady to tag for the run.
After holding the Lions scoreless for the first four innings, LMU tied the game on a one-out, two-run home run to left center by Andrea Gonzalez in the bottom of the fifth.
The Lobos tried to take back momentum in the top of the sixth and had ample opportunity after putting the first three batters in the inning on board. Buckholz reached base on a hit-by-pitch to lead off the inning and a beautifully laid bunt by pinch hitter Jones in which there was no play for the Lions to make put a runner in scoring position. Townes then reached on an error by the second baseman to load the bases. Aleyah Wilbon was brought in as a pinch hitter for D’Andra DeFlora, but struck out, and Howard lined out to the third baseman, who was also able to also get Buckholz at third for the double play to end the inning and the threat.
However, the Lions took advantage of their bases-loaded situation in the home half of the inning, drawing three consecutive walks to take their first lead of the game at 3-2. A passed ball allowed another run to score and a two-run double to left made it 6-2.
O’Grady drew a walk to begin the top of the seventh and Haslam reached on an error by the third baseman to put two runners on with one out, but the Lobos struck out in their next two at-bats to end the game.
Kiana Spencer was charged with the loss, pitching 5.2 innings with five hits and six earned runs allowed, while striking out five and walking seven on 31 batters faced.
Kennedy Ferguson finished the game for the Lobos, going 0.1 inning in the circle, recording a fly out on the one batter she faced.
The Lobos begin conference play next weekend on the road at San Diego State with a three-game series beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. MT.