FULLERTON, Calif.— The University of New Mexico softball team had a tale of two games on Sunday as the Lobos closed out the final day of the Judi Garman Classic at Anderson Family Field, losing a close contest with UConn in which they couldn’t complete the seventh inning rally and came up just short in a 2-1 setback, before dropping a run-rule to host Cal State Fullerton in five innings.
GAME ONE:
The University of New Mexico Lobos trailed 2-0 against the UConn Huskies going into the top of the seventh, and although they were able to manufacture a run, the Lobos couldn’t plate the tying run and fell 2-1 on Sunday morning.
The Lobos had their chances in the game, leaving nine runners on base including a bases loaded situation with no one out in the top of the third in a 1-0 game.
It was the bottom of the order that produced for UNM in the game, with second baseman Kasey Halleen recording two hits, including a double in the top of the seventh for her first extra-base hit of the season. Sydney Broderick tallied her first hit of the season and Aleyah Wilbon was brought in as a pinch hitter in the seventh and provided a spark with a hit in the seventh.
UNM finished with six hits in the game with additional singles by Bailey Klitzke and Monica Salas.
Hitting in the leadoff position, Klitzke recorded the lone RBI for the Lobos, a sacrifice fly that allowed Wilbon to tag from third.
Pitching in her fourth game of the weekend and just her second start of the weekend, Kennedy Ferguson pitched another complete game and matched her season high with six strikeouts, while only issuing one walk in 104 pitches thrown and 26 batters faced.
On the other side, the Lobos went up against Marybeth Olson, who entered the game issuing just four walks on the year, but the Lobos were able to force three walks against her and a total of four in the game. The six hits recorded by UNM was a season high number of hits allowed for the sophomore right-hander.
The UNM defense was pressured by UConn in the early innings with four hits through the first two innings, but Ferguson and the defense behind her limited the Huskies to just one run.
In the bottom of the first, consecutive singles to the left side put runners on first and second with no outs, but a pop up to Halleen at second in shallow right and two strikeouts from Ferguson left them stranded.
The Huskies got on the board first in the bottom of the second with a solo home run by Reese Guevarra. The Huskies tried to add to their lead and move a runner into scoring position, but Broderick denied them the chance behind the plate with a laser to Halleen at second, who applied the tag on the runner attempting to steal.
UNM had an opportunity to answer in the top of the third as the Lobos strung together some hits at the bottom of the order, recording three hits on a pop fly that fell into shallow center from Broderick, a single through the left side from Halleen that gave way to the top of the order and an infield single as Klitzke beat out the throw to first to load the bases with no one out. However, Olson struck out the next three batters- two, three and four in the lineup- before UNM could plate the tying run.
Ferguson made quick work of the Huskies in the bottom of the fourth, throwing just 13 pitches for a 1-2-3 inning and registered another shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth.
The Lobos got to Olson in the top of the fifth with consecutive walks from Klitzke and Maggie Buckholz with one out, but a foul out by Cameryn O’Grady at third and a fly out by Lauren Wilmert to first left two more stranded.
UConn added a second run in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out rally to put UNM in a two-run deficit with just three outs to work with.
Pinch hitter Wilbon got the top of the seventh started with a shot to third that got past the third baseman’s glove and Halleen followed that up with a double to right center.
With runners on second and third and no one out, UConn went to its bullpen to bring in LHP Katie Koshes. Klitzke flied out to center, allowing Wilbon to tag from third for the Lobos’ first run. Buckholz struck out swinging and O’Grady walked to put the go-ahead run on first. Wilmert put the ball in play but was unable to get the ball through the right side of the infield as the second baseman tracked down the ball and threw to first for the final out.
GAME TWO:
The Titans took control from the start of the game and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before building on it with a 10-run third inning and a six-run fourth en route to a 19-1 victory.
An errant throw by starting pitcher Kiana Spencer on a leadoff bunt allowed Alexa Neil to move to second. Neil stole third and scored on the next at-bat on a double down the left-field line by Ari Williams. A two-run home run by Sam Kennedy extended the lead to three.
The Titans added to their lead with a five-run third inning, which included three home runs, forcing UNM to go to its bullpen to bring in Ferguson.
A fielding error by O’Grady at short allowed the sixth run of the inning to score, an unearned run, the fourth run to score with two outs in the inning. A foul ball to Salas at third gave Cal State Fullerton another life and the Titans took advantage with a grand slam from Daisy Munoz. The Titans had a total of 13 at-bats in the inning and five of the runs that scored were unearned.
The lone offense on the afternoon for UNM came from pinch hitter Daryn Haslam. The freshman entered the game as a pinch hitter for O’Grady in the top of the fourth and after hitting a ball just foul straightened it out for a home run to center, her third of the season, to put UNM on the board and tally the only Lobo hit of the game.
Cal State Fullerton added six more runs in the bottom of the fourth as the Lobos inserted several lineup changes, including bringing in Klitzke in place of Ferguson in the circle.
Klitzke lasted just 0.1 innings, however, walking seven of the nine batters she faced for six runs before the Lobos went to the bullpen again to bring in Emma Steltzer for her debut in the circle. Steltzer got the Lobos out of the inning, retiring the two batters she faced on a grounder and a pop up to second.
The Lobos used a total of four pitchers in the four innings that UNM was in the field.
Kiana Spencer was charged with the loss in the contest, pitching 2.2 innings and giving up eight earned runs and nine hits. Ferguson lasted just 0.1 innings with five runs on three hits to make way for Klitzke and then Steltzer.
Up next for UNM: A return trip to Los Angeles for the LMU Tournament next Friday and Saturday with games against Oregon State, Western Carolina and host LMU.