LAS CRUCES, N.M.— Sydney Broderick hit her first career home run in the top of the second in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader at NM State Complex to extend The University of New Mexico’s lead to 3-0, however, it was all the runs the Lobos would tally as they fell in five innings after NMSU scored the next 11 runs of the game.
The Lobos’ lead in the top of the second was the first lead of the day for UNM as the Lobos were limited in the first game in an 8-0, six-inning loss.
GAME ONE:
Debuting another new lineup, the Lobo lineup struggled in the first five innings to put a baserunner on. Monica Salas broke through in the top of the sixth with a leadoff double down the left field line for UNM’s first hit of the game and the first baserunner of the game. Broderick drew a walk to put two runners on and D’Andra DeFlora was hit on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases with one out to provide UNM an opportunity to get on the board. DeFlora’s hit-by-pitch was her team-high seventh of the season. Unfortunately for the Cherry and Silver, the next two hitters were unable to put the ball in play and were retired on strikeouts to end the inning with three Lobos stranded. They were the only players to reach base in the game.
NMSU benefited from three UNM errors in the second inning, two of which occurred on the same play to allow a leadoff walk to come around to score the first run of the game. A delayed steal from third made it 2-0 Aggies, and an error by Salas at third made it 3-0 in favor of the home team, all of which were unearned.
The Aggies added two more runs in the third on a two-run home run and finished the game in the bottom of the sixth with three more runs on four hits for an 8-0 win.
Kiana Spencer pitched a complete game, her ninth of the season. The junior left-handed pitcher finished with a line of 5.1 innings pitched, eight hits, eight runs (five earned), five walks and six strikeouts, one shy of her season high. Of the 142 pitches thrown by the left hander, 88 went for strikes.
GAME TWO:
The second game of the day went much differently for the Lobos to start the game as UNM was the first team to register a run and built an early lead.
In the top of the second, Cameryn O’Grady hit a leadoff double, her 11th of the season, for UNM’s first hit of the evening and Lauren Wilmert reached on a fielding error by the Aggie second baseman, which allowed Wilmert to advance to third and also allowed O’Grady to score from second for the first run of the game. With two outs and Wilmert on third, Broderick sent a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run home run to make it 3-0 Lobos. With the home run, not only was it the sophomore catcher’s first home run, it also allowed Broderick to tie her career high in total bases (four), and RBI (two).
T5 | Bailey Klitzke makes it a one-run game with a two-run home run to right field, her FIRST CAREER HOME RUN!
USU 7, UNM 6#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/pToGRwzmTk
— UNM Softball (@UNMLoboSB) April 5, 2019
The Aggies got a run back on a solo home run in the bottom of the second and took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third on back-to-back doubles. An error by O’Grady at short led to an unearned NMSU run to make it 5-3. After getting two outs in the bottom of the fourth, NMSU added six runs to put the game in run-rule territory, which is how the score would end.
UNM tallied four hits in the game, one each from O’Grady, Aleyah Wilbon, Salas and Broderick and left two batters on base.
Kennedy Ferguson got the ball to start the game and lasted 3.2 innings with nine hits, two walks, two strikeouts, 10 runs (nine earned) on 24 batters faced. Of the 97 pitches thrown, 64 went for strikes. Bailey Klitzke moved from the designated player position to the circle, but faced just three hitters and allowed a run before giving way to Emma Steltzer, who was able to get the Lobos out of the fourth in three pitches.
UNM stays on the road as the Lobos return to Mountain West competition, with a weekend series at Utah State beginning on Friday.