LOGAN, Utah — The University of New Mexico softball team was on the wrong end of an offensive battle on Friday afternoon at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field, as the Lobos fell by a score of 7-6 to Utah State to begin the three-game series. UNM twice battled back to bring the game to within one, but couldn’t tally the tying run.
Aleyah Wilbon once again led the Lobos at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three singles, her third three-hit outing this season to tie her career high.
Junior Bailey Klitzke tallied her first career home run in the contest to lead the team with two RBI and Monica Salas went 2-for-3 for just her third multi-hit game of the season.
Patience at the plate paid off for the Lobos as they struck first in the top of the first, with Cameryn O’Grady delivering a RBI stand-up double on a hit to left center that scored Wilbon from second.
The Lobos fouled off nine pitches in the first inning alone and would go on to draw five walks in the game with two coming from Sydney Broderick, a career high for the sophomore catcher.
Utah State tied the game on the second at-bat of the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run, and would take a 3-1 lead in the second with a two-out, two-run home run before adding another two runs on a home run in the third to make it 5-1.
UNM answered back with three runs in the fourth, with two runs coming on account of two wild pitches that allowed runners to score from third.
The inning started with back-to-back walks for Klitzke and Salas and a single up the middle by Taylor Jones that scored Klitzke from second. Wilbon hit a single to left to load the bases and a wild pitch on the next at-bat brought in Salas. A walk by Andrea Howard, the third of the inning, loaded the bases once more and a wild pitch scored Jones from third to make it a one-run game. The Lobos scored three runs on two hits.
However, the Aggies would push the lead back to three on a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Lobos again responded, as Klitzke brought it back to a one-run game with a home run to right field, the first home run of the junior’s career.
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
Broderick drew her second walk of the game to set a career high in walks and in the next at-bat stole second for her first career stolen base to put the tying run in scoring position. Unfortunately, the next two batters couldn’t bring pinch runner Kasey Halleen in and the inning ended with the Lobos still trailing by one.
The Lobos couldn’t get anything in the top of the sixth and in the seventh, Salas extended the game with a two-out single, but it wouldn’t amount to anything as pinch hitter Daryn Haslam went down swinging to end the game.
UNM outhit USU 9-6 in the game, but the Lobos left eight runners on base compared to just three for the Aggies, and of the six hits by Utah State, four were home runs. The Lobos also had the advantage in leadoff hitters reaching base with UNM going 3-for-7 and USU just 1-for-6.
Friday’s game also marked the 15th game this season that the Lobos have scored in the first inning, the 19th time that UNM has scored first and the 13th game this season that the Lobos have been in a one-run game.
In the circle, Kiana Spencer got the start and recorded two strikeouts in the first inning. The left-handed pitcher lasted 3.0 innings, giving up five runs on four hits and struck out three while walking one. Of the 45 pitches thrown, 31 went for strikes. Emma Steltzer replaced Spencer in the fourth and went 3.0 innings as well, allowing two hits, two runs and a walk on 14 batters faced and 54 pitches thrown. The three innings of work was the most innings thrown by Steltzer this season and the 54 pitches and 14 batters faced were also a season high for the freshman.
UNM faces Utah State on Saturday at 4 p.m. for game two of the series.