LOGAN, Utah— The University of New Mexico softball team fell to Utah State in the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon after falling behind early in the contest en route to a five-inning 8-0 loss.
Aleyah Wilbon continued her hitting streak after reaching base in all three of her at-bats, two times as a result of an error by the Aggie shortstop. The outfielder has registered a hit in the last four games and has tallied at least one hit in seven games since entering the starting lineup nine games ago.
UNM had just four hits in the game with Cameryn O’Grady, Bailey Klitzke and Monica Salas recording one hit each. Sydney Broderick drew the lone walk for the Lobos in the game and Salas had the lone extra-base hit on a double in the second.
The Lobos used three pitchers in the five innings of play, with Kennedy Ferguson getting the start for the second-straight game.
However, in the first at-bat in the bottom of the first, Ferguson was hit by a ball back up the middle in her forearm, and wasn’t quite the same after that. The Aggies quickly got on the board with six runs in the first off of a single to right field that scored the first run of the game, a walk with bases loaded and a grand slam. Ferguson was charged with the loss after giving up six runs, five of them earned, on three hits and two walks.
Emma Steltzer entered to pitch 1.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and one walk on 35 total pitches and eight batters faced.
O’Grady helped the Lobos get out of the inning on a double play and a stellar play in which the shortstop threw from her stomach to Taylor Jones at second to record the third out.
B1 | O’Grady with the web gem!
The shortstop throws from her stomach to Jones at second for the out.#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/P7zrLXfAve
— UNM Softball (@UNMLoboSB) April 7, 2019
Utah State hit a solo home run to right field in the second to make it 7-0, leading to a pitching change by the Lobos.
Klitzke, who started the game in the designated player spot, replaced Steltzer and after allowing a walk got her, as well as UNM’s, first strikeout of the game to end the inning.
Broderick led off the third with a walk to give the Lobos their first leadoff hitter to reach base in the game, and advanced to second on a foul out to left field by Jones, but was thrown out on a fielder’s choice trying to get back to second. Wilbon reached on an error by Utah State’s shortstop to put two runners on with two outs but a strikeout ended the inning with two left on base.
A leadoff home run in the bottom of the third made it 8-0 USU, and the Aggies had two runners on first and second, but Klitzke retired the side with strikeouts to end the inning.
O’Grady reached safely in the top of the fourth on a leadoff bunt and Klitzke hit a one-out single to left field to once again put two runners on base, however, back-to-back hits to shortstop led to outs on a fielder’s choice to leave two more stranded.
Klitzke recorded two more strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth to put the left-handed pitcher’s final line at 2.1 innings pitched, three hits, one run, one walk and six strikeouts. The junior threw 52 pitches with 35 going for strikes on 12 batters faced.
UNM was outhit 9-4 with both teams committing two errors and leaving six runners on base.
The Lobos host UTEP on Tuesday, April 9 with a start time of 3 p.m.