LOGAN, Utah— With one swing of the bat in the top of the third, Lauren Wilmert changed the trajectory of Saturday’s Mountain West contest at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field, providing The University of New Mexico softball team a lead that the Lobos wouldn’t relinquish as they defeated Utah State 6-3.
Down 2-0, with bases loaded and with two outs in the inning, Wilmert made contact on the first pitch of her at-bat, resulting in a home run over the right field wall that hit off of the scoreboard and cleared the bases. The Lobos would go on to add two more runs in the top of the seventh and staved off a bases-loaded situation by Utah State in the bottom of the sixth to find their way in to the win column.
Four Lobos tallied multiple hits in the game, in which the Lobos outhit the Aggies 9-7. Aleyah Wilbon continued her success at the plate with a 2-for-4 showing, also drawing a walk in the contest, with Wilmert finishing 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and a walk. Bailey Klitzke hit two doubles for a 2-for-3 outing, also adding a walk.
Wilmert was responsible for four RBI in the game, with Sydney Broderick and Klitzke contributing the other two.
For the second-straight game, UNM was offensively patient at the plate, earning six walks, with Cameryn O’Grady tallying a team-high two. UNM also benefited from three hit-by-pitches with D’Andra DeFlora reaching twice on hit-by-pitches.
Wilbon recorded UNM’s first hit of the game after a 10-pitch at-bat, ultimately resulting in a single back up the middle after fouling off four-straight pitches. In the top of the second, UNM worked its way on base with two walks, one after 10 pitches (Wilmert) and the other after eight pitches (Klitzke).
Utah State was the first to get on the board on a double down the left field line that scored a runner from second in the first and extended its lead in the second on a grounder to Taylor Jones at second that allowed a runner on third to score.
Wilmert gave UNM a 4-2 lead on a grand slam, her second of the year, sending the first pitch of her at-bat over the wall in right field and off of the scoreboard to clear the bases. The Lobos scored four runs on four hits and a walk. It was Wilmert’s sixth home run of the season, a team high.
T3 | Lauren Wilmert sends the first pitch she sees over the wall in right field and off of the scoreboard for a GRAND SLAM!
Lobos take a 4-2 lead!#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/e6na9Nsmgb
— UNM Softball (@UNMLoboSB) April 6, 2019
The comeback started with the top of the Lobo lineup, with back-to-back singles by DeFlora and Wilbon to left field. After a foul out resulted in the second out of the inning, O’Grady worked a walk to load the bases for Wilmert to clear.
After allowing the first two hitters to reach in the bottom of the second, freshman Kennedy Ferguson was solid in the circle, retiring 10-straight hitters, including needing just five pitches to get through the third.
Utah State ended the streak with a solo home run to center in the fifth to make it a one-run game.
The Lobos tried to expand on their lead in the top of the sixth with a two-out rally with Wilbon reaching base on an error by the Aggie shortstop and a single up the middle by Andrea Howard, but a fly out to center by O’Grady ended the half of the inning.
Holding on to a one-run lead, Kiana Spencer replaced Ferguson in the circle and the left-handed pitcher had two hitters reach before recording her first out of the inning, on a strikeout. A fly out to Wilbon in left gave UNM two outs in the inning, but a wild pitch advanced runners to second and third before a four-pitch walk loaded the bases. On a 2-2 count, the Aggie hitter lined out to Wilbon in left to end the inning and the threat.
UNM created some separation in the top of the seventh, starting with a leadoff double by Wilmert, the first leadoff hitter to reach base in the game for the Lobos. Klitzke followed that up with a double of her own to left field to score pinch runner Sydney Townes and moved to third on the next at-bat on a wild pitch. Monica Salas reached via a walk after drawing a full count and Broderick hit the third Lobo double of the inning, scoring Klitzke and moving Salas to third. The Lobos scored two runs on three hits to take a 6-3 lead into the home half of the inning.
T7 | Bailey gives the Lobos some cushion with a 2-run lead after a hit to left that scores Townes from second. Klitzke ends up on second with still no one out!
UNM 5, USU 3#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/8vxcOx9akw
— UNM Softball (@UNMLoboSB) April 7, 2019
T7 | That a way, Sydney B!
Broderick with a shot to left center, moving Salas to third and bringing in Klitzke for the second run of the inning!
Runners on second and third with 0 outs!
UNM 6, USU 3#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/eJ24yACCsf
— UNM Softball (@UNMLoboSB) April 7, 2019
The Lobos retired the leadoff hitter on a fly out to Howard in right before the Aggies pieced together two at-bats that resulted in a single and a walk to bring the tying run to the plate. After getting ahead 0-1, a fly out to Howard in right led to the second out and on another 0-1 count, a fly out to DeFlora in center gave UNM the third out and the win.
Ferguson earned her fourth win of the season after going 5.0 innings in the circle and throwing 89 pitches, with 59 going for strikes, on 22 batters faced. Ferguson’s final line was five hits, three runs, two walks and a strikeout, her 20th game of the season in which the right-hander has recorded a strikeout. Spencer earned the save, her first of the season, after 2.0 innings of work, throwing 54 pitches (32 of them strikes) on 11 batters faced. The junior allowed just two hits in the outing and zero runs, walking three and striking out one.
UNM and Utah State close out the series on Sunday at noon.