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Home Runs Power Lobos Past Broncos in 7-4 Victory

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—  For the second time this season The University of New Mexico softball team tallied three home runs, propelling the Lobos to a 7-4 series’ opening win over MW preseason favorite and defending champion Boise State on Thursday night.

Bailey Klitzke and D’Andra DeFlora registered their second home runs of the season while Cameryn O’Grady hit her sixth of the season to tie the team high, with the home runs coming in the third, fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

After Boise State (26-9, 6-7 MW) opened the game with a run in the first and extended it to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, UNM (12-29, 3-10 MW) went on to score the next seven runs in the game, with six of the runs coming on home runs.

Klitzke was masterful for the Lobos, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a game-high three RBI on a home run in the bottom of the third, while also pitching 4.0 innings and allowing just one run on four hits and striking out two to earn her first save of the season.

It was the seventh multi-hit game of the season for the junior and just the second time that Klitzke had a perfect outing at the plate. Klitzke also extended her hit streak to five games.

O’Grady went 2-for-3 in the game, extending her hit streak to three games and recording her 10th multiple-hit game of the season, while also reaching base on a hit-by-pitch in the first.

Hitting in the six spot, Klitzke opened the scoring for UNM in the second, which began with a Klitzke leadoff single to the Bronco shortstop and moved to third on heads-up base running on a Monica Salas single to right field that dropped in to shallow right. Two batters later, Salas stole second and an overthrown ball to second by the catcher allowed Klitzke to score to make it 3-1 Boise State.

After starting pitcher Kiana Spencer retired the Broncos in order in the top of the third, the Lobos used a two-out rally to take the lead, with Klitzke providing the go-ahead hit. Fellow junior O’Grady started the rally with a single to left field on a 2-2 pitch followed by a single to center field by Lauren Wilmert. Once again, the Lobos were aggressive on the base paths and O’Grady moved to third on the play to put runners on the corners. On a 3-2 count, and after fouling off three-straight pitches, Klitzke put the Lobos in front with a home run to right center, squarely hitting the light pole to clear the bases and give the home team the 4-3 advantage.

The Broncos threatened in the top of the fourth with the first two hitters reaching base to put runners on second and third.

Klitzke replaced Spencer in the circle and proceeded to get the Lobos out of the jam, recording the first out on the first batter with a swinging strikeout. On the next at-bat, BSU’s Alison Seng put the ball in play on a check swing on the first pitch of the at-bat, and Salas charged the ball, fielding it and throwing it home to Sydney Broderick, who easily applied the tag to the Bronco trying to score from third. A fly out to Andrea Howard in right ended the inning with two runners left on base and UNM’s lead still intact.

Broderick kept the momentum going for UNM with a leadoff walk and with one out, DeFlora drove the ball to straight-away center for a two-run home run to extend the Lobo lead to 6-3.

Klitzke allowed a two-out walk in the fifth, which broke up five-straight outs from the junior pitcher and the defense behind her, but a fly out to Howard in right ended the inning to keep BSU off the board for the third-straight inning.

In the bottom of the inning, O’Grady made it 7-3 on a leadoff home run to center field to make it four-straight innings in which the Lobos put runs on the board.

Boise State put pressure on the Lobos in the top of the sixth, hitting back-to-back doubles with two outs in the inning to score a run and loaded the bases on a bunt that advanced the runner on second to third and a walk. A pop up to Taylor Jones at second left the runners stranded.

Down to their last out, after a leadoff walk, a foul out to Wilmert at first and a swinging strikeout, the Broncos once again tried to mount a two-out rally. A single through the left side put two runners on base and allowed BSU to bring the tying run to the plate, but a fly out to Howard on the first pitch of the next at-bat ended the game and secured the victory for the Lobos.

 

In the circle, Spencer went 3.0 innings with three runs on seven hits and recorded one strikeout without issuing a walk. The junior left-hander threw 49 pitches, with 29 going for strikes, on 16 batters faced to pick up the win.

Klitzke threw 63 pitches with 36 strikes on 19 batters faced in the save.

Standing behind the two Lobo pitchers, the UNM defense was outstanding, with plays like Aleyah Wilbon sliding into the fence along the left field line to record the out, with Howard recording a team-high six putouts in the outfield including a sliding catch in foul territory and recording all three outs in the top of the fifth, and the aforementioned play at the plate between Salas and Broderick.

The Lobos had six different players record a hit in the game, with Boise State outhitting UNM 11-9. However, the Broncos left 10 runners on base compared to six for the Lobos. UNM had four of its six leadoff hitters reach base. In addition, UNM went 2-for-2 in stolen bases with DeFlora and Salas each registering one to improve to 2-for-2 on the season.

UNM’s win snapped a three-game win streak for Boise State, and the four runs scored by the Broncos was below their season scoring average with BSU entering the game 20th in the NCAA with a scoring average of 6.44.

Thursday’s victory was also significant in that it snapped BSU’s seven-game win streak over UNM dating back to May 1, 2016 and was the Lobos first home win against the Broncos since May 3, 2015.

Game two of the series starts at 4 p.m. on Friday. Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to participate in Bark in the Park, with dogs gaining free admission.

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