UNM Victorious Behind Two Walk-Off Wins
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The University of New Mexico softball team walked off victorious twice on Saturday as the Lobos run-ruled La Salle 13-5 in the first game before walking off 7-6 in an extra-inning game over South Dakota on the second day of the Lobo Classic.
Freshman third baseman Rachael Hathoot led the Lobos in hitting on the day, going 4-for-6 at the plate, including a triple, as well as reached base on a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
Skylar Jenkins, playing as the designated hitter, and Cameryn O’Grady each accounted for four RBI between the two games, and O’Grady and Briana Martinez led in base on balls with three each.
Nine different players recorded at least one hit on the day with five recording multiple hits, and nine different players accounted for at least one RBI with five posting multiple on the day.
The on-base streak for Martinez continued and presently sits at 18 games, while O’Grady has extended her streak to seven games and Andrea Howard has extended hers to six games. Gavyn Shafer has reached base safely in the last four games, which comes as the freshman infielder recorded two hits on the day including one double.
GAME ONE: LA SALLE
The Lobos scored at least a run in every inning en route to the 13-5, five inning game on Saturday afternoon, highlighted by a season-high 12 walks for the Lobos that resulted in two runs. Nine different players reached base with at least one walk, while three Lobos (O’Grady, Martinez and Taryn Young drew two walks).
When O’Grady was able to put the ball in play, the senior was 2-for-2 with a grand slam in the third to extend the Lobo lead to 8-1. Jenkins was also perfect at the plate with a 3-for-3 outing, accounting for four RBI.
The Lobos reached run-rule territory in the fourth after a fielder’s choice by Shafer brought in Howard to make it 9-1, but down to their last out, the Explorers extended the game with a single to left field that drove in a run, followed by a two-run home run and a solo home run to cut the margin to four at 9-5. The Lobos answered with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, with a Young hit that dropped in shallow right bringing in the final run as Sydney Broderick scored from third.
La Salle put a run on the board in the first inning behind a fielding error by Shafer at second that allowed a leadoff single to score. However, three consecutive walks for O’Grady, Hathoot and Martinez to begin the bottom of the first loaded the bases for Howard. On the first pitch of her at-bat Howard sent a fly ball deep to center in which the Explorer outfielder brought the ball back in over the wall to rob the Lobo center fielder of a grand slam. UNM was able to tag up on the play as O’Grady came into score on the sacrifice fly to even the game at one. In the first inning, the Lobos drew four walks and had the bases loaded on two separate occasions, ultimately leaving them loaded.
Lobo starting pitcher Brianna Sanchez worked out of a bases-loaded situation of her own in the second with a strikeout to record the final out of the inning, and once again, the Lobos used walks to get runners in scoring position.
Young and O’Grady both walked before a bunt single by Hathoot loaded the bases back up with one out. A Martinez walk brought in the first run of the inning, and two at-bats later, Jenkins drove a pitch to center field to bring in Hathoot and O’Grady before Martinez was thrown out at third.
Sanchez kept the Explorers off of the board in the top of the third, and the Lobos would add four more runs in the home half. Shafer hit a one-out double to left center and Taylor Jones beat out a bunt to the third baseman to put runners on the corners. Jones stole second, her first stolen base of the season and the 10th on the year for UNM, before Young drew her second walk of the game to load the bases back up. With a 3-2 count, O’Grady launched a home run to the right field bleachers, clearing the bases for her second home run of the season and the 8-1 lead.
UNM again had bases loaded in the fourth with a walk for Howard to start the inning, a single to left by Jenkins, and a pinch-hit bunt single to first for Bailey Klitzke. Shafer’s fielder’s choice scored Howard for the lone run of the inning.
After La Salle plated four runs to extend the game in the top of the fifth, the Lobos used their ensuing at-bats to finish the game. Back-to-back singles by O’Grady and Hathoot put the first two runners on before La Salle recorded two outs on fly outs on the next two at-bats. Jenkins kept the inning alive with a double to left center to clear the bases and make it 11-5, and three consecutive walks for Broderick, Shafer and Jones scored Jenkins. With bases still loaded, Young ended the game on a walk-off single to right field, capping the four-run, four hit inning for UNM.
UNM used three different pitchers in the game, with Sanchez getting the start and lasting 2.1 innings. The freshman allowed five hits and one run while walking two and striking out one. Kennedy Ferguson entered to replace Sanchez and threw 2.1 innings of her own, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out three hitters. Kiana Spencer closed out the game, facing just one hitter in the game.
GAME TWO: SOUTH DAKOTA
In the nightcap against the Coyotes, UNM was able to get out to an early lead after scoring in the first inning and held a 6-3 lead going into the fourth before South Dakota tied it. The two teams would hold at six runs, forcing the game into extra innings, New Mexico’s first of the season. With both teams having a runner start on second and both teams executing a sacrifice bunt to start the inning, it was the Lobos who prevailed with a 7-6 win following a sacrifice fly to left by Lauren Wilmert with Jenkins tagging from third for the winning run in the eighth inning.
Freshmen Hathoot and Martinez both went 2-for-3 on the evening with Martinez recording her second double of the season and Hathoot tallying her second triple of the season.
Hathoot’s triple came in the first inning, which was followed by a single by Martinez to first base. Howard opened up the scoring with a single up the middle to score Hathoot, and the second run came on a throwing error by the USD third baseman that allowed Martinez to score.
South Dakota took the lead in the next half of the inning, all coming with two outs and aided by a fielding error by Wilmert at first. A single up the middle, a walk and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third and on the next play, Wilmert didn’t cleanly see the ball into her glove before trying to step on first, allowing the runner to reach safely and the runner on third to score. A single to Klitzke in which the pitcher couldn’t throw to first in time tied the game at two and a single to second brought in the third run for the 3-2 USD lead.
UNM responded with four runs on three hits in the bottom of the second to go ahead 6-3, with a walk by Wilmert, a single up the middle by Shafer and an O’Grady walk to load the bases. Hathoot put the Lobos back in front on a single through the left side that scored Shafer and Wilmert and a Martinez double to center extended the lead with two more runs coming in.
Following a quiet third, the Coyotes evened the score in the top of the fourth, with a wild pitch putting two runners in scoring position and a single up the middle scoring both runs. A double to the corner in left field tied the game at six, and the Lobos went to the bullpen to bring in Spencer for Klitzke.
Spencer got the Lobos out of the inning on a grounder and a pop up.
Neither team could plate any runs in the fifth or sixth, but in the seventh, both teams had chances to take the lead without any success.
South Dakota led off the inning with a double and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third. The Lobo defense came through on the next play, with a hit to Hathoot at third, who proceeded to start a rundown with the baserunner, throwing to Broderick at home, who threw to O’Grady to apply the tag for the out. With two outs and a runner on second, Spencer induced a pop up to O’Grady at shortstop for the final out.
In the home half of the inning, the Lobos were able to put two on with a hit-by-pitch for Hathoot and a walk for Martinez, but the winning run was left standing on second.
With a runner placed on second to start the eighth inning, the first USD hitter laid down a bunt to the pitcher to move the runner to third. However, a call of the next batter being out of the box and a grounder to O’Grady, who made a strong throw to first ended the inning.
Jenkins was placed on second for the Lobos and Romero executed a bunt of her own to the pitcher to move the runner up a base. Wilmert worked a full count on her at-bat before hitting a fly ball to left field. The outfielder caught the ball and threw home, but it was not on target as Jenkins was able to slide into home for the winning run.
Spencer moved to 6-1 on the season with the win after pitching 4.2 scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out one. She threw a total of 57 pitches with 36 called strikes. Klitzke finished with a line of 3.1 innings, eight hits, six runs (three earned), three walks and two strikeouts, throwing 52 strikes on 83 total pitches.
UNM (9-9) concludes the Lobo Classic with two final games on Sunday. The Lobos will face Northern Colorado in the 10:30 a.m. game followed up with another meeting with South Dakota at 1 p.m. eighth