Lobos Split Two Games on Sunday to Conclude Lobo Classic
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The University of New Mexico softball team went 1-1 on Sunday to close out the Lobo Classic, dropping the opening game of the day against Northern Colorado 8-4 before taking the weekend finale 6-4 over South Dakota.
Freshman Briana Martinez continued to find ways to reach base, leading the team with four hits, including three doubles, between the two games and registered a team-high three RBI. The New Mexico native has now reached base safely in all 20 games in her freshman campaign.
Shortstop Cameryn O’Grady added to her season total in doubles with two, bringing the total to 13 to date. Just 20 games into the season, the senior has almost matched her total number of doubles in 2019 (16) and is just eight away from tying the UNM single season record. Entering the weekend, the California native was third in the NCAA with nine doubles, having played two less games than the two players ahead of her with 10.
Seven different players recorded a hit and five different Lobos recorded a run batted in with four having multiple runs batted in. Gavyn Shafer, Leslie Romero and O’Grady each finished with three hits, while Taryn Young had two.
Of note, Shafer extended her hitting streak to six games and O’Grady extended her streak of reaching base to nine games.
Andrea Howard and Lauren Wilmert each had balls leave the park, Wilmert’s first home run of the season and Howard’s seventh.
UNM used four different pitchers with Kiana Spencer and Bailey Klitzke each getting starts and Kennedy Ferguson and Brianna Sanchez entering the game in relief.
At the conclusion of Sunday’s game against USD, the Lobos are 10-10 on the year and 7-3 at home.
GAME ONE: NORTHERN COLORADO
The Bears put four runs on the board in the first inning, and although the Lobos responded to make it a one-run game in the fourth at 5-4, UNM was unable to find the tying run before eventually falling 8-4.
Martinez and Shafer each went 2-for-3 against UNC, accounting for four of UNM’s seven hits in the game and one RBI apiece.
Klitzke started the game recording the first out on a grounder to O’Grady before two singles and a double pushed across the first run of the game and put two Bears in scoring position. A walk, a sacrifice fly and another walk scored another two runs and Sanchez was brought in to replace Klitzke in the circle. Sanchez walked the first hitter she faced for the fourth run of the inning before a grounder to Rachael Hathoot at third recorded the third out.
UNC added another run in the second following another bases-loaded situation to put the Lobos in a 5-0 deficit.
The Lobos started to chip away in the third with a single by Shafer to start the bottom of the inning, who came around to score on a double to left center by O’Grady. Two at-bats later, Martinez hit a double of her own, her second of the game, to score O’Grady, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch the double into a triple.
After a double play started by Hathoot ended the top half of the fourth, UNM made it a one-run game with a one-out home run to center by Wilmert and a two-out double by Romero followed by a single to right by Shafer that scored Romero.
However, the Lobos would be kept off of the bases for the remainder of the game as UNC went on to add two runs in the sixth and a final run in the seventh.
The Lobos used three pitchers in the game with Klitzke going 0.2 innings, Sanchez 5.0 innings and Ferguson finishing the final 1.1 innings. Ferguson threw an efficient 24 pitches with 18 going for strikes, striking out one hitter.
GAME TWO: SOUTH DAKOTA
Unlike in the first game, it was the Lobos who got on the board first against the Coyotes, and the Lobos would continue to put runs on the board in four of their six innings at the plate as they edged out USD 6-4.
O’Grady, Martinez, Romero and Young would each record two hits, with Young a perfect 2-for-2, Romero and O’Grady 2-for-3 and Martinez 2-for-4. Martinez and Howard tallied two RBI as Shafer and O’Grady had one.
Taylor Jones reached base twice via walks and would come around to score each time.
After Spencer retired the side in order to start the game, the Lobos were the beneficiaries of a dropped fly ball by the South Dakota left fielder that allowed Hathoot to reach second. With two outs in the inning, Howard unleashed on the 1-1 pitch, sending it high into the bleachers in right field to put UNM in front 2-0. Wilmert continued the inning with a walk following a full count and Romero singled to left field. Shafer added the third run of the inning on a single down the left field line to score Wilmert from second, and the Coyotes went to the bullpen to replace the starting pitcher, who proceeded to get the final out in the inning.
Spencer worked around the first two hitters reaching base on walks to keep USD off of the board and UNM would manufacture another run in the second to make it 4-0. Young started off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield, but would get thrown out caught stealing on the next at-bat. O’Grady doubled to right field on her at-bar and with two outs, Martinez hit a 2-1 pitch hard off the wall in left to score O’Grady.
South Dakota scored its first run in the third on a two-out double to left field for the only run of the inning between the two teams. Spencer again retired the side in order in the fourth and the Lobos would get their four-run lead back in the fourth following a walk by Jones, a single down the left field line by Young that moved Jones to third and allowed Young to take second on the throw and a sacrifice fly to center by O’Grady to score Jones.
Following the third scoreless inning for Spencer in the circle, UNM added its final run of the game in the sixth after getting its first three hitters on to load the bases with two walks by Jones and Young and a well-placed bunt by O’Grady. A one-out single to the shortstop on Martinez’s at-bat plated Jones before the Coyotes would get out of the inning with the Lobos leaving the bases loaded.
USD attempted to mount a comeback in the top of the seventh, getting to Spencer with a leadoff double to center and a walk. A hit back to Spencer led to the first out of the inning as the pitcher got the lead runner at third, but a single up the middle on the next at-bat loaded the bases. Another single, this time to left field, scored two runs to make it 6-3 and Spencer would exit with runners on first and second.
A wild pitch by Ferguson moved the runners up a base, but the sophomore would settle in and retire her first batter faced on a hit back to the pitcher, throwing to first for the second out. A final run would score on the play, but Ferguson would retire the next batter on another hit to the pitcher, with Ferguson again throwing to first for the final out of the game.
Spencer earned her seventh win of the season after throwing 111 pitches in 6.1 innings of work and striking out four hitters. Ferguson entered to record the final two outs, retiring both batters that she faced in just eight pitches for the save.
Up next for UNM is the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas starting on March 6 at 10 a.m. MT against Texas Southern. The Lobos will play a total of five games in three days, facing Liberty, Texas Southern and current No. 3 Texas.