UNM Drops Opening Game of Longhorn Invitational to Texas Southern
AUSTIN, Texas— The University of New Mexico softball team tallied just four hits from four different players in the opening game of the Longhorn Invitational on Friday, ending up on the losing end of a 3-0 final score to Texas Southern.
All four of UNM’s hits came from leadoff hitters, with three of them occurring in the first three innings, off the bats of Cameryn O’Grady, Rachael Hathoot, Lauren Wilmert and Taryn Young, but the Lobos were unable to bring them around to score. Two of those hits, from Hathoot and Wilmert, were extra-base hits.
UNM had five runners reach base via walks, with Andrea Howard leading with two, and Gavyn Shafer, Briana Martinez and Young each walking once.
With Martinez’s walk in the fifth inning, the freshman extended her on-base streak to 21 games and tallied her team-high 19th walk of the season. In addition, O’Grady’s hit in the first extended her streak of safely reaching base to 10 games, Shafer’s walk in the second extended her streak to seven games and Wilmert’s hit in the second extended her streak to five games.
Texas Southern got on the board in the first inning, made possible by an error. The leadoff hitter reached base on a throwing error by starting pitcher Bailey Klitzke, moving to second on the play. A walk and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Another walk loaded the bases with one out and a sacrifice fly to Howard in center scored the runner from third.
The Lobos had a chance to even the score in the bottom of the inning with O’Grady starting off with a single through the left side and was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hathoot, but was left standing on second.
UNM had its best chance of the game to crack the scoreboard in the second inning following a bases-loaded situation. Wilmert led off with a double down the left field line, her second of the season, and Shafer and Young were issued two-out walks to load the bases. However, the bases were left loaded after a pop out to the shortstop ended the inning.
The Lady Tigers had bases loaded in the top of the third with no outs before Hathoot turned a double play and fielded a ground ball at third to end the inning with no runs being added.
It was UNM’s 12th double play of the season and the fifth double play for Hathoot.
Stepping up to the plate to start the bottom of the third, Hathoot hit a double of her own down the left field line, her third of the season, followed two at-bats later by a walk for Howard to put two runners on base. The inning would end with a pop out and a strikeout.
TSU added two runs in the fourth on a throwing error by Hathoot, a bunt single to the pitcher, a bunt single to Leslie Romero at catcher and two walks.
UNM had another chance in the fifth inning with two, two-outs walks by Martinez and Howard but were left on base, and down to their last three outs, Young led off with a single down the left field line to start the seventh but was left standing on first as the final out was recorded.
The Lobos left a total of nine runners on base, and were outhit 6-4 by the Lady Tigers, with TSU leaving 13 runners on base.
Klitzke was charged with the loss after pitching 2.0 innings and allowing one run on one hit, walking seven and striking out one after facing 13 batters.
Brianna Sanchez entered in the third, inheriting a bases-loaded situation with no outs and proceeded to pitch 2.0 innings with three hits, two runs (one earned), and walking three hitters. Kennedy Ferguson finished the remaining 3.0 innings after replacing Sanchez in the circle in the fifth with runners on first and second and kept Texas Southern off of the board after allowing just two hits and striking out four hitters. Ferguson threw 41 total pitches with 32 going for strikes.
The Lobos (10-11) return to the field to play two games on Saturday, March 7 with the first game at 10 a.m. MT against Texas Southern. The second game will follow at 2 p.m. MT against Liberty, with both games being tape-delayed on the Longhorn Network.