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Lobos Defeat UC Riverside to Open Mary Nutter Classic

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif.— The University of New Mexico softball team started the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a gritty victory over UC Riverside on Thursday afternoon, relying on home runs, double plays and timely pitching for the 6-3 win.

UNM (6-4) opened the scoring in the third, and although the Highlanders threatened with runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth, the Lobos didn’t falter and held the lead.

The Lobo defense played a vital role in the win, turning three double plays to allow UNM to get out of the second and third unscathed and the fifth to retain the lead after UCR (6-5) narrowed the margin to one at 4-3.

Taryn Young led the Lobos at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the fourth for her first home run as a Lobo, and a single in the sixth to score an insurance run. Andrea Howard added to her season total of home runs with a two-run home run to center in the third to give UNM a 3-0 lead. The Lobos are now 4-0 when hitting two or more home runs.

In the circle, Kiana Spencer picked up her fourth win of the season, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out one and walking two. The senior pitched a total of 93 pitches with 56 called strikes.

Inheriting runners on second and third in the fifth inning and the Lobos holding a narrow 4-3 lead, freshman Brianna Sanchez threw a scoreless 2.2 innings in relief, allowing just two hits while walking two and striking out one. Of the 39 pitches she threw, 25 went for strikes.

Each team had chances to score through the first two innings, but it wasn’t until the third that the Lobos broke through.

After UCR lined into a double play to Rachael Hathoot at third to end the top of the inning, the Lobos needed just three at-bats to push across the first run of the game.

A walk by Hathoot was followed by a double to center for Cameryn O’Grady, her ninth of the season, but a fielding error by the left fielder allowed Hathoot to be waved around from third and O’Grady to advance to third. Two batters later, Howard homered on a 2-2 pitch to increase the lead to three.

UC Riverside got a run back in the top of the fourth on a double to left that scored a runner from second, but a grounder to Hathoot at third ended the inning with two left on base. UCR would leave a total of nine runners on base compared to just five for UNM.

The Lobos answered in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run by Young, who lifted a 2-0 pitch past the center field wall to restore the three-run cushion.

Spencer found herself in some trouble in the top of the fifth, putting the first two hitters on with a single to right and a hit-by-pitch. After a fielder’s choice put runners on the corners and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, a single up the middle scored two runs to make it 4-3 Lobos.

Sanchez entered the game and after walking the first batter to again load the bases, the freshman worked out of it with a grounder to Hathoot at third, who stepped on the bag and threw to Leslie Romero at home who applied the tag to the Highlander for the third out.

The Highlanders again put runners in scoring position in the sixth with a single to center, a single to third and a sacrifice bunt to Sanchez that moved both runners over. Sanchez recorded the next two outs via a pop up to the pitcher and a clutch strikeout coming on a full count and the 10th pitch of the at-bat.

UNM put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth to add two insurance runs, which started with a hit-by-pitch on Gavyn Shafer’s at-bat. The freshman second baseman took second on a wild pitch and was driven in on a Young single to left field. On the ensuing at-bat, Hathoot hit a double to left field to score Young for the final run of the game.

Returning to the circle with a three-run lead, Sanchez got two quick outs and although she gave up a walk, a fly ball to Young in right ended the game and sealed the win for the Lobos.

Of note, the Lobos, who entered the game leading the country in walks, added four with one each by Hathoot, O’Grady, Briana Martinez and Bailey Klitzke. Additionally, Martinez and Hathoot continued their streak of safely reaching base to 10 games and Klitzke extended her streak to eight. With O’Grady’s double, the senior shortstop extended her hit streak to five games and her streak of hitting a double to five games as well.

TEAM USA: Although the stats didn’t count, UNM went toe-to-toe early on with the USA Olympic Team before ultimately falling 10-1 in five innings.

Among the highlights was a solo home run by Howard in the top of the second inning to cut the deficit in half at 2-1 and four total strikeouts for Klitzke in the circle.

Up next: The Lobos play No. 16 Arizona State (10-2) on Friday evening at 9 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on FloSoftball, but will require a subscription.

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