Lobos Lose Lead Late in Game Two to Drop Two on Day
SAN DIEGO, Calif.— The University of New Mexico got out to an early lead through the first three innings of Saturday’s second game against San Diego State, but the Aztecs scored 10 unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth to take the 11-4 win, the second SDSU win of the day.
After dropping the first game 3-0, the Lobos came out in the second game and asserted control early, with Peyton Robinson singling to left to lead off the game followed by a double down the left-field line for Cameryn O’Grady. Andrea Howard delivered the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Robinson, with O’Grady moving to third on the play.
In the cleanup spot, Rachael Hathoot pushed across the second run with a well-executed bunt to the third baseman, with O’Grady racing home and beating out the throw to the plate.
Making the start in game two, freshman Ashlyn Roberts walked the leadoff hitter, but settled in to strike out two and fielded a ball back to the circle for an out in the first, stranded two Aztecs in scoring position in the second and had another clean inning in the third.
The top of the Lobo lineup was responsible for the third UNM run as well, with Robinson drawing a walk following a full count in the third, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by the catcher on the steal, and much like the first inning, Howard hit a sacrifice fly to center with Robinson easily tagging up from third.
SDSU got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, but the Lobos answered with a run of their own in their next at-bats, again on the bat of Howard.
O’Grady walked on a full count and with a 0-2 count, Howard drove the ball to the gap in right center for a stand-up triple to score O’Grady and make it 4-1 Lobos.
The Aztecs rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth with four runs on four hits and added six runs in the sixth.
Prior to SDSU’s six-run sixth, the Lobos did have an opportunity to tie the game with a two-out double by Lauren Wilmert, her first of the year, but the Aztec right fielder made a good read to catch the line drive on Taryn Young’s at-bat to keep UNM off the board.
Howard accounted for three RBI with Hathoot accounting for the fourth run-batted-in, with O’Grady leading the Lobos with two hits, including her seventh double of the season and 50th of her career.
GAME 1
UNM outhit SDSU 5-4, but two Lobo errors led to two Aztec runs as San Diego State took the first game, 3-0.
The Lobos had the first opportunity to score in the game in the first inning with Robinson leading off with a bunt to the pitcher, beating out the throw to first. The junior advanced to second on a wild pitch but was left in scoring position as the Lobos were unable to put the ball in play. Again, the Lobos had runners in scoring position in the second with a Reyan Tuck hit-by-pitch and a Wilmert walk, but both runners were unable to advance on an inning-ending grounder to third.
San Diego State opened the scoring in the third on a fielding error by Robinson in left, who dropped the fly ball, allowing the runner to score from third. The Aztecs added a second run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch with two outs.
UNM had a chance to cut into the deficit in the fourth with Izabella Owen leading off with a single to center and Tuck hitting a one-out single in which the Aztec third baseman made a diving attempt to keep the ball in the infield. Young drew a two-out walk, battling with a nine-pitch at-bat to load the bases, but the runners were left stranded.
The Aztecs added one more run in the sixth on an unearned run for the final run of the game.
Emma Guindon got the start in the circle for the Lobos, throwing a complete game, the junior’s 10th of the season.
UNM and SDSU close out the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT on the Mountain West Network.