New Mexico Splits Day Two of Cardinal Classic
BEAUMONT, Texas— It was a long day at the softball field for the New Mexico Lobos, needing extra innings to beat Lamar and closing the day with a 5-2 loss to Creighton to split the day’s results.
Andrea Howard led the Lobos at the plate with three hits between the two games, that included a home run, and also led with three RBI. Olivia Birkinshaw and Reyan Tuck each finished with two hits, with Birkinshaw recording an extra-base hit with a triple, and Leslie Romero delivered two RBI and hit a double.
In the circle, it was a team effort as all six pitchers on the roster entered the circle at some point in the day, with Samantha Fohrman making her first start for the Lobos against Lamar and Ashlyn Roberts making her first start of the season against Creighton. McKenna Kostyszyn also made her first appearance as a Lobo, pitching an inning and striking out one.
Emma Guindon again was locked in, pitching 6.1 innings against Lamar, striking out seven and not allowing any runs with just three hits and a walk allowed.
GAME 1 VS LAMAR
Until the job is done. The Lobo softball team played in the third-longest game in program history on Saturday afternoon, going 12 innings before defeating host Lamar 6-4. It was the second-straight game against the Cardinals for the Lobos, with UNM winning 2-1 in the first meeting.
Unlike Friday’s game, Lamar was the first to get on the board, plating two in the bottom of the second. While the Lobos were able to get runners on in the third and fifth, both times Sydney Broderick reaching base, it wasn’t until the sixth that the Lobos broke through.
Pinch hitting for New Mexico to start the sixth, Birkinshaw hit a triple to left field, and on the first pitch of the next at-bat, Howard tied the game with a home run to center for her second home run of the season. Lamar threatened to break the tie at the bottom of the inning with two runners in scoring position, but Guindon (who entered in the fourth inning) recorded the third out on a swinging strikeout.
Neither team was able to get a runner on base in the seventh and the game headed to extra innings, the first time this season for the Lobos. Taryn Young singled to center to start off the inning and was moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Birkinshaw, but after Howard was intentionally walked the Lobos were unable to produce any more offense to score a run.
Lamar had one hit in the bottom half of the inning before a strikeout and foul out to Emma Bramson at third ended the inning.
The Lobos again had a runner in scoring position in the ninth after Martinez walked and was moved over on a sacrifice bunt, and again the Lobos were unable to bring the run in.
Another run wasn’t scored until the 11th inning, when after Tuck was placed on second to start the inning and moved to third on a wild pitch, Bramson hit a sacrifice fly to center that allowed Tuck to score. However, Lamar matched the run in the bottom of the 11th on a single up the middle to score its runner that was placed on second.
The Lobos finally put the game away in the 12th with a sacrifice bunt by Broderick moving Janae Cameron over to third and a sacrifice fly to center by Young bringing Cameron in. Birkinshaw and Howard kept the inning going with consecutive singles to the outfield, with Birkinshaw scoring on Howard’s hit. Romero brought in the third run of the inning on a double to center that scored Howard.
Leading 6-3, Lamar added one final run on a grounder to second that moved the runner on second over and a wild pitch that scored the run. The Cardinals did have the tying run at the plate following a walk but a grounder to Ashley Archuleta at second ended the game.
The Lobos used three pitchers in the game, with Fohrman going 3.0 innings before Guindon entered in the fourth and pitched 6.1 innings, with Amber Linton entering in the 10th to pitch the remaining 2.2 innings. Linton improved to 3-1 on the year with the decision. UNM struck out 10 batters with Guindon responsible for seven, Linton three and Fohrman one.
GAME 2 VS. CREIGHTON
Facing Creighton for the first time in the tournament, the Lobos got on the board first with a run in the second inning. Bramson started off the inning with a single through the right side, UNM’s first hit of the game, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Tuck hit an infield single that allowed Bramson to reach third and Romero brought her in on a sacrifice fly to left field.
Getting the start, Roberts worked quickly through the first two innings, retiring the side in order, but the Bluejays took a 2-1 lead in the second on three hits. Creighton added another run in the fourth, and while the Lobos had two runners reach base via walks in the fifth, they couldn’t even the score. Creighton added two more runs in the fifth to make it 5-1.
Briana Martinez got a run back in the top of the sixth with her first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field for the final Lobo hit, and run, of the game.
Brianna Sanchez entered to replace Roberts to start the fifth and Kostyszyn entered to start the sixth, allowing one hit and striking out one.
UNM (5-3) closes the Cardinal Classic on Sunday morning against Ohio at 8 a.m. MT/ 9 a.m. CT.