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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The Mountain West schedule resumes for the Lobo softball team, as does the road stint, as New Mexico travels to Fort Collins, Colo., for a three-game series with the Rams starting Friday.
Friday’s series opener is set to start at 4 p.m. MT, with Saturday a 1 p.m. start time and Sunday a noon start time. All three games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network with live stats available (links above).
UNM enters the series 21-14 on the season, 1-5 in the Mountain West, while CSU stands at 11-19 on the season, 3-6 in the conference.
The Lobos continue to be led by Andrea Howard at the plate, who is having her best season as a Lobo already, with a career-best 46 hits, three triples, 13 home runs, 42 RBI, 98 total bases, .418 hitting percentage, .891 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage.
Howard ranks fifth in the NCAA in total bases, 10th in home runs, 12th in RBI, 21st in slugging percentage and 25th in hits. She is leads the conference in overall hits and total bases and is tied for first in home runs. She is second in RBI and third in batting average and slugging percentage and tied for third in triples. She is also fifth in on-base percentage. Besides leading in home runs, Howard leads the Lobos in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBI, hits, doubles, triples, runs scored and total bases. She is also second in walks. The Lobo outfielder also leads the team with 14 multiple-RBI games, with eight games of two RBI, five games with three RBI and one game with five RBI, and has 14 multiple-hit games with 11 games with two hits and two games with three hits.
Howard enters the weekend with a 17-game on-base streak and an eight-game hitting streak.
Ashley Archuleta remains at the top of the MW leaderboard in batting average in conference games at .579, is third in on-base percentage at .636 and tied for fourth in hits (11). The Lobos occupy the sixth and seventh spot in slugging percentage in conference games with Howard sixth (.700) and Archuleta seventh (.632), with Howard seventh in batting average (.400) and in on-base percentage (.478).
In the circle, Emma Guindon and Amber Linton have been the go-to starters for the Lobos, throwing the most innings on the team with 101.1 (Guindon) and 100.0 (Linton). Guindon has struck out 84 and Linton 105. while Guindon has walked 30 batters and Linton has walked 39. As a pitching unit, the Lobos have combined for a 3.18 ERA, with 202 strikeouts to 79 walks, and has allowed 247 hits, 161 runs (108 earned). The Lobos are fifth in the MW in ERA, earned runs allowed and walks allowed, fourth in batters struck out, and second in batters struck out looking (68) and home runs allowed (12). Linton is second in the MW batters struck out and tied for first in batters struck out looking (39).
In the other dugout, the Rams are coming off of a series against Utah State where the Rams lost 6-1, 2-0 and 2-0. However, CSU swept San José State the weekend prior with scores of 6-5, 7-6 and 6-4. Their other MW series was against SDSU, and were swept 6-2, 2-0 and 13-0 (5).
Colorado State shares two common opponents with the Lobos in Dixie State (won 12-0 in five) and Wisconsin (lost 7-3).
Hailey Smith leads CSU at the plate with a .337 batting average, .522 slugging percentage, 10 doubles, 23 RBI, while Ashley Michelena leads with 33 hits. Ashley York leads with five triples, is second in RBI with 22 and tied for second in hits with 31, and Peyton Allen leads with six home runs. York leads the MW in MW games with two triples and is second in stolen bases with four. York is 9-for-9 in stolen bases this season with Allen 3-for-3, Michelena 6-for-7 and Morgan Crosby 4-5. As a team, the Rams are 27-for-33 with nine players stealing at least one base and 10 players attempting at least one stolen base. CSU is tied for third in MW games with eight stolen bases, but leads the MW in sacrifice flies with four in MW games. In conference games, Makenna McVay leads the Rams with a .400 batting average, while Smith and Michelena have recorded seven hits. Smith and Maya Matsubara tie for the team lead in RBI with four, with Matsubara leading in slugging percentage at .588. Matsubara and Danielle Serna account for the two team home runs.
CSU has thrown four pitchers, led by Julia Cabral who has appeared in 20 games with 10 starts and thrown 69.1 innings. A RHP, Cabral carries a 4.24 ERA and has thrown five complete games and recorded two saves. She has allowed 65 hits, 47 runs (42 earned), walking 28 and striking out 51. Sydney Hornbuckle has appeared in 12 games with seven starts and three complete games, throwing 53.0 innings and allowing 48 hits, 39 runs (29 earned), walking 29 and struck out 30. A RHP, Hornbuckle has a 3.83 ERA. Jetta Nannen has thrown 38.0 innings in 10 appearances with six starts and one complete game. A RHP, Nannen has allowed 35 hits, 19 runs (16 earned), striking out 18 and walking 11, and has a team-best 2.95 ERA. Danielle Serna has pitched 34.2 innings in eight games and seven starts with three complete games and a 4.64 ERA. Serna has allowed 39 hits, 28 runs (23 earned), and has 27 strikeouts to eight walks. As a staff, CSU has a 3.95 ERA with two shutouts. In conference games, Cabral and Hornbuckle have each started three games, with Cabral throwing in eight and Hornhuckle in four games, while Nannen has started two games and Serna one. Nannen was on record in three of CSU’s conference games, going 2-1, while Hornbuckle recorded the other CSU conference win and is 1-3. Cabral is 0-2 in conference. Against MW teams, CSU pitchers are allowing 54 hits, 46 runs (44 earned), striking out 28 and walking 26, and has a combined 5.60 ERA.
Following the series at CSU, the Lobos will host Fresno State April 14-16.