Linton Pitches Complete-Game Shutout as Lobos Split Friday
LAS CRUCES, N.M.— The Lobos responded after an early morning defeat to No. 4 Oklahoma State by shutting out Creighton 4-0 behind a complete-game, nine strikeout shutout from Amber Linton and early runs from Chloe Yeatts and Lauren Garcia.
Garcia led the Lobos at the plate with a combined three hits on Friday, with Yeatts and Garcia each accounting for two RBI.
GAME 1: OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State scored nine runs on seven hits in the first inning and added three runs in the third to get ahead 12-0. OSU pitcher Kelly Maxwell kept the Lobos off of the base paths in the first three innings before Loran Walker reached in the fourth inning on a hit-by-pitch.
Ashley Archuleta led off the fifth with a walk and Garcia broke up the no-hitter on a pinch-hit single up the middle that moved Archuleta from second to third. Archuleta put the Lobos on the board after scoring on a wild pitch for the final score.
In the circle, Emmalyn Brinka got the start and went 2.1 innings before Bella Mitchell entered to pitch the remaining 1.2 innings. In her first appearance this season, Mitchell finished with four strikeouts, striking out two in the third and retired the side in the fourth that included two strikeouts.
GAME 2: CREIGHTON
As the designated home team, Linton worked around two Bluejay hits with two strikeouts and a grounder to third in the first. In the bottom half of the inning, Keyannah Chavez reached on a walk and Loran Walker and Garcia hit back-to-back singles to load the bases. Yeatts delivered with a two-out single to left center that scored Walker and Chavez to open the scoring.
A throwing error in the top of the third allowed Creighton’s leadoff hitter to advance to second and ultimately reached third base on a ground ball to Linton, but a strikeout and a grounder to Walker at third ended the threat. The Lobos had an answer of their own in their at-bat with Racahel Hathoot walking and Garcia doubling UNM’s lead with a two-run home run to left, her first as a Lobo.
After retiring the side in the fourth, Linton again responded to the Bluejays’ attempt to get on the board as after Creighton hit a leadoff double in the fifth, the junior right-hander struck out the next two batters and a liner to Hathoot at short on the next at-bat provided the third out.
Holding a 4-0 lead heading into the seventh inning, Creighton had two reach on a single and a walk, but Linton closed with two final strikeouts to complete the shutout.
Linton and the Lobo defense retired the side in three innings and left six runners on base.
With the win, Linton improves to 4-2 on the season and recorded her second-straight game of nine strikeouts after striking out nine in Thursday’s game one win over Cal State Bakersfield. It was also her fourth complete game this season, but the first complete-game shutout as a Lobo for Linton.
UP NEXT: The Lobos return to the diamond for two games on Saturday, starting with a game against New Mexico State at 2 p.m. and a game against Nebraska at 6:30 p.m.