Lobos Split with UTEP
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos split a pair against UTEP on Wednesday, forcing extra innings for the first time this season in game one on a sacrifice fly by Loran Walker in the seventh before falling 2-1 in 11 and responded in game two with an 8-4 win.
Rachael Hathoot went 5-9 on the day and finished with a team-high three RBI, all coming on a home run in the sixth inning of game two, one of six Lobos to register multiple hits between the two games.
In the circle, Amber Linton threw a career-high 11.0 innings and 184 pitches, 111 of them going for strikes, while striking out eight in the loss. In game two, Taylor Snow got the start, going 4.0 innings, striking out two and allowing two runs on four hits before Emmalyn Brinka entered in relief to close the final 3.0 innings.
GAME 1
After Linton retired the side with two strikeouts and a grounder to third to start the game, the Lobos had a baserunner early as Peyton Robinson led off with an infield single, and later stole second before the inning came to an end. UNM had its second baserunner on in the second on an Emma Bramson single to right before UTEP recorded its first hit on a one-out single in the third.
Linton retired the first seven batters she faced in the game, with the Miners putting some pressure on the Lobo pitcher in the fourth following consecutive singles. However, Linton and the defense evaded any damage on an infield fly and a fielder’s choice to bring the top of the inning to an end.
UTEP broke through in the fifth on a walk, grounder that advanced the runner, a sac bunt and a single up the middle to score a run. UNM had its best opportunity to get on the board in the bottom half of the inning with Robinson reaching on another infield single, Keyannah Chavez drawing a full-count walk and a single by Hathoot to load the bases with one out, but back-to-back fly balls ended the inning with all three runners stranded.
Linton worked around two Miner runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh on consecutive swinging strikeouts to keep the score 1-0, which allowed UNM to extend the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Chavez hit a one-out single to right center with Hathoot following with another single to right center to put the tying run in scoring position. Ashley Archuleta walked to load the bases and Walker provided the equalizer on a fly ball to right that allowed Chavez to tag up and score. The Lobos had a chance to walk it off with runners reaching second and third, however a liner to the shortstop sent the game to extra innings.
UTEP had a chance in the top of the ninth on a double and fly ball that moved the runner to third, but a grounder to Linton in the circle kept the Miners off the board. The Lobos had their first runner reach in extra innings in the ninth on a single to left by Hathoot, although with two outs, a fielder’s choice ended the inning and kept the game going.
The Miners again had runners on base in the 10th with a runner reaching third, and again, Linton found a way to get out of the inning unscathed. UTEP strung together the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th on a single to center, a sacrifice bunt and a ground-rule double that scored the runner from second. UNM couldn’t get the tying runner on base in the home half of the inning, resulting in the 2-1 defeat.
Robinson and Hathoot each finished with three hits with Bramson finishing with two. As a team, UNM had 10 hits in the game and left 12 runners on base.
GAME 2
While the first game was low on scoring, the second game had early runs scored by both teams.
UTEP started the scoring in the top of the first on a single up the middle, but the Lobos answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, benefitting from a Miner error.
Chavez hit a one-out single up the middle and Hathoot reached on a single to the pitcher to put two on. Chloe Yeatts grounded out to second for the second out, although in the process moved both runners over, in which Lauren Garcia delivered with a single through the left side that allowed both to score for the 2-1 lead.
UTEP tied it up on a leadoff home run in the second with neither team able to get anything else going until the fourth.
A walk, hit-by-pitch and walk loaded the bases with two outs, but Snow was able to get out of the inning on a fly ball to Robinson in center to leave them loaded. UNM gained some separation in the home half of the fourth with three runs on four hits. Garcia led off with single, with Bramson moving pinch runner Evany Gonzalez over on a sacrifice bunt and Reyan Tuck hitting a ball down the right-field line to bring Gonzalez around. A single to the shortstop by Maddie Boldt provided another baserunner and Archuleta drove the 2-1 pitch to the gap in left center for a double that scored Tuck and moved Boldt to third. With the lineup turned over, Robinson drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases and a wild pitch brought Boldt in for the third run of the inning and the 5-2 Lobo lead.
Snow turned the ball over to Brinka to start the fifth inning and the Miners threatened in the top of the fifth with two runs on two hits and were aided by an error that made it a one-run game. The Lobos had a chance to create some distance in the bottom of the fifth with bases loaded but a called third strike on a 3-2 count left the runners stranded.
Brinka worked around a leadoff walk to retire the next three hitters in the sixth, with the inning coming to an end on Yeatts throwing out a runner trying to steal second, and the Lobos carried the momentum into the bottom with Robinson reaching on an error and stealing second. A Chavez bunt put runners on the corners, and on the ninth pitch of Hathoot’s at-bat, the Lobo shortstop hit a home run over the scoreboard in left for the added insurance runs.
Holding an 8-4 lead into the top of the seventh, UNM recorded the first out on a popup to Archuleta at second and rolled a 4-6-3 double play to secure the victory.
Garcia led with a 3-4 outing at the plate with Chavez and Hathoot each recording two hits in the win.
UP NEXT: The Lobos return to the field on Friday for two games at Arizona State, facing Houston at 11 a.m. and host Arizona State at 4 p.m.