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Lobos Score Eight Unanswered Runs to Clinch Series Against Spartans

by Allison Weiss

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— San José State got out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings of­ Sunday’s Mountain West series finale, but the Lobos chipped aw­­ay with three runs in the second, four in the fifth and one in the sixth in the 8-6 comeback win to ­­clinch the series.

The Lobos combined for eight runs on 13 hits for the second-straight game, with five players registering two hits in Peyton Robinson, Rachael Hathoot, Keyannah Chavez, Chloe Yeatts and Maddie Boldt. Yeatts led the Lobos with three RBI, while Boldt and Lauren Garcia accounted for two RBI each.

In the circle, Amber Linton got the start going 1.0 innings before Taylor Snow entered in relief and pitched 5.2 innings before Linton entered with bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh to record the final out. Snow earned the win with Linton earning the save.

A leadoff walk, a two-run home run followed by another home run in the first put the Spartans up early, with the visitors adding three more runs in the second on a hit-by-pitch, RBI-double, a sacrifice fly and a solo home run.

However, the Lobo comeback started in the bottom of the second with UNM cutting the deficit in half on a Chavez infield single, a double by Yeatts that scored Chavez from first and a home run to left by Boldt for her sixth of the season.

Snow retired the side in the third, allowed one hit in the fourth and worked around two runners on in the fifth to keep UNM within three, which the Lobos closed the gap in the fifth inning with four runs on six hits.

Robinson got the inning going with a one-out infield single, beating out the throw to first and moved to second and later third on a wild pitch.  Hathoot drove her in on a double to center and Garcia traded places with the Lobo shortstop one play later with a double of her own to center to bring the Lobos within one run. After Chavez reached on a single to shallow right, with pinch runner Leslie Romero moving to third on the play, Yeatts completed the comeback with a hit that got past the Spartan shortstop and traveled all the way to the wall in left center and allowed Chavez to come all the way around to score for the 7-6 Lobo lead.

Following another clean inning from Snow with the Lobo retiring the side in order, New Mexico added one final run behind a Robinson bunt, an Archuleta single to left and a bunt by Hathoot to load the bases, with Robinson scoring on a walk for Garcia.

The Spartans hit two deep fly balls to left with Chavez catching it at the wall for two outs and SJSU continued to threaten with two walks that loaded the bases prompting Linton to reenter the game. The ball was put into play on the 0-1 pitch, with Archuleta cleanly fielding the grounder and throwing to Jenna Trim at first for the final out and the win.

UP NEXT: UNM (15-18, 3-3 MW) plays NMSU at home on Tuesday at 3 p.m.