Lobos Walk-Off Wolf Pack in Extras Friday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— After giving up three runs in the top of the first inning of Friday’s game against Nevada, the Lobos rallied to tie the game in the fifth before walking off in the eighth on a Chloe Yeatts’ hit to left.
In the circle, Amber Linton pitched her 14th complete game of the season, retiring 12-straight batters between the fifth and eighth innings that included striking out seven-straight batters. The junior finished with 11 strikeouts, her third game this season reaching double-digit strikeouts.
Nevada used four hits to score three runs to start the game before Linton retired the side in order in the second and worked around a leadoff hit-by-pitch with Yeatts throwing out a runner at second to eliminate Nevada’s opportunity to add on in the third. The Lobo defense retired the side in order again in the fourth and from there on, allowed just one baserunner to reach for the remainder of the game on a leadoff single up the middle in the fifth.
The Lobo defense keeping the game at 3-0 set up the comeback in the fifth as the Lobos tied the game with three runs on three hits. Yeatts got the inning started by reaching on a fielding error by the shortstop, with Grace Rana entering to pinch run. Reyan Tuck entered to pinch hit two at-bats later, reaching on an infield single with Rana safely moving to second. Emma Bramson put the Lobos on the board with a single to right field to score Rana while Tuck advanced to third on the play and with the lineup turned over, Rachael Hathoot cleared the bases on a double to left on the following at-bat to tie the game at three.
After Linton struck out the side in both the sixth and seventh innings, UNM had a chance to walk it off in the seventh after Tuck walked on four-straight pitches and Bramson moved her to second on a sac bunt. Hathoot flied out to right, with Jenna Trim (who re-entered to run in place of Tuck) tagging up and moving to third. Keyannah Chavez narrowly was thrown out at first, sliding headfirst into the bag to try to beat the throw, to end the inning and send the game to extras.
The Wolf Pack failed to have a runner reach in the eighth, while the Lobos successfully had their first three hitters reach in the bottom of the eighth to load the bases and set up Yeatts’ walk-off.
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. with the Senior Day ceremony postgame.