Lobos Split Friday's Games at UNT Invite
DENTON, Texas— New Mexico went 1-1 on the first day of the UNT Invite, defeating Stephen F. Austin 6-3 before falling 3-1 to host North Texas Friday afternoon.
GAME 1: UNM 6, SFA 3
The Lobos opened up the UNT Invite with a 6-3 win over Stephen F. Austin with the Lobos taking the lead in the first inning and adding two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Six runs was once again the magic number as the Lobos are now 4-0 on the season when scoring at least six runs.
UNM recorded eight hits in the game with Rachael Hathoot and Keyannah Chavez going 2-3 at the top of the lineup, and Ashley Archuleta and Emma Bramson led with two RBI apiece.
McKenna Guest threw her fourth complete game of the season, going 7.0 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, with five scoreless innings including the last three of the game.
New Mexico put pressure on SFA early as Hathoot led off with single to left center and the Lobos loaded the bases after hit by pitch and fielding error by the third baseman. Bramson drove in two runs on a single down the right field line to score Hathoot and Archuleta and a single up the middle by Katherine Brunner loaded the bases back up. The Lobos left the bases loaded, but scored two runs on three hits.
Guest retired the first four hitters she faced, needing just seven pitches in the first inning, before a runner reached on a walk. A home run tied the game at two, however, the Lobos limited the damage with a fly out to left field and a groundout back to Guest to leave two on base.
The Lobos needed two at-bats to take the lead back, with Hayden Luderer reaching on a throwing error, advancing all the way to third on the play and Hathoot brought her in on a sacrifice fly to left field. Chavez added another run on the next at-bat on a home run to right center, the first career home run for the sophomore.
Following a scoreless third, SFA made it a one-run game aided by a fielding error in the fourth, with the Lumberjacks leaving the tying run on third. SFA again had the tying run on third in the fifth inning, with the Lobo defense getting out of the inning unscathed on a grounder to third to keep the Lobos in front.
UNM retired the side in order in the sixth and plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth on two hits. Much like the second inning, Luderer got it started, although this time reaching base on a walk to turn the lineup over. Hathoot followed with a bunt, reaching safely on the play, and after Chavez set the table after moving them both over on a sacrifice bunt, Archuleta delivered with a double to right center facing a 1-2 count to clear the bases.
Guest shut the door, retiring the side in order for the third time in the game, needing eight pitches in the inning. Guest retired the side in order in both the sixth and seventh innings and recorded outs against the final nine batters she faced.
The freshman Lobo pitcher earned her third win of the season and Chavez extended her hit streak to six games with her sixth multi-hit game of the season.
GAME 2: UNT 3, UNM 1
Taylor Snow added a second complete game of the day, going 6.0 innings and struck out a career-high four hitters in the loss. Snow retired five consecutive batters between the first and third innings and had two strikeouts in the third inning.
The Lobos tallied three hits, scoring a run in the top of the sixth on a double by Archuleta, her second double of the day. Hathoot started the inning reaching on a hit-by-pitch and was moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Chavez to set up Archuleta. The Lobo second baseman hit the 1-1 pitch to right center, the same place she hit her double in the first game of the day, to score Hathoot for her third RBI on the day. Chloe Yeatts put the tying run on after also getting hit by a pitch, but a flyout to center combined with a runner leaving early call on Archuleta ended the opportunity.
North Texas was the first to put a run on the board with a run on two hits in the first inning, adding a run in the third and fourth for the 3-0 lead.
Down to the final three outs, Brunner reached on a fielding error, taking second on the play, but the Lobos were unable to cut into the deficit.
UNM is set to face both SFA and UNT Saturday, starting with SFA at 8 a.m. MT and UNT at 3:30 p.m. MT.