Lobos Edge Out Hawai'i to Split Friday Games
HONOLULU, Hawai’i— The Lobos closed out their time in Hawai’i and at the Rainbow Wahine Classic with a split on Friday, falling 3-1 in the first game against UConn before finishing with a 5-4 win over Hawai’i.
Rachael Hathoot led with a team-high .600 batting average on three hits, walked three times and scored three runs between the two games, while Katherine Brunner led with five total bases and three RBI as well as a 1.250 slugging percentage.
UNM went with three pitchers on the day with McKenna Guest the pitcher on record in both after pitching 8.1 innings.
GAME 1: UCONN 3, UNM 1
The Lobos had their opportunities against the Huskies with their leadoff batter reaching in the first four innings, but the downfall continued to be runners left on base as UNM left eight runners on base including five in scoring position. The Lobos were 1-12 with runners in scoring position.
UConn got on the board early with a two-run home run on its second at-bat of the game, with the Lobos plating a run in the bottom of the third and UConn scoring the final run of the game in the fifth.
Trailing 2-0 in their first at-bats of the game, Hathoot led off with a walk, but after advancing to second on a foul out to left got caught in a run down on a fielder’s choice. Chloe Yeatts took second on a wild pitch but a foul out on a bunt attempt ended the inning.
The Lobos had their second leadoff reach on a walk after Brunner walked and Karly Smith added an infield single to put two on, but both were left on base.
Hathoot led off the third with a single through the left side and Keyannah Chavez followed up with a walk to force a UConn pitching change. After two strikeouts, Brunner cut the deficit in half on a single to center to score Hathoot from second, however, a strikeout left the tying run on second.
UNM’s fourth leadoff hitter reached after Emma Bramson reached on an infield single with Sydney Carithers laying down a sacrifice bunt to move her over. A grounder to second by pinch hitter Elizabeth Baylor allowed Bramson to move to third with the lineup turning over. Hathoot walked for the second time to put runners on the corners, but a grounder to second ended the inning with another runner left in scoring position.
UConn added a run on two hits in the fifth before Brooke Umali entered with an out in the inning and runners on first and second, getting the Lobos out of the inning on a liner to left and a popup to second.
Brunner drew a two-out walk in the fifth, reaching second on a wild pitch before a strikeout ended the inning, which proved to be the last Lobo to reach base.
Umali pitched 2.2 clean innings, retiring all eight Huskies she faced that included two strikeouts, the third time this season with two strikeouts in a game. Guest went 4.1 innings in her 13th start of the season, allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
GAME 2: UNM 5, UH 4
The Lobos grinded out a 5-4 win over host Hawai’i to close the Rainbow Wahine Classic, with UNM building a 4-0 lead in the first two innings and adding a pivotal insurance run in the top of the fifth.
Brunner put the Lobos in front in the top of the first, hitting a two-out, two-run home run for her first collegiate home run and 10th RBI of the season after Hathoot led off with a single and DeNae Vasquez-Dickson bunted her over.
UNM doubled its lead in the top of the second after a single by Bramson and a walk by Carithers, with both advancing a base on a passed ball on Hathoot’s at-bat. Hathoot drove them both in on a two-out single before the inning came to an end with the Lobos scoring two runs on two hits for the second straight inning.
While Hawai’i had runners on in the first two innings, UH didn’t get its first hit until there were two outs in the bottom of the third, but proceeded to load the bases on consecutive walks. A fielder’s choice plated its first run before the Lobos got out of the bases-loaded situation on another fielder’s choice.
Umali entered in relief to start the bottom of the fourth, with the Rainbow Wahine hitting a leadoff home run to cut the Lobo lead in half. The freshman faced two batters before the Lobos went to the bullpen again for Guest, with Guest getting the Lobos out of the inning without further runs allowed on a liner to Brunner at second and consecutive strikeouts.
A walk for Hathoot followed by Vasquez-Dickson reaching on a fielder’s choice put pressure back on Hawai’i in the fifth, and Chavez extended the lead on a single to center that allowed Hathoot to score.
UH got the run right back on a home run in the bottom of the inning, and a walk brought the tying run to the plate, but a flyout to center ended the inning.
After a clean inning by both teams in the sixth, and the Lobos unable to get a runner on in the top of the seventh, UH threatened again in the bottom of the inning. Hawai’i hit a one-out triple and a hit-by-pitch put the tying run on with runners on the corners. A fielder’s choice at second provided the second out but allowed the runner on third to score to make it a one-run game. With the tying run on first, a foul out to Brunner ended the game for UNM’s third win in one-run games.
Brunner and Hathoot each contributed two RBI with Hathoot going 2-3, scoring two runs, including the would-be winning run, and reaching on a walk.
UNM relied on three pitchers in the win, with Emily Brouse getting the start and going 3.0 innings, allowing one run on one hit with five walks and two strikeouts, before Umali entered in relief. Umali faced two batters before Guest entered to pitch the final 4.0 innings to get the win, striking out two and allowing two runs with two hits.
Up next: the Lobos return to the road to Texas Tech on Tuesday, March 12 for a doubleheader against the Red Raiders.