Vasquez-Dickson Homers as Lobos Fall in Thursday Doubleheader
RENO, Nev.— The Lobos lost both games of Thursday’s doubleheader at Nevada, losing the lead late in game one in the 5-4 final and lost 8-2 in the second game.
Two freshmen stepped up for UNM in DeNae Vasquez-Dickson, who led the Lobos at the plate with a double and a home run, accounted for three of UNM’s six RBI on the day and hit .286 with an .857 slugging percentage between the two games. Fellow freshman McKenna Guest pitched a combined 10.2 innings and struck out seven, while adding her ninth complete game of the season in game one. Guest threw a total of 238 pitches on the day with 139 going for strikes on 54 batters faced.
GAME 1: NEVADA 5, UNM 4
The Lobos plated a run in their first at-bats of the game with Rachael Hathoot leading off with an infield single and Vasquez-Dickson reaching on a fielder’s choice to replace Hathoot on base. Vasquez-Dickson moved all the way around to third on a wild pitch, and Ashley Archuleta drove her in on a grounder to second.
Guest retired the Wolf Pack in order in the bottom of the first, with the Lobos holding Nevada off the board in the first two innings. However, Nevada took the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on a triple to right center that tied the game at one and an infield single that scored the go-ahead run.
The score held until the bottom of the fifth with Nevada adding a run on a sacrifice fly.
UNM strung together three runs on three hits to reclaim the lead in the top of the sixth with Macie Andrews providing the go-ahead runs on a single to the outfield. Hathoot started the inning with a one-out single through the right side with Vasquez-Dickson sending the 3-2 pitch to the gap in left center with Hathoot coming around to score. Back-to-back Nevada errors loaded the bases and with two outs and Andrews delivered on a single to center on the 0-2 count to give UNM the 4-3 lead.
Nevada answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on two hard-hit balls to the outfield with the Lobos unable to put a runner on in the seventh.
Hathoot led with two hits, extending her hitting streak to 17 games, and was responsible for two of the five hits in the game. Andrews led with a season-high two RBI with Vasquez-Dickson and Archuleta adding one RBI.
Guest threw a complete game, striking out four while not allowing a walk, finishing with five runs on nine hits.
GAME 2: NEVADA 8, UNM 2
UNM again put runs on the board in the top of the first as Vasquez-Dickson hit a two-run home run on the second at-bat of the game for her second home run of the season. However, Nevada matched that with two solo home runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.
The Wolf Pack added a third home run in the bottom of the second to take the lead and forced a Lobo pitching change with Guest entering in relief. Guest got the Lobos out of the inning, stranding two Nevada runners in scoring position on a strikeout for the third out.
Nevada scored two runs in the third before Guest got out of a bases-loaded jam on a fly ball to Vasquez-Dickson in center and proceeded to retire the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings and recorded the first out in the sixth in what amounted to retiring eight consecutive Nevada batters.
Following a scoreless fourth and fifth, Nevada scored three in the bottom of the sixth for the final runs of the game.
UNM tallied two hits in the game- Vasquez-Dickson’s home run in the first and a hit by Sydney Carithers in the seventh.
Taylor Snow got the start in game two, going 1.0 inning before Guest entered and pitched 4.2 innings. Brooke Umali replaced Guest in the sixth and retired the only batter she faced.
UNM closes the series on Friday at 1 p.m.