Lobos Run-Rule Tigers in Sunday Split
STEPHENVILLE, Texas— The Lobos found their bats in the fifth inning of Sunday morning’s game against Texas Southern, scoring 13 runs on eight hits and 18 Lobos coming to the plate for the 13-3 run-rule victory.
After the leadoff Lobo was retired, Ashley Archuleta started the inning reaching on a hit-by-pitch and DeNae Vasquez-Dickson getting UNM’s first hit of the game on a single up the middle. Allie Williams drove in the first run on a double to left center with Vasquez-Dickson moving to third and back-to-back walks for Jessica DeLeon and Miracle McKenzie made it a one-run game.
The Lobos started stringing hits together from there with Katherine Brunner tying the game on a single to the shortstop and Ella Dawson singled through the left side to give UNM the lead. Entering to pinch hit, Keyannah Chavez delivered a two-run double to score McKenzie and Brunner that made it 6-3 UNM. Following a popup on a bunt attempt from Hayden Luderer for the second out, Archuleta cleared the bases on a three-run home run to right, her first of the year, after working a 3-2 count.
On the next at-bat, Vasquez-Dickson scored the 10th run of the inning, reaching on a misplayed ball by the Tiger left fielder and racing around to score easily. The Lobos re-loaded the bases on a walk by Williams, Ava Castillo reaching on an error by the pitcher and a single to right field by McKenzie, with Brunner hitting a double down the left field line (the third for the Lobos in the inning) on the first pitch of her plate appearance to drive in Williams and Castillo. The final run scored on a wild pitch before the inning came to an end.
McKenna Guest closed her 4.2 innings of relief by retiring the side in order in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. Entering the game in the bottom of the first with UNM trailing 3-0, Guest got the Lobos out of the inning on two strikeouts, retired the side in order in both the second and third innings while adding a strikeout in each inning, ultimately retiring the first eight Tigers she faced.
Guest allowed a walk to start the fourth but proceeded to strike out the next two and left the runner stranded on a grounder to Brunner at short. Of her 15 batters faced, she finished with six strikeouts, no hits allowed and one walk.
At the plate, Archuleta and Brunner finished with three RBI with Brunner 2-2 with a double and Archuleta 1-2 with a home run. Chavez went 1-1 with a double for two RBI and in total, six different Lobos recorded at least one RBI.
GAME 2
A leadoff home run in the bottom of the first proved to be the game-winning run as the Lobos were defeated by the Texans 2-0.
The Lobo defense kept it close, leaving three Tarleton State runners stranded in the bottom of the second on two strikeouts by starter Natalie Fritz, and a groundout to Luderer at third to leave three more Texans on base.
Tarleton State added a final run in the fourth on a walk and single to right that got past the Lobo outfielder to allow the unearned run to score.
For UNM, the Lobos had runners reach in the first on a Vasquez-Dickson hit-by-pitch, a would-be line drive base hit by Williams that deflected off the first baseman in the fourth and ruled an error, a McKenzie walk in the fifth and another hard hit ball by DeLeon that hit off the first baseman in the seventh that was also ruled an error, but all were left stranded.
Fritz went 3.0 innings in the circle, striking out four with three hits and one run allowed before Lexi Atcitty took over in relief and threw 3.0 with three strikeouts, two hits and one run that was unearned.
The Lobos return to the road for the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Mississippi State starting on Feb. 28.