Lobos Close Bulldog Invitational with Fourth Shutout of Season
STARKVILLE, Miss.— The Lobos closed the Bulldog Invitational on Sunday with their fourth shutout of the season, defeating Alabama State 6-0.
Dating back to 2006, it is the fifth time that the Lobos have recorded four shutouts in a season (others were in 2006, 2007, 2013, 2023), and the second time under head coach Nicole Dickson, but reached the feat in the fewest amount of games.
McKenna Guest threw her fourth complete game of the season and her third solo shutout (also had one combined) behind nine strikeouts, in which she allowed just two hits and one free base on a walk.
The designated visitors in the final game of the weekend, Allie Williams hit a two-out single up the middle for UNM in the top of the first with Miracle McKenzie reaching on a fielding error to keep the inning going and Jessica DeLeon walked on four pitches to load the bases. However, a fly out to right left them loaded.
Guest worked around a leadoff hit to retire the next three Hornets with two strikeouts and a pop up to Emma Bramson at second. Guest made it three strikeouts on the first five Hornets faced with a strikeout to start the bottom of the second and closed the inning with her fourth strikeout of the game.
The bottom of the third started the same as the second with a Guest strikeout with the Lobo defense again retiring the side in order.
New Mexico broke the stalemate in the top of the fourth with two runs on two hits, two free bases and a sacrifice fly.
UNM again loaded the bases in the top of the fourth with the first three batters reaching on a McKenzie single to left, a DeLeon single up the middle and Sydney Carithers reaching on a hit-by-pitch. After fouling off nine consecutive pitches and on the 14th pitch of her at-bat, Katherine Brunner flied out to right field but pinch runner Ava Castillo was able to tag for the first run of the game. Ella Dawson entered to pinch hit and drew a walk following another full count to load the bases back up and Hayden Luderer drove in the second run on a fielder’s choice to second with pinch runner Grace Rana scoring on the play for the 2-0 Lobo lead.
Guest retired the side in order for the third inning in-a-row in the fourth, retiring 12 consecutive batters following the leadoff single to start the first, to maintain the Lobo lead.
The Lobo offense resumed their pressure on the Hornets with DeNae Vasquez-Dickson starting the fifth on a bunt, taking second on a throwing error by the ASU infield and Williams walked. Both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and the bases were loaded for the third inning in the game on a McKenzie walk. A third straight walk from DeLeon, following a full count, brought in Vasquez-Dickson for the third run of the game.
UNM was unable to plate any more runs on two fielder’s choices with outs made at home and a grounder to third to leave them loaded.
Guest added her sixth strikeout of the game and extended the number of Hornets retired in order to 14 before a two-out single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth. However, Guest prevented any further Hornet to reach with a strikeout.
Ashley Archuleta reached on a one-out single through the right side in the sixth, moving to second on a groundout to first from Vasquez-Dickson, but a fly ball to right left her stranded.
Two grounders to Bramson and a swinging strikeout on a full count provided UNM’s fourth inning of retiring the side in order in the bottom of the sixth and DeLeon put another runner in scoring position for the Lobos in the top of the seventh with a one-out double to center.
Keyannah Chavez drew a pinch-hit walk and with two outs, Bramson drove the 2-1 pitch down the left field line to score DeLeon and took second on the throw with Chavez moving to third. Luderer added two more runs on a fielding error by the Hornet shortstop that scored Chavez and Bramson for the final runs of the game.
The Lobos got two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh before ASU had a runner reach on a walk, but Guest closed the game with a final strikeout.
Of note, Vasquez-Dickson’s hit marked the fifth consecutive game of the Lobo sophomore recording a hit and extended her on-base streak to a team-high 15 games. Archuleta has reached base in the last 11 games with a hit in the last four and Williams has recorded a hit in the last five. Also, of Guest’s nine strikeouts, eight were swinging.
DeLeon went 2-2 with a double, two walks and one RBI with Luderer accounting for three of UNM’s six RBI in the game.
With the win, Guest improved to 7-4 on the season and the Lobos moved to 10-11-1 heading into their final non-conference tournament in Phoenix, Arizona next weekend.