Lobos Extend Win Streak to Five with Wins Over San Diego and Penn Friday
PHOENIX— The Lobos went 2-0 on Friday, defeating San Diego 2-0 and Penn 4-1 to extend their win streak to five games.
UNM has had a five-game winning streak only one other time in the last 10 years and eight times in the last 20 years (2022, 10 games; 2013, six games; 2012, nine games; 2012, five games; 2008, nine games; 2006, 13 games; 2005, five games).
Miracle McKenzie led the Lobos with three RBI on the day behind three hits, while Jessica DeLeon and Ashley Archuleta accounted for one RBI each. Natalie Fritz and McKenna Guest each pitched a complete game with Fritz recording the shutout against San Diego and Guest allowing one run, giving UNM its sixth and seventh complete games of the season. Additionally, it was Guest’s second complete game of the tournament.
GAME 1
Fritz threw her second complete game of the season and UNM’s fifth shutout of the season (her first as a Lobo) in the 2-0 win over San Diego on Friday afternoon for its fourth consecutive win.
Fritz held the Toreros to three hits, retiring the side in order in five consecutive innings between the second and sixth innings, and finished with four strikeouts in the win.
At the plate, the Lobos scored in the second inning and added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, with McKenzie and Sydney Carithers’ at-bats accounting for the two runs.
USD loaded the bases on a walk in the first on a single to left and a single to right, but a fielder’s choice with Carithers getting the out at home and a strikeout from Fritz left them loaded.
After Fritz retired the side in order in the second, the Lobos strung together a run with DeLeon starting off the inning with a single up the middle with McKenzie drawing a walk and a sac bunt by Katherine Brunner moving both runners into scoring position with one out. A groundout kept both runners in place, but a hard hit to third by Carithers in which the infielder was unable to cleanly field the ball allowed pinch runner Grace Rana to score for the 1-0 Lobo lead.
The score held until the sixth inning with DeNae Vasquez-Dickson reached on an infield single to start the inning and advanced to second on a grounder to third. A wild pitch moved her to third, and following a walk by DeLeon, McKenzie doubled the lead with a single up the middle to score Vasquez-Dickson.
USD had its leadoff batter reach on a single up the middle to start the top of the seventh, but Fritz struck out the next Torero on three pitches, recorded an out on a popup to Carithers at second and a fly ball to Vasquez-Dickson in left to secure the shutout.
GAME 2
Penn put a run on the board in the bottom of the first, taking advantage on a one-out walk, a fielder’s choice that moved the runner to second and a wild pitch that moved the runner up 60 feet and a grounder that allowed the run to score.
The Quakers had a chance to add to the lead in the bottom of the second on a one-out double and back-to-back walks, but a fielder’s choice with Brunner throwing home to get the force out and a fielder’s choice with Brunner throwing to Carithers at second kept it 1-0 and the runners stranded.
UNM left the tying run on third in the top of the third on a Hayden Luderer infield single, a sac bunt by Vasquez-Dickson that moved her to second with Luderer stealing third before a lineout to right ended the inning.
The Lobos tied the game in the top of the fourth on a leadoff home run to left center by DeLeon (her third of the season) with Guest and the Lobo defense retiring the side in order in the bottom half of the inning with Guest striking out two.
Penn had a chance to take the lead back in the bottom of the fifth following a leadoff double, a grounder to the pitcher that moved the runner to third, but a liner to McKenzie at first ended the threat.
UNM needed three at-bats in the top of the sixth to take the lead with Williams leading off of an infield single and two at-bats later, McKenzie hit it over the wall in left field for the two-run home run, her second home run of the season, and the 3-1 Lobo lead.
A double play and strikeout by Guest in the bottom of the sixth maintained the two-run lead heading into the seventh, where the Lobos added a final run. Entering to pinch hit, Marina Tinari drew a walk following a full count with Tinari taking second on a wild pitch. Archuleta drove the 2-2 pitch back up the middle to bring her around from second with Archuleta moving all the way around to third before the inning came to an end.
Guest got the first out on a strikeout before the Quakers had a runner reach on a single to center field. A grounder to second recorded the second out with a hit-by-pitch bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs. However, a liner to Williams in right provided the final out in the Lobo victory
Guest finished with six strikeouts in the game, her ninth game this season with five or more strikeouts and seventh time in eight games.
The Lobos improve to 13-11-1 on the season and will play one final game in the Purple Classic against Saint Joseph’s at 9 a.m. MT on Saturday. Due to field conditions at Phoenix College, Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game against San Diego has been cancelled.