WACO, Texas — Down to their final three outs trailing 7-3 against Baylor, the Lobos rallied to tie the game at seven, however, after two grounders back to the circle in the bottom of the seventh, a home run to center on a 3-2 count ended the game in an 8-7 loss Friday afternoon.
A pair of underclassmen led the Lobos at the plate with freshman Estrella Rowe going 3-4 in her first collegiate game with an RBI in the seventh to bring the Lobos within one. Making her first start in two years, redshirt sophomore Gabrielle Briones led the Lobos with two RBI, drawing a bases-loaded walk for the first run of the game and a single in the sixth that scored a run.
After the Lobos were retired in order to start the game, the defense recorded the first two outs without the ball leaving the infield before Baylor hit two singles to the outfield to put two on. With a full count, McKenna Guest recorded her first strikeout of the game, getting the Bear looking.
UNM used patience at the plate to score the first run of the game on two hits and two walks. Jessica DeLeon led off the second with a single to center that got past the diving second baseman for UNM’s first hit of the game, Rowe reaching on an infield single back to the pitcher and Jewels Hanawahine drawing a walk to load the bases. Briones followed up with consecutive walks on a full count to bring in DeLeon before a groundout left the bases loaded.
Baylor answered with two runs on three hits, leading off with a double to left center and after an eight-pitch at-bat, another double off the wall that put two runners in scoring position. A single through the 5-6 hole tied the game and a sacrifice fly plated a second run before Guest recorded the second out with her second strikeout and a foul out to DeNae Vasquez-Dickson in left ended the inning with a runner left on.
An inning-ending double play in which Briones tagged the runner going to third and threw to first kept the score 2-1 through the third inning, with the score holding until the bottom of the fourth when the Bears had their leadoff batter reach on a hit-by-pitch and a home run.
The Lobos had two runners reach in the fifth after Vasquez-Dickson drew a full-count walk and Allie Williams reached on a fielding error by the shortstop, but two strikeouts prevented UNM from cutting into the deficit. Baylor extended its lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth with the Lobos responding in the sixth.
Mya Pacheco drew a pinch-hit walk to start the sixth with Dawson hitting an infield single to shortstop on the first pitch of her at-bat to put two runners on. A single by Rowe loaded the bases and Briones brought in Hayden Luderer (who reentered to run for Pacheco) on a single to right. With the lineup turned over, a fielder’s choice to shortstop by Vasquez-Dickson scored Dawson to cut the deficit in half, although a grounder to the pitcher ended the inning with runners left on the corners.
The Bears matched the Lobo runs in the home half following a leadoff home run, two singles and a double down the left-field line that brought in another run for the 7-3 score, setting up the Lobo comeback.
Miracle McKenzie led off with a hit to the outfield and DeLeon drew her second walk of the game following a full count to start the top of the seventh. A dribbler by Luderer to Baylor’s shortstop led to a throwing error that allowed pinch runner Briana Williams to come around to score with Luderer taking second and pinch runner Grace Rana moving from first to third. Dawson followed with a single to left to score Rana, with Dawson taking second on the throw in and Luderer going to third, and Rowe kept the inning going with a single to center to score Luderer. Dawson slid under the tag at the plate on a wild pitch to tie the game at seven, with the Lobos scoring four runs on three hits before an out was recorded. A strikeout, grounder to third and a fielder’s choice ended the inning with a runner left on.
UNM left a total of nine runners on base in the game, four in scoring position, and drew six walks.
The Lobos recorded two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh, both with pitcher Caitlin Benningfield fielding grounders back to the circle for the out before Baylor walked it off on a home run on a full count.
Both Benningfield and Guest recorded two strikeouts in the game.
UNM has two games on Saturday starting with No. 22/24 Mississippi State at 8:30 a.m. MT and Northwestern State at 11 a.m. MT, both on ESPN+.