UNM fails to make up ground

Staff Report

The UNM softball team won two of four games this weekend, splitting two doubleheader series with Brigham Young University and league-leading University of Utah.

Saturday, the Lobos (32-19-1 overall and 7-6-1 in the Mountain West Conference) took a 2-1 win over the Utes (31-18-1, 8-3-1 MWC) in the early game, then were drubbed 9-1 in the nightcap. Friday, UNM beat the Cougars (25-20, 4-3 MWC) 2-0 in game one, then dropped a 7-0 decision in game two.

The Lobos now are just a half-game ahead of fourth place University of Nevada at Las Vegas, which has a 6-6 conference record. Utah remains in first place, followed by BYU and UNM.

The Lobos have doubleheader series against Colorado State University on April 28, UNLV on May 4 and May 6 against San Diego State University to close out the regular season. All games are on the road. The Mountain West Conference Championships follow from May 10-12 at Lobo Field.

Utah’s Lyndsey Trevis hit an RBI double in the first inning of game one Saturday to give the Utes its only run. UNM’s Krissy Keene and Kathy Moore each had RBIs and pitcher Hayley Punter earned the win for the Lobos, logging her 13th win of the year against four losses.

In game two, Trevis scored three runs and had an RBI and Amberly Jeppson went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs as the mercy rule ended the game after five innings. Utah pitcher Kristin Arbogast faced 25 UNM batters, giving up five hits and one earned run, while striking out seven.

In Friday’s doubleheader, UNM and BYU had strong pitching efforts, with a starter registering a shutout.

In game one, Punter allowed three hits and struck out four in UNM’s 2-0 win. Moore hit a solo home run in the second inning and Elena Cranmer’s RBI double in the same inning accounted for the Lobos’ scoring.

In game two, it was BYU’s Meghann Pricer’s turn to deliver a pitching gem, and the Cougar bats came alive for seven runs in a shutout of the Lobos.

Pricer struck out four and allowed six UNM hits.

After BYU’s Lindsey Hodgen-Kelly drove in Elizabeth Pierce-Boydston with a single in the second inning, she hit a bases-loaded triple in the fourth inning that cleared the bases, and the Cougars added three more runs in the sixth to seal the victory.