Softball team runs out of steam in its doubleheader

The UNM softball team split a doubleheader with the University of Nevada at Las Vegas Sunday afternoon at Lobo Field.

The Lobos (13-21-1, 5-5 in the Mountain West Conference) used the ingredients of strong pitching and timely hitting to win the first game 6-1, but they could not sustain the momentum in the second game, losing 6-4 to UNLV (23-29, 3-7).

During the first game, UNM received impressive performances from pitchers Hayley Punter and Amy Dumas, some early runs and steady defense to earn the victory.

"We have been talking all year about not finishing games and playing seven innings," head coach Susan Craig said. "This is one of the few times, I think, that we have played on all cylinders. We played with a lot of confidence on defense, we played hard at the plate, had good at bats and we got a good job from Hayley and Amy."

The Lobos have been struggling at the plate all season, hitting only .244, but their bats were connecting. While UNM was aggressive offensively, the players also showed patience at the plate, drawing numerous walks.

The Lobos loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning, thanks to the wildness of Rebel pitcher Nicole Truax, who walked two of the first three hitters. After inducing two ground ball outs, she plunked catcher Tiffany Chambers to bring in the first run of the game.

"Truax has a history of being a little bit off the plate; we talked about that," Craig said. "We did have very good patience."

Lobo Krystal Mejia followed with a strong at bat, battling Truax for several minutes. With the count two balls and two strikes, Mejia fouled off three pitches to stay alive. With a full count, she scorched a single up the middle to bring in two runs and make the score 3-0.

"That was a huge at bat," Craig said. "Whenever you have a hitter doing that good of a job at the plate, it always picks everyone up whether they are successful or not."

Mejia entered the game hitting .182 for the season in 31 games. She finished the game with two hits and two runs batted in.

"I just felt focused and motivated," Mejia said. "I kept repeating to myself 'compete' in my head when I was up there."

UNM added two more runs in the bottom of the second when Cayley Warner walked to start the inning.

With two outs, Michelle Carter hit a scorcher to left center field for a double, scoring Warner.

After second baseman Brooke Chaffee singled to left field, Kelly Glass joined the hit parade, slapping the ball up the middle. Truax knocked the ball down but Glass hustled down the first base line for an infield single, scoring Carter to make the score 5-0.

Chaffee led the Lobos with three hits and Glass had two.

While the offense was scoring, the Lobo pitchers were keeping the Rebels at bay. Punter started the game, keeping the UNLV batters confused by moving the ball around the plate. Punter (8-9) pitched four and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball, allowing two hits while striking out two to earn the victory.

"I was just hitting spots," she said. "I was just throwing the basics, making sure I was hitting every location. If I missed down low or missed high it didn't cost me."

Dumas took over and continued where Punter left off, making quick work of UNLV.

She finished with two and one-third innings pitched, allowing one run.

But the pitchers also received help from their defense, especially third baseman Cassie Chavez, who snared several hard grounders for easy outs.

UNM added an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth. UNLV ended the Lobos' shutout in the top of the seventh inning, stringing together a single and double with two outs to make the score 6-1.

The Rebels bounced back in the second game with a strong performance from starting pitcher Geney Orrs. She pitched a complete game, holding the Lobos to four hits and four runs, two earned, with four strikeouts.

UNLV led early 2-0, but Carter propelled UNM back into the game with a three-run home run in the third inning. But the Lobos could not hold the lead, allowing six hits and four runs in the final three innings.

Freshman Lauren McCoy (2-6) earned the loss, allowing two earned runs in three and two-thirds innings pitched.

The Lobos are on the road next weekend for a doubleheader against Colorado State University.