It was cold and windy during the UNM Invitational at Lobo Field, but the No. 24 softball team in the country stayed red hot.
The Lobos — who are among the nation’s top 25 teams, according to the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll — dismantled California State-Bakersfield and North Dakota in two-game series on Friday and Saturday, before dropping a 6-1 decision to the University of Utah on Sunday in the tournament finale.
Despite the lone loss, UNM has the best start for a Lobo softball team in program history at 17-3.
“We came out playing some great softball with two shut outs to begin the tournament,” head coach Erica Beach said. “Our pitchers threw the ball really well, and we put a lot of runs on the scoreboard. It’s a little disappointing not to close it out on Sunday, but we went 4-1 on the weekend. For the most part, we’re playing really good ball right now.”
With Friday’s 8-0 win over North Dakota in the tournament opener, Beach’s 2012 squad improved to 15-2 to set the Lobo softball record for best start to a season, surpassing Susan Craig’s 1984 team, which began 13-2 before falling to 13-4.
“I think it’s exciting for us to have such a great start to the season, but we have to remember that that’s exactly what it is — a start,” Beach said. “We can’t let that affect us day in and day out. We should use it for momentum and motivation, but at the same time stay prepared and focused on the task at hand.”
The Lobos’ offense showed why it’s the 24th best team in the country, combining for 46 hits and 47 runs in the first four games, hitting five home runs by five different players.
On Sunday, however, UNM’s bats couldn’t find an answer to Utah’s senior ace Generra Nielson. The right-handed hurler from Blanding, Utah, held the usually explosive Lobo offense to just one hit and one run in seven innings of work from the pitching circle.
Beach said Nielson was “definitely effective” in striking out 10 UNM hitters Sunday.
“She moves the ball around and hits her spots,” Beach said. “We give her a lot of credit. She threw a great game against us, and she definitely kept our hitters off balance at the plate.”
The Lobos’ lone hit was a big one — a home run by senior right fielder Shenise Cox over the left-field wall in the bottom of the first inning to give UNM its only lead of the game.
The Utes answered in the top of the fourth inning with two runs of their own, before adding four runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
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“You can’t win a game with one hit,” Cox said. “We’ve faced (Nielson) before — last year in conference. We’ve always had trouble against her. I have to tip my hat off to her because she definitely has our number.”
Lobo junior pitcher Kaela DeBroeck picked up her first loss of the season, now 10-1, allowing seven hits and six runs in five innings in the circle. Freshman Carrie Sheehan held Utah scoreless in two innings of relief work.
“It was a tough day for us,” DeBroeck said. “We went out there and tried to get runs across the plate. It just didn’t happen for us. We fell short on this one, and we have to chalk it up as a learning experience and move on from here.”
