In the bottom of the seventh, with a runner on third, UNM’s junior center fielder Mariah Rimmer hit a shot over Nevada’s left fielder to take the first of a three-game series against the Wolf Pack.
“It was a big moment for me because it was the first time I’ve ever done it,” Rimmer said. “I just got up there, took a deep breath and swung.”
She is now hitting .415 on the season and ranks among the top 10 hitters in the conference.
Late-game heroics may have propelled UNM to the win, but the Lobos’ sound pitching in tough situations allowed the Lobos an opportunity to take home the victory. The Wolf Pack had a total of 16 base runners on Thursday night, 10 of which were left stranded.
The Lobos never allowed the pressure of runners in scoring position to take over the game.
“The defense kept us in the game, and that’s the bottom line,” head coach Erica Beach said. “Our pitchers would make a good pitch when we needed it, and our defense would step up and make a play when we had runners in scoring position.”
On two separate occasions Nevada runners were gunned out at the plate by UNM’s senior infielder Gabrielle Stacy to end the top half of the inning. Beach said the Wolf Pack’s aggressive base-running style is something the Lobos anticipated and countered well.
“Luckily, we have three outfielders that have guns on their shoulders and are not afraid to throw someone out at home,” Beach said. “We practice that on a daily basis.”
Sophomore Krissy Fortner didn’t need to add any more drama to the close game, as she was the only pitcher to face the minimum three hitters in an inning in her seventh win on the season.
“I had a few innings to watch where his (the umpire’s) zone was,” Fortner said. “They kind of set the tone for me to be able to go out there and find his zone.”
The Lobos (21-15) have won their previous two Mountain West series on their way to a 5-2 conference record. Nevada now sits at 11-22 on the season (1-3 MW).
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UNM has the opportunity to snag the first three conference series with a win tonight at 5 p.m. at Lobo Field.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
