Lobos Secure Series Against Aggies with 3-2 Win Saturday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos held Utah State to six scoreless innings and for the second time in the series rallied to score runs in the fourth inning in the eventual 3-2 win on Saturday to take the series.
After USU scored two runs in the first inning, the Lobos tied the game in the fourth and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth.
It is the first time that UNM has won the series over USU since 2021 and the first time in Albuquerque since 2016.
Six different Lobos accounted for a hit, while three different Lobos accounted for one RBI, and in the circle, McKenna Guest threw 6.0 innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out four to earn the win. Guest retired the side in order in three of the six innings.
With Brooke Umali getting the start in consecutive games, the Aggies used a two-out rally to score two runs on a double to left center that put two runners in scoring position and a single to center that brought both in.
After retiring the side in order in both the third and fourth innings, the Lobos had their first two hitters reach in the bottom of the fourth on a Keyannah Chavez walk and a hit-by-pitch for Emma Bramson. Elizabeth Baylor moved both runners on a grounder to short, and Katherine Brunner hit a ball to deep left that allowed Chavez to tag from third for the first run and Bramson to tag to third. Ashley Archuleta followed suit with a single up the middle to tie the game at two before the inning came to an end.
Guest retired the first two Aggies in the top of the fifth to make it nine consecutive Aggies before the freshman allowed her only hit in the outing on a single through the left side. A fielder’s choice in which Rachael Hathoot fielded the ball moving to her left and flipped it to Archuleta at second got the third out.
Hathoot drew a one-out walk after battling through 10 pitches in the home half of the fifth and DeNae Vasquez-Dickson made it two-straight walks to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Chavez singled to right following a full count to load the bases and Bramson drove the second pitch of her at-bat to right to score Hathoot for the Lobo lead. With bases still loaded and one out, the Aggies went to the bullpen, with the relief pitcher retiring the next two Lobos to leave the bases loaded.
Guest kept the Aggies off the base paths in the sixth, needing nine pitches to retire the side, which included her fourth strikeout of the game. UNM again had runners reach in the bottom of the inning with Chloe Yeatts singling through the right side and Hathoot singling to center to put two more runners on, however, the Lobos were unable to add any insurance runs.
Holding a one-run lead going into the final inning, a fly ball to Baylor in right provided the first quick out before the Aggies had the tying run reach on a walk. However, that was the only Aggie to reach as a liner to Chavez in left on the first pitch and a foul out to Bramson at first secured the win for the Lobos.
Following Saturday’s game, Hathoot has extended her hit streak to eight games and her on-base streak to 26 games, while Chavez has had a hit in the last five games. For Guest, it was her 22nd game with multiple strikeouts, as well as her third outing not allowing a run and her third outing only allowing a hit, but the longest outing for both instances.
In addition, the Lobos are now 9-0 when leading after six innings.
The Lobos close the series with the Aggies on Sunday at 11 a.m.