by ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— In the final home game of the 2021 season and on the day in which The University of New Mexico softball team honored its four seniors, the Lobos prevailed in a 5-4 win over San José State to win the series.
While Saturday’s game two win snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Spartans, Sunday’s win signified UNM’s first series win over SJSU since 1999.
Moments after being recognized in her final game at Lobo Softball Field, senior pitcher Kiana Spencer (Navajo) took to the circle to start Sunday’s series finale and pitched a complete game. It was her seventh time as a Lobo throwing 7.0 innings and her 15th complete game, striking out four batters in the process to tie her season high.
Catching her was Rachael Hathoot, making her first appearance behind the plate as a Lobo.
Andrea Howard led the way at the plate with two home runs in her first two plate appearances, the second time in the Albuquerque native’s career in which she has hit two home runs in a game.
Howard was one of four Lobos with two hits on the day, with Hathoot, Izabella Owen and Briana Martinez, the heart of the Lobo lineup, all going 2-for-3.
After Spencer retired the side to begin the game, Howard put the Lobos on the board with a two-out solo home run to the bleachers in right field. Hathoot kept the inning going with a double to left field, her third double of the series and moved over to third as Owen singled to the shortstop. However, both were left stranded on the next at-bat.
The Spartans answered in the top of the second with a two-run home run to gain the lead, which held until the bottom of the third when the Lobos scored three runs on four hits.
Howard again was the catalyst, hitting a one-out solo home run that cleared the stadium in center field to tie the game at two. Hathoot and Owen hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners and Martinez produced the go-ahead run with a single to the shortstop, beating out the throw to first and scoring Hathoot. Reyan Tuck walked after drawing a full count to load the bases, and Alexis Vigil delivered the third run with a sacrifice fly to left that was deep enough to allow Owen to easily tag from third.
SJSU pulled within one run in the top of the fourth, but the Lobos matched it in their half of the inning to keep the two-run lead.
Peyton Robinson led off the bottom of the fourth with a well-placed bunt to the third-base side and moved to second as Howard walked. Hathoot flied out to right to advance Robinson 60 feet and the Lobos took advantage of having runners on the corners as Howard baited the Spartan catcher to throw to second on an attempted steal, which allowed Robinson to break for home and beat out the tag on the throw back to the catcher.
While San José State scored a run in the top of the fifth, the Lobo defense was outstanding late in the one-run victory, turning two double plays in the game, including one perhaps game-changing double play in the fifth.
The Spartans had their first two batters reach, but a ground ball to Martinez at third turned into two outs as the Lobo stepped on the bag and threw to Tuck at first to eliminate the early threat. The next hitter doubled to left center to score the runner from second, but Spencer got the next batter out on a grounder to Vigil at second to keep the one-run lead.
SJSU again threatened in the sixth, with runners on first and second, but again the Lobos got out of the inning, this time with Spencer striking out the Spartan hitter looking.
Needing just three more outs, the Lobos secured the first out on a grounder to Vigil at second on the first pitch of the inning, before the tying run reached on a single to left field. Martinez was a wall at third, snagging the ball on the next at-bat and throwing to Tuck at first for the second out as the tying run moved into scoring position at second. The Lobo defense again came through to get the third out with Vigil fielding the ball at second and throwing to Tuck at first to beat the runner for the final out.
In total, the Spartans left five runners on base with four combined in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings as the Lobos maintained its lead.
UNM closes out its season at Utah State with a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, May 14 on the Mountain West Network. First pitch for game one is scheduled for noon MT with game two set for 3 p.m. Saturday’s game is also scheduled for noon.
