The University of New Mexico Softball team barely avoided being no-hit by the UTEP Miners on Tuesday in a midweek non-conference matchup, losing 7-1.
UTEP got on the board immediately off of Lobos starter Kiana Spencer, as Kacey Duffield double to bring home leadoff hitter Ariel Blair to put the Miners up 1-0. They would add two more runs to their total to take a 3-0 lead before the Lobos ever came up to bat.
UTEP starter Kira McKechnie set the tone for the day immediately, striking out the side in the the first to begin an outing that would see her strikeout 12, allow two hits, walk two and give up only one run. The Lobos got their first base runner in the second when Cameryn O'Grady walked, and another in the third when D'Andra DeFlora walked, but they failed to do anything in either situation, as the two innings ended without a hit.
The Miners added four more runs in the sixth off of Spencer, including a three-run home run off the bat of Ilena Santos
McKechnie would carry her no-hitter into the seventh inning before O'Grady broke it up with a one-out double. Bailey Klitzke, who moved to the mound for the top of the seventh, would drive her in from third with a two-out single after she advanced on a fly out from Lauren Wilmert. Klitzke, however, got caught in a rundown between first and second trying to stretch her single into a double and was eventually tagged out to end the game.
The loss dropped the Lobos to 11-29 on the season heading into a bye weekend. The Lobos won't return to action until Thursday, April 18 when they take on Boise State in a three-game home series. The Broncos are 23-8 overall and 3-6 in conference play ahead of a series against Utah State this weekend and a non-conference game against Idaho State on Tuesday.
Cameron Goeldner is a senior reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s soccer, women’s basketball, softball and the Albuquerque Isotopes, but also contributes content for all other sports. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @goeldfinger.
