Lobos Deal Softball A Pair of Losses

Thursday, April 19

Salt Lake City

4:00 PM

University of Utah

New Mexico

4/19/2007 12:00 AM | Softball

April 19, 2007

Utah-New Mexico Game 1 Box Score
Utah-New Mexico Game 2 Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah softball team (20-19-1 overall, 1-7 Mountain West) dropped its third and fourth straight with a pair of home losses to New Mexico here this afternoon. UNM snagged league wins of 3-1 and 6-5 in today's doubleheader.

New Mexico improves to 14-14 on the year and to 4-1 in conference play.

"Until we choose to match or better our opponents' intensity, we are going to continue to come up on the short end of the stick," said head coach Angie Jacobs. "We have to step up and out-perform our opponents. It's something we did at the beginning of the season but our effort hasn't been there as of late.

"We have to change our approach, our attitude and our effort. When we finally do that, there will be a different outcome."

Meghan Crouse led the offensive effort with a 2-for-5 outing at the plate. Both of her hits went for extra bases as she had a solo homer in game one and a double in game two. Crouse also had a sac-fly RBI in the seventh inning of the nightcap.

Meghan Dyer (14-12 overall) got the loss in game one. She allowed four hits, six walks and three earned runs. Dyer did fan 10 Lobo batters, though. Haili Squire (0-1) got her first-ever collegiate start in game two. She allowed 11 hits, six runs (five earned) and four walks. Squire whiffed six UNM batters.

Utah returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Colorado State in a single game. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

New Mexico 3, Utah 1 - Game 1
The Lobos hit a two-run homer in the third and a solo home run in the fifth to hang a 3-1 victory on the Utes.

Becky Dover hit UNM's two-run shot while the solo effort came from Samantha Hughes.

Crouse countered with a homer of her own. It was her first-ever home run and it was a lead-off dinger in the sixth.

Utah only had two hits in game one as Crouse and Diana Phillips accounted for all of the team's offense. Kelly Ninemire got the win for the Lobos, fanning four Ute batters and allowing only two hits and a walk

UNM had four hits, led by Dover's 2-for-3 effort.

New Mexico 6, Utah 5 - Game 2
Utah' seventh-inning rally fell short in the nightcap as the Lobos were able to hold on and escape with the one-run win.

Down 6-4 in the seventh, Utah trimmed the lead to one thanks to Crouse's sac fly. It scored Tori Medina. Medina led the frame off with a bloop-single to left and then moved to third on Kelly Matthews' single and Phillips' sac bunt.

Phillips' sac bunt moved Matthews to second and Hailey Davenport moved Matthews to third on her single up the middle. With runners at the corners and two outs, Ninemire got Kara Foster to line out to the third baseman, ending the game.

Staci Hemingway gave Utah an early and brief 2-1 lead. In the second inning, she sent a towering shot over center field. It scored Andrea Hoffman who preceded Hemingway with a double.

UNM scored runs in each the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-2 lead into the seventh. Insurance came in the Lobos' last at-bat as Amy Ray hit a two-run homer to make it 6-4.

Utah had five hits in the loss, all from different bats. Ninemire got the win in the nightcap as well.