UNM LOBOS SOFTBALL
Narrative-changing season comes to end for Lobo softball
UNM closes first postseason in two decades with loss to No. 1 Grand Canyon
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The narrative changing season for Lobo softball came to an end Friday night in Reno, Nevada, with an 11-7 loss to Grand Canyon in the Mountain West Softball Tournament.
The Lopes, ranked No. 21 in the country and No. 1 in the MW Tournament, had already beaten No. 4 UNM Thursday night, and did so again in the rematch in the loser鈥檚 bracket of the double-elimination tournament. But not before the Lobos picked up another win 鈥� 5-0 over No. 2 UNLV 鈥� earlier in the day, securing a winning season for the program that seems to be building momentum under fourth-year coach Nicole Orgeron.
UNM closes the season at 28-27, its first winning season since 2015, played in its first postseason in 20 years since 2006, won its first postseason game since 2005 and by winning two Mountain West Tournament games 鈥� Wednesday against No. 5 Fresno State and Friday against No. 2 UNLV 鈥� matched the most postseason wins in any year in program history.
Grand Canyon, meanwhile, went on to beat Nevada twice on Saturday, including 11-10 in nine innings in the decisive championship game to earn the league鈥檚 automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. After allowing nine runs in the top of the first inning in the game, the Lopes battled back and scored four in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings 鈥� breaking the Pack鈥檚 hearts on their home field with a furious bottom of the seventh rally just as they did to the Lobos on Thursday with a five-run seventh to beat the Lobos.
In Friday's elimination game against GCU for the Lobos, Atrisco Heritage graduate Melanie Macias went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-RBI double in the top of the first inning.
But that was answered by a seven-run bottom of the first by Grand Canyon. UNM battled back to as close as 7-6 in the fifth, but the Lopes added four runs from there.
Earlier in the day, freshman Caitlin Benningfield responded from a brutal Thursday night loss with the pitching performance of the tournament so far in a 5-0 win over No. 2 UNLV, sending the Lady Rebels home for the season.
Benningfield allowed just three hits and one walk in the complete-game shutout, the only one of the MW Tournament thus far.
The Lobos infield was spectacular defensively throughout the game and the bats were hot again with homers Gabrielle Briones and Macias and a pair of RBIs from center fielder Hayden Luderer.
UNLV (31-22) had beaten UNM in both regular season games.
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM: Benningfield and slugger Jessica DeLeon were the two Lobos named to the All-Tournament team announced late Saturday night.
GCU pitcher Oakley Vickers was named tournament MVP.
Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) .
