PROVO -- BYU (29-16, 8-2) extended its winning streak to nine games Saturday afternoon with a 6-5 victory over New Mexico (14-16, 4-3).
The win marks BYU's 14th straight win over the Lobos dating back to the 2004 season.
"This win is a huge builder for us," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "It shows we can win with our speed and our never die attitude. It's a great position to be in with an 8-2 record heading into the second half of conference play."
Like the night before, New Mexico got off to a fast start taking a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the first. Amy Ray hit the two-run home run that gave the Lobos the early lead. Mountain West Conference Player of the Week Analise Rubalcava put another one up for New Mexico in the third, a solo shot to left field that made it a 3-0 game.
The Cougars got on the board in the third when Andrea Ramirez hit a two-out double to score Jodi Norton. However, BYU's comeback would have to wait as Katie Gilmore's RBI-single in the fifth brought the Lobos' lead back to three. Dani Urincho-Snow walked in New Mexico's fifth and final run in the sixth.
Needing four runs to force extra innings, the Cougars worked themselves into a two-on-and-one-out situation in the bottom of the seventh. With runners at the corners, Ramirez cranked one out of the park to bring BYU within one run. After Urincho-Snow grounded out, Tracee Hoch reached on a fielding error by the Lobos' second baseman. Quiocho singled to keep the rally alive, and then Monica Gonzales loaded up the bases for Nix-Clark on a fielder's choice.
Nix-Clark delivered with a fielder's choice single. Quiocho beat the tag at third to allow Hoch to score the tying run. The play set the stage for the game's final at-bat. Senior Jennifer Whiteley took a full-count pitch into shallow right field for the game-winning RBI.
"The seventh inning was one of the funnest I've ever been involved with," Eakin said. "We said in the sixth inning that we weren't going to quit, and I think the girls took me seriously."
BYU stays home for a double-header on Tuesday, April 24, against Southern Utah. Game times are set for 3 p.m. (MST) and 5 p.m.
New Mexico at Brigham Young Univer
Apr 21, 2007 at Provo, Utah (Gail Miller Field)
New Mexico 5 (29-17)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Samantha Hughes cf....... 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0
Analise Rubalcava 3b..... 3 3 3 1 1 0 1 3 0
Amy Ray 2b............... 2 1 1 3 2 0 2 2 0
Lindsey Elcess 1b........ 4 0 2 0 0 0 8 0 3
Katie Gilmore ss......... 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 0
Becky Dover dp........... 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
Jennifer Deitrich pr.... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ashley Allen lf.......... 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2
Sara Loeffelholz lf..... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Erin Brandow c........... 3 0 0 0 1 2 6 1 1
Ryanne Hodgins rf........ 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Caley Peterson p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals................... 27 5 7 5 7 5 20 9 9
Brigham Young Univer 6 (14-16)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Cortney Nix-Clark c...... 4 0 0 1 1 2 6 1 2
Jennifer Whiteley lf..... 5 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 0
Jodi Norton ss........... 1 1 1 0 3 0 3 2 0
Jana Anderson pr........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Emi Snow rf.............. 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Andrea Ramirez dp/1b..... 4 1 2 4 0 1 3 0 1
Daniela Urincho 1b/dp.... 3 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0
Tracee Hoch 2b........... 4 1 0 0 0 1 3 3 3
Angeline Quiocho 3b...... 3 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 0
Monica Gonzales cf....... 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2
Christina Gwyn p/dp...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals................... 32 6 11 6 6 6 21 8 12
Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
New Mexico.......... 201 011 0 - 5 7 1
Brigham Young Univer 001 000 5 - 6 11 0
-----------------------------------------
Note: 2 outs, 3 runners LOB when the game ended.
E - RAY. DP - NM 1. LOB - NM 9; BYU Cougars 12. 2B - RUBALCAVA; RAMIREZ. HR
- RUBALCAVA; RAY; RAMIREZ. HBP - HUGHES. SB - HODGINS. CS - ALLEN;
NIX-CLARK.
New Mexico IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Caley Peterson...... 6.2 11 6 4 6 6 32 38
Brigham Young Univer IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Christina Gwyn...... 5.2 7 5 5 4 5 23 28
Daniela Urincho..... 1.1 0 0 0 3 0 4 7
Win - URINCHO (5-2). Loss - PETERSON (0-4). Save - None.
HBP - by GWYN (HUGHES).
Umpires - HP: Bob Marcialis 1B: Clair McBride 3B: Brett Higgins
Start: 2:00 pm Time: 2.5 hrs Attendance: 435
Game: BYU_UNM2
Play-by-Play
Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
New Mexico.......... 201 011 0 - 5 7 1
Brigham Young Univer 001 000 5 - 6 11 0
-----------------------------------------
New Mexico starters: 4/cf HUGHES; 2/3b RUBALCAVA; 8/2b RAY; 20/1b ELCESS; 24/ss
GILMORE; 44/dp DOVER; 1/lf ALLEN; 16/c BRANDOW; 13/rf HODGINS; 11/p PETERSON;
Brigham Young Univer starters: 10/c NIX-CLARK; 3/lf WHITELEY; 8/ss NORTON;
18/rf SNOW; 31/dp RAMIREZ; 22/1b URINCHO; 4/2b HOCH; 33/3b QUIOCHO; 24/cf
GONZALES; 11/p GWYN;
New Mexico 1st - HUGHES struck out swinging. RUBALCAVA singled. RAY
homered, 2 RBI; RUBALCAVA scored. ELCESS singled. GILMORE walked; ELCESS
advanced to second. DOVER popped up to c. ALLEN struck out swinging. 2 runs,
3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univer 1st - NIX-CLARK struck out swinging. WHITELEY
singled. NORTON singled; WHITELEY advanced to second. SNOW hit into double play
3b to 1b; WHITELEY out on the play. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
New Mexico 2nd - BRANDOW struck out swinging. HODGINS grounded out to
ss. HUGHES struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univer 2nd - RAMIREZ struck out swinging. URINCHO singled.
HOCH struck out swinging. QUIOCHO singled; URINCHO advanced to second. GONZALES
grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
New Mexico 3rd - RUBALCAVA homered, RBI. RAMIREZ to 1b. URINCHO to dp.
RAY out at first p to 2b. ELCESS singled. GILMORE grounded out to 2b; ELCESS
advanced to second. DOVER grounded out to ss. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
Brigham Young Univer 3rd - NIX-CLARK struck out looking. WHITELEY
grounded out to ss. NORTON walked. SNOW singled; NORTON advanced to second.
RAMIREZ doubled, RBI; SNOW advanced to third; NORTON scored. URINCHO walked.
HOCH flied out to cf. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
New Mexico 4th - ALLEN walked. BRANDOW struck out swinging; ALLEN out at
second c to ss, caught stealing. HODGINS grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits,
0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univer 4th - QUIOCHO struck out swinging. GONZALES
grounded out to 3b. NIX-CLARK walked. NIX-CLARK out at second c to 2b, caught
stealing. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
New Mexico 5th - HUGHES flied out to lf. RUBALCAVA doubled. RAY walked.
ELCESS popped up to 2b. RAMIREZ to dp. URINCHO to 1b. GILMORE singled, RBI; RAY
advanced to third; RUBALCAVA scored. GILMORE advanced to second on the throw.
DOVER popped up to 3b. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univer 5th - WHITELEY grounded out to 2b. NORTON walked.
SNOW flied out to rf. RAMIREZ flied out to cf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
New Mexico 6th - ALLEN grounded out to 3b. BRANDOW walked. HODGINS
reached on a fielder's choice; BRANDOW out at second 2b to ss. HODGINS stole
second. HUGHES hit by pitch. RAMIREZ to 1b. URINCHO to p. GWYN. RUBALCAVA
walked; HUGHES advanced to second; HODGINS advanced to third. RAY walked, RBI;
RUBALCAVA advanced to second; HUGHES advanced to third; HODGINS scored. ELCESS
popped up to 2b. 1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Brigham Young Univer 6th - LOEFFELHOLZ to lf for ALLEN. URINCHO struck
out swinging. HOCH grounded out to ss. QUIOCHO walked. GONZALES singled;
QUIOCHO advanced to second. NIX-CLARK grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0
errors, 2 LOB.
New Mexico 7th - GILMORE flied out to cf. DOVER walked. DEITRICH pinch
ran for DOVER. LOEFFELHOLZ popped up to ss. BRANDOW flied out to lf. 0 runs,
0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univer 7th - DOVER to dp for DEITRICH. WHITELEY singled.
NORTON walked; WHITELEY advanced to second. ANDERSON pinch ran for NORTON. SNOW
reached on a fielder's choice; ANDERSON out at second 2b unassisted; WHITELEY
advanced to third. RAMIREZ homered, 3 RBI; SNOW scored; WHITELEY scored.
URINCHO grounded out to p. HOCH reached on an error by 2b. QUIOCHO singled;
HOCH advanced to second. GONZALES reached on a fielder's choice; QUIOCHO
advanced to second; HOCH advanced to third. NIX-CLARK reached on a fielder's
choice, RBI; GONZALES advanced to second; QUIOCHO advanced to third; HOCH
scored, unearned. WHITELEY singled, RBI; NIX-CLARK advanced to second; GONZALES
advanced to third; QUIOCHO scored, unearned. 5 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 3
LOB.