After a two-decade absence from the Mountain West Softball Tournament, the New Mexico Lobos made sure their return was unforgettable. The No. 4 seed crushed No. 5 Fresno State 7-2 in Wednesday's single-elimination first round at Christina M. Hixson Softball Park in Reno, Nevada, powered by a trio of home runs from Allie Williams, Ella Dawson, and Jessica DeLeon.
The Lobos (27-25) hadn't played a postseason game since 2006, and they weren't about to let this opportunity slip away. The win guarantees UNM its first .500-or-better season since 2015, a milestone that adds extra weight to this tournament run. They now advance to the four-team, double-elimination bracket, where they'll face No. 1 Grand Canyon on Thursday at 4 p.m. MT—a winner's bracket showdown that promises high stakes.
Williams ignited the offense in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run homer over the left-center field wall. "The pitch was high and in, so I said, 'I gotta take this yard,'" the sophomore right fielder said in a celebratory post-game interview. It was her 10th home run of the season and gave the Lobos a 2-0 lead. But Williams didn't stop there—she also showcased her rocket arm in the fourth inning, throwing a strike to catcher DeLeon to prevent a potential game-tying run and keep the score 2-1.
Dawson delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer in the fourth to extend the lead to 4-1, and DeLeon crushed a two-run shot off the right field scoreboard to make it 6-2. Jasmyn Lloyd added an insurance run with a pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth. Remarkably, all seven UNM runs came on two-out hits, with three of those being homers—a testament to the team's clutch hitting under pressure.
"They had me a little worried hacking at the rise ball the first inning," said UNM coach Nicole Orgeron. "But I thought they made good adjustments, and we capitalized whenever we got somebody on. Shout out to the pinch hitters—Ella Dawson coming in with the pinch hit home run, Jasmine Lloyd as well with the pinch hit RBI. They were ready coming in off the bench. Just really proud of our team."
Whether they win or lose against Grand Canyon on Thursday, the Lobos are guaranteed at least one game on Friday. For a program that has waited 20 years for this moment, every inning is a chance to keep the dream alive—and they're swinging for the fences.