RENO, Nev. — No. 4 New Mexico (28-26) shut out No. 2 UNLV (31-22) with a 5-0 victory at Christina M. Hixson Softball Park in a 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Softball Championship elimination game.
Lobo freshman Caitlin Benningfield secured the win, pitching a complete game with only three hits allowed, striking out three batters and issuing one walk.
Offensively, New Mexico got solo shots from Gabrielle Briones in the first inning and Melanie Macias in the second inning to open up the scoring. Three innings later, Macias was brought home on a Briana Williams single to give the Lobos a 3-run cushion. UNM’s final two runs came in the top of the sixth inning on a Hayden Luderer triple, giving the Lobos the 5-0 advantage.
Briones had a game-high two hits on four at bats.
UNLV’s tournament run came to an end in large part to a cold spell at the plate, only mustering three hits on the evening, two of which were hit by Presley Barnes.
Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, Lauren Fettic, stood out in the pitching circle, delivering 4.2 innings of scoreless relief while striking out six batters.
New Mexico will now face No. 1 seed Grand Canyon tonight for a shot at the championship title game.
All games of the Mountain West Softball Championship are available on the Mountain West Network and Amazon Prime channels.
Visit the Championship Central page for more information on the tournament, including where to watch, official brackets and more.
