SEATTLE – The New Mexico State baseball team traveled to Seattle U to open WAC play with a three-game series. The first game of the weekend came on Friday evening at Bannerwood Park in which the Aggies took down the Redhakws 6-2.
 
How it happened
A pitching duel between right-handed starter Kyle Bradish and Seattle U's lefty Jake Prizina opened up the night. After a quiet first for the Aggie bats, Bradish came out and walked the first two batters forcing pitching coach Joel Mangrum to make an early mound visit. The trip worked because Bradish struck out two of the next three batters, which ended the opening inning with runners on the corners.
 
Through the next inning and a half, the hurlers went through nine straight batters without a problem. In the bottom of the third, the first pitch of the inning saw the Redhawks number nine hitter take Bradish deep to put the opponent up 1-0.
 
NM State remained down 1-0 until the fifth inning when Tristen Carranza put the Aggies on the board with a solo home run to left field. The Aggies ended the fifth tied with the Redhawks at one.
 
Each pitcher cruised through the sixth inning, one-two-three. In the seventh, Mason Fishback knocked a one-out single through the left side which put the lead run for the team on first. Carranza then came up to the plate and on a 1-1 count the first baseman hit a blast over the centerfield wall to give the Aggies the lead, 3-1.
 
After surrendering a single by Joey Ortiz and plunking Austin Botello, the opposition went to the bullpen as NM State had two on with two outs in the eighth. Dan Hetzel then welcomed the reliever into the game with a three-run blast to give the Aggies a 6-1 lead. Matthew McHugh then came in in relief and made easy work of the SU batters to hold the team's lead.
 
In the ninth inning, McHugh returned to the mound and allowed one run in the inning, but with two on and two outs the senior forced the final batter of the game to fly out to right field as the team took Friday night's contest, 6-2.
 
Kyle Bradish picked up the win and moved to 4-0 on the year after seven innings of work, only allowing one hit to go with 8 strikeouts through 26 batters.
 
Tristen Carranza led the way offensively for NM State with three hits and three RBI. Two of Carranza's three hits were home runs which brings his total to eight on the season.
 
New Mexico State will play game two of the three-game weekend series on Saturday, April 1 at 3 p.m. MT.