Box Score TUCSON, Ariz. – A tough night at the plate saw the New Mexico State baseball team record just five hits as it fell to No. 13 Arizona 11-2 Tuesday night at Hi Corbett Field.
 
The loss snapped NM State's three-game winning streak and conversely snapped the Wildcats' three-game losing skid.
 
How It Happened
The Aggies (26-16) weren't as sharp as they needed to be Tuesday night at Hi Corbett Field against the 13th-ranked Wildcats of Arizona and managed just five hits while posting six errors – which led to six unearned runs.
 
After a quick 1-2-3 inning from both starters, the Arizona batters got the best of Steven Butts and plated two runs on two hits and an error. Cody Deason sat down 10-straight Aggies before freshman Joey Ortiz was able to knock a single into right for NM State's first hit of the night.
 
Like Butts, Chris Kucko surrendered two runs to the Wildcats (27-12) after retiring the side in the third and gave the home team a 4-0 advantage.
 
New Mexico State had its first runner in scoring position in the top half of the fifth with no outs thanks to a throwing error by Arizona's reliever Tylor Megill. However, the Wildcats were able to turn two on the next at-bat and end the inning on a sharp line-out to right.
 
Arizona tacked on straight numbers in the next two home-halves of the game and took a 6-0 lead. Chance Hroch, who came in relief of Chris Butcher in the bottom of the fifth, kept the flood gates from opening when he came in with the bases loaded. The freshman was able to get the first two batters he saw to strikeout and then the third to pop-up to first.
 
Back-to-back singles by Dan Hetzel and Tristen Carranza followed by a walk to LJ Hatch loaded the bases once more for New Mexico State in the seventh, but a strikeout and ground out ended any hopes of NM State cutting into the UA lead.
 
A pair of errors in the bottom half of that frame by the Aggies kept the inning alive for Arizona, who took advantage of the second-chance and put the game out of reach with a five-spot on the board – all of which were unearned.
 
NM State plated its first runs of the game in the top of the eighth, which started when Jason Bush and Roman Trujillo – who pinch-hit for Brent Sakurai – led off the inning with a pair of walks. Austin Botello loaded the bases for the Aggies with just one out when he got plunked at the plate, which set up Hetzel's two-RBI single to left field.
 
The Aggie sent three pinch-hitters to the plate in the ninth hoping to get a rally going, but it was in vain as UA's Landon Faulkner retired the side to give the 13th-ranked Wildcats the 11-2 victory. Butts was handed his third loss of the season while Arizona's Deason moved to 3-1 on the year.
 
By The Numbers
The six errors by NM State on Tuesday is the most in a single-game this season…Aggie batters had trouble against the Arizona hurlers, batting just .156 from the plate (5-for-32)…NM State batted just .125 at the dish with runners in scoring position compared to Arizona's .389 clip (7-for-18)...Botello saw his streak of 16 games where reached base safely come to an end after going 0-for-3 from the plate…Hetzel is now tied with Ortiz and Sakurai for the most multi-hit games this season with 17 after going 2-for-4 tonight…the Aggies are just 2-8 on the year when playing midweek games on Tuesdays.
 
Up Next
NM State, who sits in first-place in Western Athletic Conference play at 11-1, returns home for a pivotal three-game series this weekend at Presley Askew Field as it entertains second-place Grand Canyon (April 28-30).