LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State baseball team played the middle games of the weekend series in a doubleheader against Delaware on Saturday at Presley Askew Field. The Aggie excelled in all facets of the game with a pair of wins outscoring the Blue Hens 32-5.
GAME ONE
In the opening game of the Saturday doubleheader, NM State (10-2) sent out senior right-hander
Justin Dehn to the mound to square off against Delaware (0-9) hurler Chris Ludman. Dehn started strong tossing three scoreless frames to open, while on the other side the Aggie offense got rolling early.
The bottom of the first inning saw a double and a walk put two runners on with a pair of outs.
Caleb Henderson then stepped to the dish and sent a ground-rule double over the wall in left center to open the scoring that put NM State ahead 1-0. Another run was put on the board in the second when an infield groundout brought home the man from third for a 2-0 Aggie lead.
Looking to add to the lead, the NM State bats got hot again in the bottom of the third. Henderson led off with a walk, followed by a
Logan Ehnes single and stolen base to leave men on second and third.
Eric Mingus proceeded to step to the plate and turn on a pitch that he crushed over the wall in left field for his first career home run to put the team up 5-0 into the fourth.
Delaware had runners on the corners in the fourth when an infield groundout brought a man home to cut into the Aggie lead. The Crimson & White was then held scoreless in the bottom half before adding to the advantage in the fifth.
After a pitching change one batter into the bottom of the inning, NM State got the bases loaded with two outs.
Joey Ortiz then stepped to the plate and laced a single up the middle to plate a pair of runs. This left runners on the corners and forced the Blue Hens to bring in their third different pitcher of the frame. The change saw a walk load the bases and then a wild pitch bring in another run for an 8-1 Aggie lead through five.
In the top of the sixth, Delaware chopped away at its deficit beginning with an RBI single to left field. Two batters later, the Blue Hens had men on the corners with one out and a fielder's choice brought in the runner from third to put the Aggies lead at 8-3.
One inning later, NM State put up its highest scoring frame of the day.
Braden Williams led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to centerfield and in the next at-bat; Mingus drove him home with a single up the middle.
Logan Bottrell then laid down a bunt and an errant throw to first by the pitcher moved him all the way to third and scored one more for the home team.
The Blue Hens then went back to the pen to see if a change on the mound could slow down the Aggies, but that was not the case. Ortiz was the first batter to face the new reliever and he ripped an RBI triple to center. This at-bat was followed by
Nick Gonzales who continued to dominate at the dish sending a home run over the fence in right for a 13-3 NM State lead.
Tristen Carranza then belted a solo homer of his own for back-to-back shots and a walk with the bases loaded scored the final run of the frame to give the Aggies a 15-3 lead after seven.
While the Aggie pitching staff continued to keep the Blue Hen offense quiet to close out the game, the Crimson & White added two more runs in the eighth for a 17-3 lead that stood as the final score. After tossing 6.0 innings, Dehn (3-0) picked up the win to continue his hot start to the season.
At the dish, NM State combined for 17 hits led by Mingus who went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI, followed by Ortiz who added a pair of base knocks and three RBI.
GAME TWO
The second game of the day pitted NM State transfer Chris Jefferson against Delaware righty Derek Wakeley on the mound. Jefferson held the Blue Hen bats silent for his entire outing, while the Aggie offense kept its hot streak going.
The first run of the game came in the bottom of the first when the Aggies had runners on the corners and a passed ball put the team ahead 1-0. Then in the second, Mingus laced a triple off the wall in right center to be brought home in the next at-bat when an error on an infield grounder gave the Crimson & White a 2-0 advantage.
Gonzales led off the bottom of the third sending his NCAA-leading ninth home run to right field. Two batters later,
Caleb Henderson blasted a solo homer of his own over the fence in left center. Then with two outs and a man in scoring position, Mingus continued his strong day at the plate with an RBI single to go ahead 5-0 at the end of three.
Another three-run inning followed in the fourth, started by an RBI single by Ehnes that left runners on first and second with one out. After a walk, the bases were loaded and a fielder's choice brought home the man from third. The scoring of the frame closed when an infield error scored a run for an 8-0 Aggie lead.
In the top of the fifth, NM State added another run to its lead when Carranza lofted a sacrifice fly to right for a 9-0 advantage. Then in the sixth, Mingus added to his totals with a single through the right side that scored one run. A walk followed to load the bases and Delaware went to the pen with the reliever striking out his first batter, but then a passed ball brought the man from third across the plate to give the team an 11-0 lead.
The top of the seventh was led off by a double and a pair of walks to load the bases before a fielder's choice brought in the first run of the frame. Then with runners on the corners and one out, Bottrell beat out a single to first base that had the Delaware defense looking a bit discombobulated as two runs scored. Ortiz followed up with a double to the gap in right that brought home another run for a 15-0 Aggie lead.
Each side was held scoreless in the eighth and then the Blue Hens looked to mount a furious comeback in the ninth. After scoring two runs, Delaware had the bases loaded with two outs but that was the closest the opposition would get as the final out was recorded and NM State won the nightcap 15-2.
After tossing 7.0 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits, Jefferson (2-1) picked up the win for the Aggies. Moreover, at the dish the team put up 15 hits, led by Henderson who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run and three runs scored, followed by another great game by Mingus who went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in and Bottrell who was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored.
The New Mexico State baseball team now looks for the series sweep taking on Delaware in the series finale on Sunday, March 3, at 12:05 p.m. MT on Presley Askew Field.
