LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State softball closed out the Western Athletic Conference series with Utah Valley at the NM State Softball Complex on Saturday. The Aggies dropped the first contest 9-7 before picking up the 6-1 victory over the Wolverines to clinch the series.
GAME ONE
NM State (19-15, 3-3 WAC) fell behind early when UVU (12-19, 4-5 WAC) reached an error and a pair of singles to take the one-run lead.
In the bottom of the frame, the Aggies retaliated, beginning with a single from
Kelsey Horton.
Victoria Castro followed with a two- run home run, giving the squad the 2-1 advantage.
Utah Valley battled back in the second, scoring on an RBI single before a three-run homer gave the opposition the 5-2 lead. Head coach
Kathy Rodolph went to
Analise De La Roca to contain the Utah Valley offense. The sophomore forced the Wolverines to fly out to the right fielder for the final out, but the damage was done as NM State trailed UVU by three.
New Mexico State rallied in the bottom of the third, beginning with a leadoff single by
Jeanelle Medina. Horton followed with a single of her own before singles by Castro and
Nikki Butler drove in the pair, leaving NM State behind by just a run.
However, the momentum swung back in the favor of Utah Valley with De La Roca allowing the Wolverines to score four runs on four hits, expanding New Mexico State's 9-4 deficit.
After a scoreless fourth frame for the Aggies, NM State went to
Samaria Diaz in the circle during the fifth. The junior retired the Utah Valley batters in order, containing the opposition..
A single by Castro ignited a rally for the Crimson and White in the bottom of the inning. Butler followed with a double before
Chloe Rivas launched her first collegiate home run to put New Mexico State behind by a pair.
With batters going down in order on both sides during the sixth, NM State continued to trail by two heading to the seventh. After the first two batter were retired, Rivas and
Mya Felder drew walks, putting the go-ahead run at the plate.
Casie Roberto made solid contact but a fly ball to right field ended the 9-7 loss for the Aggies.
Green picked up the loss, moving the senior to 7-4 on the season. The pitcher allowed five runs on seven hits in her 1.2 innings of work. De La Roca pitched 2.1 innings and gave up four runs on four hits. Diaz went 3.0 innings with four strikeouts.
GAME TWO
NM State came out swinging to start the series finale and Butler's homer over the centerfield fence in the opening frame gave the Aggies the 1-0 advantage. In the following inning, Felder hit a long ball of her own, expanding the New Mexico State lead 2-0.
The bats went cold for both teams during the next three frames but the Aggies regained the momentum when Felder started the sixth with her second homer of the game. Horton walked before Roberto sent a double to right center, putting the pair in scoring position.
Shelby Shultes drove the pair home with a triple before a groundout scored the third run of the inning, giving NM State the solid 6-0 advantage.
In the seventh, UVU began its final at bat with a solo home run. Starting pitcher Diaz remained composed in the circle, striking out the next batter. The junior forced UVU to groundout before sealing the 6-1 victory with a swinging strikeout.
Diaz moved to 8-6 with the series-clinching win while also pitching a complete game. She allowed one run on four hits while striking out 11 Utah Valley batters
The Aggies hit the road for a series at California Baptist. New Mexico State faces the Lancers in a doubleheader on Friday, April 12 beginning at 1 p.m. NM State closes the series with a second twin bill on Saturday, April 13, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. The first three game are set to count towards league play.
