ABILENE, Texas - For the second time in as many nights, the NM State baseball team got off on the right foot at the dish, but the Aggies' pitching staff found itself under siege all afternoon from an Abilene Christian lineup which amassed 16 hits and drew six walks in NM State's 15-9 setback at Crutcher Scott Field Saturday afternoon.
SCORING SUMMARY
T1 | Much like Friday night's opener, the Aggies drew first blood. Zerek Saenz led off the game with a single for the second-straight night before moving to second on a wild pitch. After Connor Laux took a seven-pitch walk, Ethan Mann drilled an RBI single through the Wildcats' infield to push Saenz across.
B1 | Control issues by NM State starter Sammy Natera allowed the Wildcats to strike back. After Natera fanned the first two batters he faced, the freshman gave up a single, hit the first of his three batters in the inning and surrendered a game-tying RBI double. With the bases loaded, ACU moved ahead 3-1 after Natera hit a man and issued a walk.
T2 | Two-out hitting coupled with a pair of ACU miscues helped the visitors jump back on top. Jason Bush reached on a sacrifice bunt which was misplayed by the Wildcats' first baseman to load the bags before another error by the Wildcats on a grounder by Saenz allowed Brandon Dieter to score. Kevin Jiminez provided the visitors' big swing in the frame, sending a two-run single through the right side of the Wildcats' infield to put NM State up 4-3.
B3 | Abilene Christian retook the lead thanks to a one-out RBI double which preceded a sacrifice fly. Both of the Wildcats' runs came off of walks issued by Natera earlier in the frame and left NM State at a 5-4 disadvantage.
T4 | Another unearned Aggie run knotted things up once again. Austin Duffy led off the inning by reaching first on a bad throw by the Wildcats' third baseman and came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Saenz to make matters 5-5.
B4 | Brendon Rodriguez took over on the hill for Natera, but the Wildcats' bats didn't let up. ACU greeted Rodriguez with a single and a double before NM State's first error allowed the first of three Wildcat runs in the frame to cross home plate. Back-to-back two-out RBI singles capped the Wildcats' second three-run frame of the day and put the Aggies at an 8-5 disadvantage.
B5 | With one out and the bases loaded, the Wildcats increased their lead to 9-5 after designated hitter Tommy Cruz generated a sacrifice fly.
T7 | Continuing to hit the comeback trail, NM State made it a three-run game thanks to Brandon Dieter. His two-out RBI single scored Laux, but Abilene Christian put the game out of reach shortly thereafter.
B7 | The Wildcats struck for six runs on five hits in the home half of the frame, pushing their lead to 15-6.
T8 | The Aggies' final push came in the top of the eighth. Three consecutive walks to start the inning put NM State in business and Cal Villareal scampered home from third on a wild pitch for NM State's first of three runs in the frame. Jake Baer drove in a run with an infield single before Mann grounded into a double play that accounted for the Aggies' final score.
AT THE DISH
• Dieter and Jimenez led the Aggies' seven-hit attack, each generating two hits apiece. Jimenez and Saenz each drove in two runs for the Aggies in their second-straight setback.
• Five Wildcats finished with multi-hits outings in the team's 16-hit assault on Aggie pitching. Colton Eager went 4-for-5 on the day while Cruz and Sebastian Randle each piled up three hits apiece.
• Randle drove in five runs for the Wildcats while Cruz pushed another three across home plate.
ON THE HILL
• Natera lasted three innings, giving up five runs on four hits and three walks in his first start of the season.
• Rodriguez (0-1) got hit with the loss after working one frame of four-hit, three-run ball. None of Rodriguez's runs were of the earned variety and NM State used a total of five pitchers in the tilt.
• Genner Cervantes tossed the first 4 2/3 frames for ACU, fanning five and giving up five runs (one earned). He gave way to Max Huffing who struck out four in 2 1/3 innings to collect his first win of the year.
ON DECK
• The Aggies and Wildcats will put the wraps on their three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. MT from Crutcher Scott Field. Right-hander Chris Jefferson gets the start on the hill for NM State as the Aggies go gunning for their first win of 2021.
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