PHOENIX, Ariz. - The NM State softball bats stayed hot, and the pitching and defense did its part in a 9-1 win over Idaho State in five innings Sunday morning in Phoenix, Ariz. The Aggies improved to 13-13 on the year and are 9-3 in its last 12 games.

The Aggies relied on the long ball early, as Matalasi Faapito smacked her ninth home run of the year in the bottom of the first inning to give NM State the 1-0 lead. A couple of singles from Chloe Rivas and Hailey Tanori in the second inning extended the lead to 4-0. Home runs from Kayla Bowen and Maya Martinez in the third inning gave the Aggies complete control with a 6-0 lead. The Bengals threatened in the fifth inning, but Rivas and the Aggie defense rose up and got out of a bases loaded jam with only one run allowed. Nikki Butler reached on an error in the fifth to score Bowen, and Antuanett Dean knocked in her first two RBIs of the season on a double to end the game in five innings. 

Chloe Rivas was terrific in the circle, as she did not allow an earned run in five innings of work. Tanori and Dean led the Aggie offense with two RBIs each. Each Aggie batter reached base with nine batters recording a hit.

The Aggies will have a quick turnaround when they face Portland State in a doubleheader on Tuesday in Hillsboro, Ore.

Weekend Notes

• The Aggies finished 4-1 at the GCU Invitational.
• The Aggie offense was on fire this weekend. The offense put up 52 runs in 5 games. In the first 21 games of the year, the Aggies scored just 56 runs. 
• This is the most runs the Aggies have scored in a five-game stretch since Feb. 15-23, 2020, when the Aggies also scored 52 runs over a five-game stretch.
• Hailey Tanori is on a 10-game hitting streak, the longest of her career. Tanori has recorded a hit in 22 out of the 26 games this year for the Aggies
• Matalasi Faapito has recorded a hit in 14 out of the last 16 games and a home run in five out of the last seven games.