LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Aggies are hoping to continue its four-game win streak against Portland State in a doubleheader on Tuesday evening in Hillsboro, Ore. First pitch will be at 4 p.m. with game two following approximately 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.

Where to Watch
The game will be streamed live on the Big Sky Network. The Big Sky Network is easily available on Pluto.TV.

Late Inning Magic
The Aggies have played a staggering seven extra inning contests so far in 2021 and are 4-3 in those games. The Aggies have had two walk-off wins this season when Hailey Tanori drove in two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat South Dakota, and Ramsay Lopez hit a walk-off home run to defeat Toledo on Mar. 7 at The Spring Games. The Aggies are 7-3 in games decided by two runs or less this season.

Last weekend at the GCU Invitational, the Aggies trailed 3-0 heading into the final inning against Southern Utah on Saturday. The Aggies rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh inning to overcome the Thunderbirds.

Aggie Offense Catches Fire
The NM State offense put up some impressive numbers last weekend at the GCU Invitational. In five games, the Aggies posted 52 runs in five game after posting only 56 runs in its first 21 games. The Aggies had a team batting average of .438 and pounded out eight home runs in the five games. 

Aggie Rundown
The Aggies returned its top five hitters from the 2020 season, and they have all shined so far in the 2021 season. 

Matalasi Faapito continues to have a terrific season, as she leads the team with a .408 batting average, nine home runs and 22 RBIs. 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.

Slap hitter Hailey Tanori continues to be one of the most consistent Aggies in the batter's box, as she is on a 10-game win streak, the longest of her career. Tanori has recorded a hit in th 22 out of the Aggies 26 games this season. Tanori was 5-for-5 on steal attempts last weekend at the GCU Invitational and leads the team with 11 steals. 

Junior Kayla Bowen has been a nice surprise for the Aggies, as she is hitting .281 on the year with four home runs and 16 RBIs. She smacked three home runs in five games at the GCU Invitational

Redshirt freshman Maya Martinez has continued to improve throughout the season and is fourth on the team in batting average with a .281 average. Martinez had her first two home runs of the season at the GCU Invitational

Redshirt senior Nikki Butler usually finds her way on base, but it may not be in the most conventional way. Butler is well on her way to break her own single-season hit-by-pitch record. Butler set the record in 2018, as she was hit 18 times, and so far in 2021, she's been hit 10 times. Butler is hitting .266 on the year with one home run and 12 RBIs. 

In the circle, the Aggies have begun to settle in, as they have a team ERA of 3.91. Faapito leads the way with a 3.70 ERA. Felicia De La Torre was terrific at the GCU Invitational, as she posted her first complete game shutout of the season against Southern Utah. De La Torre posted a career-high nine strikeouts against the Thunderbirds.

Fountain of Youth
Out of the 23 players, 18 are either freshman or redshirt freshman. The Aggies have just two seniors in Keala Brown and Nikki Butler on the roster. The Aggies brought in 10 newcomers with several of them making an immediate impact for the Aggies. 

True freshman Audrey Shebloski had made the biggest impact so far among the newcomers, as she has started 15 games and is hitting .205 with five RBIs. 

Jayleen Burton, Antuanett Dean, Kendra Levesque, Briana Gallegos and Jillian Taylor have started a combined 36 games for the Aggies. 

Scouting the Vikings
Portland State is 3-14 on the season, but the record can be deceiving, as they have played eight ranked opponents with five of those opponents being ranked in the top-10. The Aggies are led by fifth-year head coach Meadow McWhorters. The Vikings are led by Olivia Dean who is hitting .375 with one home run and five RBIs. Rachel Menlove is also having a solid season for the Vikings, as she is hitting .313 with two home runs and five RBIs. The Vikings have struggled in the circle so far this season, as they have posted a 10.87 team ERA. Leading the way is Allicitie Frost who is 0-1 on the season with a 4.76 ERA in 17 innings.

Last Time Out
The Aggies went 4-1 last weekend at the GCU Invitational. The Aggies defeated Idaho State twice and Southern Utah twice. The Aggie offense was terrific posting a team batting average of .438 with 52 runs scored in five games.

Up Next
The Aggies will begin conference play when they take on Seattle U Friday and Saturday in Seattle. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3 p.m. with the series concluding at 1 p.m. on Saturday. All three games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. 

For updates throughout the season, follow the Aggies on Twitter (@NMStateSoftball), Instagram (@nmstatesoftball) and Facebook (NM State Softball).