ST. GEORGE, Utah - The NM State softball team (23-18, 8-3) used a powerful hitting attack and some timely defense and pitching in its 9-5 and 10-7 wins against Dixie State (18-23, 6-8) Friday afternoon at Karl Brooks Field in St. George, Utah. The Aggies now sit alone on top of the WAC standings with an 8-3 conference record. 

Game One
The Aggies wasted no time putting its stamp on game one, as they brought three runs across in the first inning. Matalasi Faapito got the Aggies going with her WAC-leading 13th home run of the season. Ramsay Lopez walked, and Nikki Butler inched closer to her hit-by-pitch record, as she was hit for the 16th time this season to put runners on second and third. Kayla Bowen delivered with an RBI double to bring home Lopez. Butler was called out at home, but Gabby Aragon singled for her seventh RBI of the year to extend the lead to three. 

The Trailblazers picked up two runs of its own in the bottom of the first. Each team was held scoreless in the second inning, but the Aggies exploded for five runs in the top of the third inning. Faapito led off the inning with a single. Lopez was hit in her second at bat of the game, and the reigning WAC Hitter of the Week, Butler, sent one off the wall to score Faapito. Bowen picked up her second RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly, and Aragon drove home Butler on a single. Maya Martinez smacked a ball over the fence in the deepest part of the ballpark to give the Aggies a commanding 8-2 lead. 

Faapito and Felicia De La Torre came up big in several innings, as the Trailblazers left 12 runners on base. With the Aggies leading 8-4 in the sixth inning, the Trailblazers loaded the bases with just one out. De La Torre recorded a flyout and a strikeout to stop the threat and end the inning. 

Martinez picked up her third hit of the day on an RBI double in the seventh inning to give the Aggies a little more breathing room. De La Torre had no trouble in the bottom of the seventh to give the Aggies its sixth straight WAC win. 

Game Two
Jayleen Burton's triple play in the fifth inning stopped a furious Trailblazer run, and the Aggies held on for a 10-7 victory. The Trailblazers tacked on two runs in the fifth inning and had the bases loaded with no outs down 8-5. Burton caught a blooper at shortstop, stepped on second base and fired the throw to Kayla Bowen at first to give the Aggies its first triple play since Mar. 11, 2020, against New Mexico. 

An Aragon two-RBI double in the sixth inning extended the Aggies' lead to 10-5. The Trailblazers added two more runs in the bottom of the inning, but Chloe Rivas retired the side in order in the seventh inning to give the Aggies its 23rd win of the season. 

Lopez and Butler each had home runs in game two, as Lopez blasted one over the right field wall in the third inning, and Butler sent a no-doubter over the center field wall in the fourth inning. Faapito, Lopez, Bowen and Aragon each picked up a multi-hit game for the Aggies. 

De La Torre improved to 9-9 on the season after an outing of four innings. She allowed just four hits and two earned runs while striking out two. 

The Aggies will look for the series sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network.

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Notes:

• The Aggies have won seven straight games in conference play. That is the longest conference win streak since Mar. 30 - Apr. 13, 2018 when the Aggies also won seven straight conference games. 
• In the fifth inning of game two, the Aggies turned its first triple play since Mar. 11 2020, against New Mexico. 
• The Aggies improved to 14-1 when leading after the fourth inning.
• The Aggies improved to 14-1 when they outhit their opponent.
• Dixie State outhit the Aggies in game one. The Aggies had only won five games coming into today when they were outhit by their opponent. 
• The Aggies are 11-5 when they hit two or more home runs. The Aggies hit two home runs in each game today. 
• With her 50th strikeout in game one, Matalasi Faapito is the only player in the NCAA to have at least 13 home runs and 50 strikeouts.
• The Aggies are hitting .327 as a team in conference play. 
• Faapito has recorded a hit in 23 out of the last 25 games. Faapito is hitting .515 in conference play and .442 on the year. 
• Gabby Aragon has recorded a hit in nine out of the last 10 games and is hitting .448 in conference play
• Nikki Butler was hit for the 16th and 17th time today. Butler is one away from tying her single-season hit-by-pitch record of 18 which she set in the 2019 season.