SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Just as was the case on Sunday, a late four-run lead for NM State slipped away. With the Aggies in front 5-1 in the seventh inning, Utah had its backs against the wall but managed to come roaring back. The Utes ended up victorious on Wednesday evening following a walk-off single in the tenth inning, securing a 7-6 win in Salt Lake City. 
 
A two-run second inning sparked a lead that the Aggies would hold for several innings. After Damone Hale scampered home on a wild pitch, Hunter Antillon poked a single into left field. A throwing error by the Utes allowed Nick Gore to score and pushed the Aggies' lead to take a 2-0 lead.
 
In his first start of the season, Cade Swenson was simply spectacular. The right-hander did not allow a run until the fifth inning and allowed just five hits over 6.0 innings of work. When Swenson turned the ball over to the bullpen, the Aggies were commanding the ballgame.
 
After the Utes pushed a run across in the fifth, Keith Jones II would bring the Aggies' lead back to a pair. With Hunter Antillon on third base, Jones would lift a sacrifice fly to left field and plating the NM State catcher. In the sixth, Damone Hale doubled the lead from two to four when he launched a home run well over the 420-foot sign in center field. The blast was the third of the season for Hale and gave NM State its biggest lead of the night.
 
When Swenson turned the keys over to the bullpen, things quickly went south for the Aggies. The Utes scored two runs in the seventh before pushing three more runs across in the eighth inning, taking a 6-5 lead in the process.
 
Down to their final out, NM State got another timely hit from Hale. This time, the Aggie center fielder smoked a single back through the middle, scoring Jimenez. After Utah's first batter of the inning drew a walk, interim head coach Keith Zuniga turned to Hayden Walker out of the bullpen. Walker quickly induced a double play on a bunt before fielding a ground ball and retiring the third out of the inning.
 
Walker's shutout ninth brought some free baseball to Salt Lake City. The extra inning contest was NM State's fifth of the season but was spoiled in the tenth. After going down in order, NM State looked to shut down the Utes. After a leadoff walk, Utah attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt but a throwing error put runners on the corners with nobody out. The following batter, Utah's Kai Roberts, singled to center field, much to the delight of the nearly 1,400 fans at Smith's Ballpark.
 
The Aggies' swing through Utah continues on Friday as NM State head to Orem to take on Utah Valley. The three-game set will be the last series for NM State in WAC play
 
Quick Hits

• Kevin Jimenez played in his 200th career game for NM State, becoming just the ninth player in school history to reach the milestone.
• Damone Hale picked up three of the Aggies' four RBI on Wednesday
• The leadoff batter reached for NM State in each of the first two innings.
• Keith Jones II drew two of the four walks for NM State
• Four Aggies had multi-hit days with Hunter Antillon leading the charge with three base knocks.
• The contest was NM State's fifth extra-inning affair of the season.
• Utah dominated the Aggies when it came to strikeouts. Utah pitching combined to fan 15 Aggies while NM State recorded just three punch outs.
• Hayden Walker falls to 0-3 after taking the loss in the tenth inning.