BEAUMONT, Texas – In a tightly contested battle, NM State came up just short against Lamar, falling 5-4 in 10 innings on Wednesday afternoon at Vincent-Beck Stadium to wrap up its five-game road stretch.
 
The Aggies rallied to tie the game in the eighth inning, but Lamar pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the tenth to hand the Aggies a tough-luck loss.
 
NM State fell behind early as Lamar grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single from Heladio Moreno. The Aggies answered back in the fourth with two runs, capitalizing on a throwing error and a sacrifice fly by Joey Craig to take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Aggies added another run in the fifth when Sheehan O'Connor laid down a bunt single and beat out the throw, scoring Mitch Namie and giving NM State a 3-1 advantage.
 
Later, Lamar rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh as Brayden Evans delivered a two-run double, and Damian Ruiz followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Cardinals back on top, 4-3.
 
Down but not out, NM State tied the game at 4-4 in the eighth inning when Brandon Forrester's sacrifice fly plated Craig to keep the Aggies alive and send the game to extra innings.
 
The game remained knotted until the bottom of the tenth when Lamar's Zak Skinner reached on a fielder's choice, allowing the game-winning run to score and seal the 5-4 victory for the Cardinals.
Sheehan O'Connor led the Aggies with two hits, one run, and an RBI, while Brandon Forrester added an RBI single and a sacrifice fly. On the mound, Connor Wylde pitched five strong innings, allowing just one run on six hits, while Cooper Reese, Ian Hoslett, and Jake Carvajal combined for 4.1 innings of relief work.
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• The Aggies fell to 1-1 in games that reached extra innings with their win coming over Oakland on Feb. 28.
• In a solid outing, starter Connor Wylde equaled his career high in innings – tossing 5.0 innings in the road contest.
• Mitch Namie recorded his sixth double of the season which is good for second on the team. He also now has a hit in 16 of the Aggies' 17 games this season.
• Tommy Meluskey was awarded a base on balls three times this afternoon – matching the most walks by an individual in a single game this season for the Aggies. He joins Steve Solorzano who was walked three times against Oakland on Feb. 28.
• Freshman Cooper Reese recorded a season high two strikeouts.

 
UP NEXT
The Aggies will now return to the friendly confines of Presley Askew Field for a three-game homestand against non-conference opponent Portland. Friday's series opener is slated to begin at 6 p.m., while Saturday will begin at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
For complete coverage of NM State Baseball, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics – and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateBaseball), Instagram (@NMStateBaseball) and like us on Facebook (NM State Baseball).