LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State used a series of late‑inning surges on Friday night at Presley Askew Field to defeat Towson, scoring seven runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth frames to claim a 9-3 victory. After the Tigers struck twice in the first inning, the Aggie bullpen steadied the game and allowed just one run across the final eight innings.
Towson jumped ahead early with a pair of runs in the top of the first, but NM State immediately answered with one of its own in the bottom half as
Aidan Taclas and
Boston Vest scored on a crucial error by the Towson third baseman.
After four scoreless innings for both sides, the Aggies broke through in the sixth inning as
Easton Rulli drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a single from
Cole Rogers. A sacrifice fly from
Boston Vest brought home another run, giving the Aggies a 4-2 advantage.
The seventh inning delivered NM State's loudest swing of the night when
Steve Solorzano launched a leadoff solo home run to left field to hand move the Aggie lead to 5-3 after Towson plated a single run in the seventh. NM State continued pressing, adding two more runs in the frame off a two‑RBI double from Rogers to push the lead to 7-3.
NM State added to its total in the eighth.
Boston Vest and
Aidan Taclas were each hit by a pitch to start the inning before both advanced into scoring position on a double steal. Rulli followed by ripping a two‑RBI double down the left‑field line, giving NM State a 9-3 advantage that held for the rest of the night.
NM State finished with 11 hits, highlighted by three from
Tommy Meluskey and two each from Vest, Solorzano and Rogers. On the mound, the trio of
Jake Carvajal,
Jaden Davis and winning pitcher
Connor Wylde combined for 8.2 innings of one‑run baseball, allowing only four hits with seven strikeouts.
NOTABLES
- Steve Solorzano recorded his first home run of the season, a go‑ahead solo shot in the seventh. He finished with two hits and an RBI.
- Cole Rogers drove in a team‑high three runs, including a two‑RBI double which marked the first extra-base hit of his collegiate career.
- Tommy Meluskey posted a three‑hit performance to mark a career high in hits.
- Easton Rulli delivered a two‑RBI double in the eighth and extended his hitting streak to a team-high five games.
- The Aggies stole eight bases, including three from Vest and two each from Taclas and Meluskey, matching the most stolen bases in a single game since March 29, 2019, when they stole eight bags against Chicago State.
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