-and-
Sophomore pitcher goes the distance once more, Garcia tallies two hits and RBI in the win.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo By Emilio Garcia for NMSU: Courtesy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – If you haven’t already, now would be a decent time to familiarize yourself with the name Faith Aragon. Returning to action for the third and final in a three-game series, NM State leaned on the sophomore pitcher as she tallied her second start in 19 hours. Much like Saturday, the UTEP transfer went the distance and shut out Sam Houston as Aragon finished the game with six strikeouts and no walks allowed.
With the win, NM State (21-14) improved to 8-4 in Conference USA play, sliding into a tie for second place in the league standings alongside LA Tech and FIU. The sweep was the first for Kathy Rodolph‘s bunch this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Faith Aragon got the nod in the circle for the second straight day and picked up right where she left off. After a quiet opening frame, Desirae Spearman earned her sixth walk of the series. Devin Elam advanced her with a left-field single before Lauren Garciaopened the scoring with a single up to center field.
A pitcher’s duel broke out over the next several frames as neither club scored until the bottom of the fourth. Aragon was excellent, tossing four strikeouts between the second and fourth innings, including three straight batters.
Tamara Carranza’s double to left-center was compounded with an error, pushing the freshman to third base with one out in the fourth. Veteran Riley Carley subsequently lifted a ball to center field; deep enough to score Carranza and double the lead to 2-0.
After a six pitch 1-2-3 inning for Sam Houston’s offense, NM State got back into the scoring column. Kenzie Nicholson battled through a long at-bat and earned a seventh-pitch single up the middle with one out. Then, of Desirae Spearman’s two walks advanced Nicholson to second base. On the next pitch, Devin Elam flied out deep to the center fielder. The drive was far enough to advance Nicholson to third before an error brought the Jax State transfer home. The heads-up play from the Aggie second baseman expanded the lead to its final tally of 3-0.
Another three-up, three-down outing from Aragon in the circle set up the Aggies’ last chance to add to their lead. Despite a pair of hits from Kristiana Watson and Lauren Garcia, the advantage remained steady.
A leadoff single appeared to give the visitors life, but Aragon immediately returned to form. A swinging strikeout was followed up by a one-pitch popout before another swinging strikeout took just three tosses. The game-winning punchout was the UTEP transfer’s sixth of the afternoon and her 15th of the weekend after a career-high nine on Saturday.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- NM State stayed ahead of Sam Houston at 8-4 in league play, sitting tied for second place with LA Tech and FIU.
- The shutout was NM State’s sixth of the season and the fourth since the start of CUSA action.
- Across her two consecutive complete games, Aragon tossed 15 strikeouts and just one walk in 13 scoreless innings.
- Tamara Carranza continued her hot streak with a fourth-inning double, extending her hitting streak to six games.
- The true freshman has 12 of her 17 career hits in the past nine games and has hit .462 over the span.
- Before CUSA play, Carranza was batting .167 without a career home run. Now, the freshman is batting .288 after a six-game span in which she tallied her first three four-baggers.
- After five straight games with a home run, Desirae Spearman’s electric streak came to an end on Sunday.
- NM State improved to 12-3 all-time in matchups with the Bearkats, including a 7-2 mark in Las Cruces.
- Allowing no runs and three hits on Sunday, the Aggies climbed to 19-3 when holding opponents to five or fewer runs this season.
- Desirae Spearman still holds the longest active hitting streak on the team, recording a knock in 10 straight games and reaching base safely in 11 straight.
- The two-way star was also walked twice, marking 37 free bases for Spearman this season.
- Entering this weekend, only five other student-athletes in all of Division I had more than 30 walks. Last year, she led the team with 21 bases on balls.
- The complete game marked the fifth of Aragon’s NM State career.
- With two hits in Sunday win, Lauren Garcia added a run scored in what was her eighth multi-hit performance of the season.
- Jade Valladares tallied her second start of the season at third base.
FROM THE FIELD
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the win: “I think we all looked forward to returning home and getting to play on our field. Just sleeping in your own bed and knowing how your field plays in front of your own fans is so important. It definitely gave us the boost that I hoped for. Faith [Aragon] pitched great all weekend long. In 13 innings, she only walked one batter, and I was really proud of her ability to mix it up. Offensively, I think we did what we needed to do. What I see is the season starting to weigh on us a little, so I’m asking us to do everything we can to get some good recovery.”
Redshirt sophomore designated player Lauren Garcia, on what went right in the win: “As the DP, it’s kind of my job to make things happen and generate momentum on the offensive side. This whole weekend was about letting loose and getting back to playing the game while being myself. Especially in game three, on day three, everyone’s a little tired. This one was about grinding it out and playing our game. Faith [Aragon]’s amazing, too. I think she did great this weekend. 13 scoreless innings was huge. It’s kind of unspoken, but the DP and pitcher kind of go hand in hand. She’s going to hold them down and I’m going to do everything I can to get her that lead.”
Freshman shortstop Tamara Carranza, on her recent success: “I think I’m just staying behind the ball as I’ve been wanting to. I’m staying in my approach and doing what I know I’m capable of. Defensively, I’m focusing on staying calm and playing my game. I’m trying to hunt the ball. That’s my biggest go-to. Hunt the ball and get after it quick because there’s usually not a lot of time to think at short.”
UP NEXT
With another series in the books, NM State will turn to the Battle of I-10. The Aggies are set to visit UTEP next weekend for a three-game series. The second-ever CUSA bout between the two will begin on Friday, April 4 at 6:00 p.m., MT. The Aggies took two of three from the Miners last year and have their eyes on another series win in what would be their fourth of CUSA play. All the action will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatesports.com.
For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2025 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).
