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NM State to play WKU in opening round of CUSA Championship on Wednesday.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Michael Navarrette
Photo: Courtesy
RUSTON, La. – NM State couldn’t overcome an early deficit on Saturday afternoon, falling 8–1 to LA Tech in the series finale at J.C. Love Field. With the loss, the Aggies dropped the three-game set, two games to one.
Despite the defeat, NM State (23-31, 11-15 CUSA) will continue its season on Wednesday in Lynchburg, Va., where they will meet up with third-seeded WKU in the opening round of the Conference USA Championship. The Aggies and Hilltoppers will collide at 10:30 a.m. MT, with the game being available to stream on ESPN+ or listen to for free via KRUX 91.5 FM.
On Saturday, LA Tech (31-23, 14-12 CUSA) jumped on the board quickly, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. In the opening frame, the Bulldogs strung together five hits, including a two-run home run, to take control early.
Things didn’t get easier in the second, as the Bulldogs’ leadoff hitter launched a solo home run to push the Tech lead to 5–0. The Aggies showed a brief spark in the sixth when Brandon Forrester and Mitch Namie reached safely, setting up a sacrifice fly by Bryce Campbell to get NM State on the board.
The Bulldogs continued to apply pressure, adding runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Despite a few scattered hits late, NM State was unable to generate an offensive push and ultimately left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to end the game.
On the mound, Colton Sneddon and the Aggie bullpen managed to limit the damage after a bumpy start, but the early deficit proved too large to conquer. Boston Vest tallied three hits on the day, highlighting an otherwise quiet outing for the Aggie offense, which struck out 10 times and stranded nine runners.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- Boston Vest turned in his 10th multi-hit game of the year while notching the second three-hit game of his freshman campaign.
- Gianni Horvat also collected two hits to record his ninth multi-hit game.
- Saturday marked just the sixth game of the season that the Aggies scored fewer than two runs, including the third time in league play.
- With a single in the sixth, Mitch Namie extended his hitting streak to six games, matching Dane Woodcook for the team high.
- NM State concludes the season with a 9-17 record in road games.
- The Aggies also drop to 27-16 all-time against LA Tech, including being 12-11 in Ruston.
- This week, the Aggies will seek their first CUSA Tournament win in program history after exiting last year’s tournament after two games.
- For the second straight year, the Aggies earned the No. 7 seed in the postseason conference tournament and will be paired with No. 2 WKU, No. 3 Kennesaw State and No. 6 FIU in the four-team pod.
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).
