-and-
NM State knocks off No. 25 Liberty as Aragon tosses masterful complete game.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Matthew Knope
Photo by Emilio Garcia for NMSU: Courtesy
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| NM State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 3 | 6 | 2 |
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – On Sunday, NM State Softball reached higher ground, upsetting the nation’s 25th-ranked team in Liberty. Faith Aragon posted her sixth complete game of the season, holding the potent Lady Flames’ offense to just five hits and one run while also tallying six strikeouts. Devin Elam’s fifth home run of the season put NM State on top for good in the sixth inning. Kristiana Watson added some insurance later in the frame and sealed the deal on a 3-1 victory over Conference USA’s top seed.
The victory snapped NM State’s five-game losing skid, vaulting its record to 22-19 overall and 9-9 in CUSA play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Faith Aragon and Paige Bachman entered the circle first for their respective squads on Sunday, with both establishing a pitchers’ duel early. Through four innings, there were only five combined hits and one walk, while five total strikeouts held both offenses scoreless.
In the fifth inning, Aragon racked up her fifth punchout of the afternoon as she forced a swinging miss from Liberty. The fastball gave the sophomore her first multi-strikeout inning of the day and was good for her 72nd batter sat down this season. In the bottom of the fifth, the home team also struck out twice as the low-scoring affair raged on.
As had been the case in each of the weekend’s first two contests, the Lady Flames struck first. In the top of the sixth, a pair of one-out walks set the stage for an RBI single that finally broke the scoreless tie.
Kathy Rodolph‘s offense wasted no time in responding as Desirae Spearman drew her second base on balls of the day with one away. After a flyout brought the inning one retired batter away from closing, Devin Elam stepped to the plate. Facing a 2-1 count, the junior sent a high fly to right-center field that snuck just over the wall. The two-run shot gave Elam her 24th RBI this year and NM State its first lead of the weekend.
The ensuing pitch was a missile to left field for Lauren Garcia as the New Mexico transfer picked up her second hit of the afternoon. After Dot Richardson pulled Bachman in favor of Kaylan Yoder, Kristiana Watson squeaked out a double between the defending shortstop and left fielder. The two-bagger sent home a pinch-running Payton Nicholson home to finish with three runs on the board in the home half of the sixth.
Making her first start at second base this season, Bella Clapp snagged the final out of the game on a popout, securing a 3-1 victory for the Aggies’ first win over a ranked opponent since 2020 when they defeated No. 17 Arizona State.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- NM State remained in a tie with Middle Tennessee for sixth place in the CUSA standings at 9-9.
- Saturday’s contest was the 20th game this season in which NM State walked two or fewer batters.
- The Crimson & White improved to 4-7 all-time in matchups with the Lady Flames, holding a 2-3 record in Las Cruces.
- NM State climbed to 9-15 when its opponents score first this season.
- Kathy Rodolph‘s squad is now 3-2 when tied after five innings in 2025.
- The Aggies are 15-1 when leading after six innings this season.
- NM State improves to 11-0 when opponents score between less than three runs.
- The Crimson & White are now 4-1 when scoring exactly three runs.
- Lauren Garcia clinched her 10th multi hit game of 2025 with a pair of singles on Sunday.
- Desirae Spearman was walked twice on Sunday, driving her campaign total to 40.
- Entering the weekend, only one player in all of Division I had drawn more than 40 free bases this season.
- The victory over No. 25 Liberty was NM State’s first ranked win since March 6, 2020, when the Aggies marched into Tempe and knocked off No. 17 by a score of 2-0.
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the win: “I feel like it was a total team effort. Liberty is very talented. It started with Faith in the circle. I feel like she has really regained her composure and is really settling down into her moments. Kendal [Lunar] did a great job behind the plate. I feel like what I liked most today is how everybody embraced the challenges they agree to when they put on the uniform. I think the win was really big, especially since we’re only home one more time and that will be Senior Weekend. I had no doubt that we were a very good team that just hadn’t been playing great. Today, I asked us to just play pitch-by-pitch and own whatever moment the game asked of us.”
Junior outfielder Devin Elam, on her sixth-inning home run: “In our pre-game meeting, we all kind of asked each other ‘what do we have to lose?’. I think that motivated us and we focused on making some adjustments as a group. When Faith is pitching like she did, it gives us a big sense of relief. Especially in the middle of the lineup, we know what our job is and it helps our mentality so much in the batter’s box.”
Sophomore pitcher Faith Aragon, on her complete-game victory: “I think the whole team and I were just sick of losing. It really got to us. I believe sometimes things like that happen for a reason. I think we were all able to come together in this game because we all wanted it so much. This was a really big deal for us, so I really hope that it carries on the rest of the way. I’m excited to see what we can do with what we have left.”
UP NEXT
Next weekend, NM State will trek to Western Kentucky for a three-game set with the Hilltoppers in Bowling Green, Ky. The series will begin on Thursday, April 17 and conclude on Sunday, April 19. The opener has a scheduled first pitch of 5:00 p.m. MT (6:00 PM local). All the action will be available to follow via nmstatestats.com, with Saturday’s contest also streamed live on ESPN+.
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).
