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Aggies fall 8-2 to CBU, lose 12-1 to No. 3 Florida in Phoenix.
Source: NMSU Atletics
Story and Photo By Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
PHOENIX – After winning five straight matchups, NM State Sofbtall finds itself in the midst of the season’s first three-game losing streak. The Aggies suffered two losses on Saturday, falling to California Baptist (6-9) and Florida (16-1) at GCU Softball Stadium. The pair of defeats dropped the Aggies to 9-7 on the season with one game remaining on the weekend.
GAME ONE | CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 8, NM STATE 2
The first two innings were uneventful for both offenses, with neither side able to plate a run and only Riley Carley advancing to third after a walk and crafty baserunning. Desirae Spearmanracked up three strikeouts entering the third frame, when California Baptist would strike first.
A leadoff walk led to a run on the next at-bat after a throwing error scooted the ball into foul territory of right field. An ensuing triple brought in a second Lancer before a single made the score 3-0 in a blink. Spearman got out of the frame quickly, though, striking out a batter before a groundout and a popout.
After a quiet home half of the third, the Lancers expanded their lead in the fourth. A leadoff single and a pair of errors set up a sacrifice fly to left field, setting the score at 4-0 before the Aggie bats entered for the fourth inning.
Joleeanna Hair began the frame with a single before Kristiana Watson reached on an error. After Lauren Garcia loaded the bases with a single, Kendal Lunar sent a ball to center field that scored Hair to crack the scoring column. On the very next pitch, a pinch-hitting Johnna Aragon went right back to center field, scoring Watson. Five pitches later, an inning-ending double play left the bases loaded and concluded the only frame in which the Aggies scored.
CBU added another run with a walk and two singles in the top of the fifth, pulling ahead 5-2. A single and a double made it 6-2 in the sixth, before an error and three more hits plated the final two Lancers of the day. The game ended with a final score of 8-2.
GAME TWO | NM STATE 1, #3 FLORIDA 12 (5)
The third-ranked team in the nation played up to its name on Saturday, getting out to an early lead and never looking back. A single, hit batter and a walk loaded the bases, setting up a Florida single up the middle that scored two runners. In the next frame, Taylor Shumaker rifled a lineout to Devin Elam in right field, but the drive was deep enough to score a runner from third. The Gators led 3-0 through two innings.
A pair of home runs and a double doubled the lead in the first three batters of the third inning, setting up a 6-0 start to the fourth inning. After another quiet top half of the fourth for NM State, Florida returned to the batter’s box one final time.
Five hits and four walks were highlighted by a two-run Erickson blast over the right-field wall as Florida added six runs onto the board in the bottom of the fourth. The fifth inning was the Aggies’ last chance to avoid a run-rule defeat, needing five runs to extend the affair.
Tamara Carranza opened the frame with the first hit of her career, then Kenzie Nicholson advanced her fellow middle infielder into scoring position via being hit by a pitch. Three pitches later, Desirae Spearman’s second hit of the day loaded the bases. Devin Elam came up to the plate as the Aggies’ last hope, taking advantage of a 0-1 pitch, sending it back towards the pitcher for an RBI single, scoring Nicholson. The rally ended on a strikeout three pitches later with a 12-1 final score.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- California Baptist now leads the all-time series between the two programs 10-4, with a 1-0 record in neutral play.
- Florida pulled ahead 3-0 over the Aggies in the all-time series, earning its first neutral win.
- The CBU contest was the first in which the Aggies scored but failed to hit a home run this season. The Crimson & White repeated in the Florida game, scoring one run via a single.
- Faith Aragon recorded her sixth multi-hit game this season against California Baptist.
- Joleeanna Hair tallied the second hit of her young career with a fourth-inning single versus the Lancers.
- Johnna Aragon tallied her fourth hit and sixth RBI of the season on a fourth-inning single against CBU.
- Kendal Lunar has now recorded a hit in 12 of her last 13 appearances, including both on Saturday. For the season, Lunar boasts a .447 batting average.
- Desirae Spearman’s two-hit day extended her hitting streak to nine games, setting her career high.
- In their seven losses, the Aggies have given up an average of 10.29 runs per game. In nine wins, the defense is holding opponents to 2.55 runs per game.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will head to Arizona State’s Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium tomorrow for a single game against the hosting Sun Devils (9-5). First pitch is set for 11:30 a.m., with all the action streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.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).
