-and-
Aggies slug six home runs and allow just five runs across two games.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Matthew Knope
Photo: Courtesy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Softball returned to the win column twice on Saturday, taking care of Northern Colorado and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The Aggies mashed six balls over the outfield fence while only allowing a total of five runs across 12 innings of defense. Faith Aragon went the distance in the opener against the Bears, while Desirae Spearman finished one out shy of a complete game versus the Islanders. In each game, the Aggie bats racked up three home runs to power their way to a 6-4 overall record on the season.
GAME ONE | Northern Colorado 2, NM State 3
The Bears found their way onto the scoreboard quickly as a four-pitch walk was capitalized on with a follow-up double. A grounder to second scored another run to give the visitors a 2-0 lead just four batters into the game.
The deficit didn’t last long for the home side thanks to a pair of two-way pitchers. Faith Aragon, who gave up the two first-inning runs as the starting pitcher, immediately got one back with her first career home run on a 3-2 count in the first at-bat of the game. Desirae Spearman followed suit and matched her fellow sophomore pitcher with a left-field blast of her own. The second-year Aggie crushed her team-high fifth home run to knot the contest at two runs apiece.
After two innings that only produced a runner in scoring position for three pitches, Kristiana Watson woke up the Crimson & White faithful. The redshirt junior capitalized on an 0-2 pitch, breaking a tie with the Bears via a solo shot.
The final seven half innings all produced zeros on the scoreboard. While NM State wound up with runners in scoring position in its last three tries, no runs came around to score. Meanwhile, Aragon continued her solid performance in the circle.
The fourth, fifth and sixth innings were all three up and three down, while the sophomore tallied a trio of strikeouts. A leadoff single failed to spark a Bear rally as three straight outs sealed Aragon’s 7.0 inning, complete-game victory.
GAME TWO | Texas A&M – Corpus Christi 3, NM State 13 (5 inn.)
Similarly to the opener, NM State coughed up a run before even grabbing the bats as Texas A&M – Corpus Christi scored on a well-placed sacrifice bunt. In sticking with the theme of game one, multiple runs came across in the home half of the first.
A single, walk and hit batter loaded the bases for Kristiana Watson, who lifted a single to right-center field to plate two of her teammates. Three pitches later, first-time designated player Johnna Aragon fouled a pitch off her foot and shook off the impact outside the batter’s box. When she returned, Aragon pushed a 1-2 pitch deep into the night sky and over the left field wall. The blast was the first of Aragon’s career, matching her cousin Faith’s achievement from the game prior.
One of Desirae Spearman’s three walks in the game set up Devin Elam for a two-run home run of her own, marking her first of the season. Just three outs into the contest, the Aggies held a 7-1 advantage.
A pair of errors each cost the home team a run in the top half of the third inning, drawing the contest within four runs. Four more Aggies crossed in the bottom of the third, kickstarted by Kristiana Watson’s right-field single. A couple batters later, Riley Carley’stwo-RBI single expanded the lead to 11-3, bringing a run-rule outcome into play.
With Kenzie Nicholson’s four-pitch walk beginning the fourth inning, the Islanders felt less inclined to pitch around Desirae Spearman. The sophomore locked in on the first pitch of the at-bat, throttling a ball deep to left field, bringing the contest to its final score of 13-1.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- Less than three hours apart, cousins Faith and Johnna Aragon each recorded their first career home runs.
- NM State has now recorded a home run in nine of 10 games this season, only failing to do so against Nebraska.
- Therefore, the Aggies have launched a deep ball in every game they scored in, as the Nebraska contest was the lone shutout for the group this season.
- The win over the Islanders was the Aggies’ fifth outing with multiple home runs; all of which have come in the past seven games.
- Saturday’s total of six total home runs matched a single-day high set last week, which also came on Saturday. NM State had one against Kansas City before launching five versus UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 8.
- Now, 12 of the Aggies’ 19 home runs have come on Saturdays, with Sunday ranking second on the list with four.
- Kristiana Watson led the way with four total hits on the day, including three against TAMU – Corpus Christi.
- Faith Aragon and Kayla Lunar were the only other Aggies with a multi-hit game, both posting two against UNC.
- Nine different Aggies recorded a hit on Saturday as the unit put up 20 total.
- Faith Aragon now leads the team in innings pitched (24.1) and ERA (4.60; minimum 1.0 inning pitched per game)
- NM State now holds an all-time record of 19-20 against Northern Colorado. While the Bears hold a 12-11 edge, the Aggies have prevailed in seven of the last 10 contests in the City of Crosses.
- The Crimson & White evened their all-time series against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi at seven wins apiece, while taking a 3-2 advantage at home.
FROM THE FIELD
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the Aggies’ improvements from Friday: “I feel like we got our focus to be smaller, pitch-by-pitch. It really starts with the mentality in the circle. We had been giving up a lot of runs, so we had been chasing runs. I went to the pitchers and I said you need to take it one play at a time. I think they embraced that well today.”
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on where the team stands 10 games into the season: “When we started, I knew it would be a challenge to get our bar set where it needed to be. I feel like we’re continuing to do that more every day. We’re staying more level and strategically staying within the challenges of the game. We understand that each week it will get more and more challenging. The game demands what it demands and I’m proud to see that we’re starting to adjust.”
Sophomore pitcher Faith Aragon, on her Saturday outing: “I think coming back from a rough day yesterday, the whole team really fixed our energy. Everything was really positive from the start of the day to the last play, so I think it just helps out when you have a whole team behind you. As for me, I think my mindset is my biggest thing. I try to keep my expectations for myself high, so I think it’s all about keeping my goals the same and knowing that I’ll grow to get there.”
Sophomore infielder Johnna Aragon, on her first career home run: “The team really came through today. What went right for me in particular was just finding a my pitch and attacking that pitch without going outside of my zone. Hitting was my job today and I was glad to do it for the team.”
UP NEXT
The 35th annual Troy Cox Classic heads into its second half tomorrow, with two more games commencing at 9:00 a.m. MT. A neutral matchup between Montana and Nebraska will kick off the Sunday slate before the Aggies hit the field against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi with a scheduled start of 11:30 a.m. Both contests will be available to follow via nmstatesports.com, while the finale will also be broadcast on 91.5 FM KRUX.
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).
