-and-
NM State downs Jax State 5-4 on Sunday to improve to 4-2 in CUSA play.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Matthew Knope
Photo By Emilio Garcia for NMSU: Courtesy
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jax State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| NM State | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 6 | 0 |
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Softball eked out another hard-fought win on Sunday, taking down Jacksonville State for the second straight day. The home team utilized six hits and three Gamecock errors to plate five runs; all of which came via three home runs. A trio of pitchers held the visitors to just four runs in what was Jax State’s lowest output in any CUSA game yet. With the victory, the Crimson & White (17-12, 4-2) secured their second straight series win to open league play. The loss dropped the Gamecocks to 20-8 and 4-2 in CUSA play as they fell in consecutive outings for just the second time this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jaileen Mancha took to the circle for the first time this weekend, sitting down the first three Gamecock batters on just six pitches. In the bottom half of the inning, left fielder Desirae Spearman took to the leadoff spot for just the second time this season, crushing her CUSA-best 12th home run to dead center field to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
Mancha returned for a seven-pitch inning in the second, tallying her second strikeout on the day. In the third, Jax State broke up the perfect game with a hit to left center, though Mancha would escape the inning unscathed.
The home half of the inning would be the Aggies’ best offensive frame of the series as they plated four runs on two hits and as many errors. Kenzie Nicholson led off by reaching base as her former team committed a fielding error. Desirae Spearman followed up with one of her three walks on the day, before Faith Aragon traded places with her at first base on a fielder’s choice. Devin Elamthen sent a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left field, plating herself and both runners for the junior’s seventh RBI of the weekend on her second home run of 2025.
The blast put the home team in front 4-0 with Kristiana Watson awaiting on deck. The first-year Aggie fouled off a pitch before nearly sending the next one into orbit. Watson demolished the 0-1 pitch over the left fielder, the 200-foot deep outfield wall, a 50-foot gap and the batter’s eye in center field of Presley Askew Field. The approximately 300-foot missile made an appearance at the ongoing NM State Baseball contest, signaling to both ballparks that the Aggie offense had found its groove. Watson’s solo blast put her side in front by a score of 5-0 through three innings.
A single and double kicked off the action for the visitors in frame four as they plotted a comeback attempt. Jax State’s third batter of the inning notched her own home run down the left field line, updating the scoreboard to read 5-3. Zantelle Rodriguez then entered the circle for Kathy Rodolph, making her eighth-ever appearance and the first since Feb. 22. After a walk, Rodriguez retired three straight batters, capping off the inning with her seventh career strikeout.
After a quiet home half, the freshman returned to action in the fifth, allowing a single before trotting back to the dugout courtesy of another Gamecock watching strike three. A leadoff home run ended the day for the Las Cruces native, who ended the afternoon with 2.0 innings pitched, a pair of strikeouts and her first collegiate win.
Desirae Spearman entered the circle for the first time since Friday night, where she would ultimately finish the contest. The sophomore standout struck out the first batter she faced, escaping the inning while still clinging to a 5-4 lead.
A pinch-hitting Skye Johnson tallied a leadoff hit in the sixth, before Spearman showed discipline in her third walk of the day. With two runners on, the Aggies failed to add to their cushion, sending their second-year pitcher back in three outs away from a win.
A leadoff hit and a walk placed the go-ahead run on the bases with one out. The 2024 CUSA Player of the Year then struck out the visitors’ second and third batters in the lineup as both went down swinging. The pair of punchouts shut the door on a comeback and clinched a second series win for the Crimson & White in as many CUSA tries as they improved to 4-2.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- After tallying driving in four teammates on Saturday, Devin Elam belted a three-run shot over the left-field fence for a two-day total of four hits and seven RBIs.
- NM State vaulted to 11-5 in home contests during the 2025 campaign, winning seven of its past eight games at the NM State Softball Complex.
- Faith Aragon’s career-best nine-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday.
- The sophomore also snapped a 12-game on-base streak that had set a new career high, but reached twice via fielder’s choices, scoring her 25th run of the year.
- In the third inning, Kristiana Watson crushed a ball substantially over the left-field wall for her eighth home run of the season. Five of Watson’s eight four-baggers have come in her last eight outings (since March 2).
- Watson’s high, towering shot made its way to Presley Askew Field, interrupting the ongoing NM State Baseball game against Portland, which the Aggies also won via a ninth-inning walk-off hit.
- On Saturday, the Aggies won a game in which they did not hit a home run for just the third time this season. Sunday’s win saw three four-baggers from the home team, increasing their CUSA-best total to 36 on the season.
- Kristiana Watson notched three more hits on Sunday, matching a season and career high she has set six times.
- The redshirt junior racked up nine base knocks on the week, including eight across the Jax State series to take the team lead with 39.
- NM State pulled ahead 4-3 in the all-time series against Jax State, now holding a 3-1 advantage in Las Cruces.
- For the eighth time this season, NM State closed out a contest without an error. The win was the Aggies’ first zero-error showing of CUSA play.
- Last season, Desirae Spearman led the Aggies with 21 walks drawn across a 55-game season. The sophomore has already earned 27 walks this season, including seven across Saturday and Sunday’s wins.
- At the start of the weekend, only four players in Division I had drawn 27 or more walks.
FROM THE FIELD
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the win: “I asked us to seriously clean up defense and expect the ball. Usually, the only time we get in trouble is when we don’t expect it, but I feel like we did hard better today. I asked Jaileen [Mancha] to step up and give us more, and she definitely did that today. I had been watching Zantelle [Rodriguez] over the past couple weeks and noticing how hard she was working. I really felt like she was starting to regain her confidence and composure. We definitely needed her today and I think she did a great job. To have Desirae [Spearman] come back in towards the end of the game, with traffic, and to stay focused on one pitch at a time with Kendal [Lunar] was big. I couldn’t be more proud of the pitchers and the battery as a group.”
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the team performing in games with multiple substitutions: “In pregame, I talked to them about how we were going to rotate. There were a few changes, obviously Desirae led off today. I asked Johnna [Aragon] to anchor the DP spot, and I called on Skye [Johnson] for a pinch hit and they all delivered. What I really like the most is that we’re being extremely unselfish. When our name is called, we’re stepping up and we’re ready.”
Junior second baseman Kenzie Nicholson, on the series win versus her former team: “This weekend was more about emotional control for me. It showed me that even with an old team coming in, I could stay mellow and stay in the right headspace that Coach [Rodolph] talked to me about. This team here is like a sisterhood. That’s what it feels like every single day. I can look to my left or right knowing that I have people beside me and we all have each other’s backs. I love how we go to bat for each other every day, because it makes me want to go all out and put my body on the line for my sisters.”
Freshman pitcher Zantelle Rodriguez, on her first collegiate victory: “I was very excited for the opportunity because I had been working hard towards getting myself ready to go back into the circle. I think when I did go in, everyone was there to back me up and they were really excited for me. I really felt the love and confidence from everyone around me. Pitching at this level can get overwhelming at times, especially in some situations that you can find yourself in. I think your teammates make everything a lot easier, though. With us, we all know the job we have to do and we focus on doing it together.”
UP NEXT
With their first home series of the CUSA schedule in the books, the Aggies will hit the road once more next weekend. NM State will make its longest trek of the season, heading 1,984 miles east to Miami for a bout with FIU. The Panthers swept Kennesaw State this weekend, improving to 5-1 in league play. The three-game series will begin on Friday, March 21, at 4:00 p.m. MT. All the action will be 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).
