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Spearman tosses complete game, Watson hits home run in 5-0 win at LA Tech.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo By Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
RUSTON, La. – NM State Softball opened its 2025 Conference USA slate on Friday, taking down Louisiana Tech on the road. The Aggies tallied eight hits, including a home run en route to a 5-0 victory. Desirae Spearman went the distance in a seven-inning shutout, striking out seven batters and allowing just four hits. The win bumped the Aggies to 13-10 on the season and 1-0 in CUSA play. With the loss, the Bulldogs stand at 11-10 and 0-1 in league action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Desirae Spearman and Allie Floyd earned the starting nods in the circle, setting the stage for a battle between two All-CUSA selections from 2024. The duo each held their opponents without a hit in the first frame, before NM State struck first in the second.
Lauren Garcia led things off with a left-center single with Kendal Lunar immediately following up being hit by a pitch. Kayla Lunaradvanced the duo into scoring position with a ground ball, eventually setting up Kenzie Nicholson with two outs. The junior transfer reached safely on a throwing error that led both Garcia and Lunar home, giving the visitors a two-run lead.
While LA Tech picked up its first hit in the home half, Spearman struck two Bulldogs to send her offense back out. Kristiana Watson got involved, driving the first pitch of her second at-bat well over the wall in left-center field, putting her side up 3-0.
After a scoreless frame for the home side, Payton Nicholson kicked off the fourth with an infield single and a stolen base, before landing at third base on a passed ball. The sophomore came around to score on Skye Johnson’s second career single, pushing the Aggies further ahead 4-0.
The first pitch of the fifth frame was to Faith Aragon, who sent a ball to the very top of the fence for a double that was mere millimeters away from home run territory. Desirae Spearman turned on a 2-1 ball for a hit that placed her and Aragon at the corners. The first pitch of Lauren Garcia’s at-bat went loudly to left field, plating Aragon, but Spearman was thrown out at home to end the frame. Still, the Crimson & White had built a five-run advantage through as many innings.
After LA Tech led off with a walk, Spearman’s sixth strikeout of the night highlighted three straight retired batters. The Aggie bats went quiet in the sixth, bringing the Bulldogs back out with a chance to claw into their deficit. A one-out double to right field showed promise for the home team, but a ground out and a pop up retired the side just three pitches later.
Spearman sent a double of her own to left field in the seventh, but NM State was unable to add to its cushion. The home side garnered a walk to lead off its final chance, but Spearman sat down the final three batters of the inning, capped off by her seventh strikeout on a swing and a miss. NM State prevailed over LA Tech by a score of 5-0 in seven innings.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- NM State now leads the all-time series against LA Tech 20-15.
- After taking the first-ever CUSA meeting between the two in Ruston, La., NM State improves to 5-9 on the road in the series.
- The win was the Aggies’ first in a true road game, improving to 1-2.
- After posting a total of one home run across the prior seven games, NM State has belted three deep balls across its past two, including one on Friday.
- At least one Aggie has recorded a multi-hit game in 20 of 23 games this season.
- Through the first 21 contests this season, NM State had won just once when scoring five or fewer runs. The Crimson & White have now won two straight games, scoring five runs in each.
- Kristiana Watson’s third-inning home run was her fifth of the season, blasting a four-bagger in the second straight game.
- Since dropping five straight games from Feb. 21-28, Kathy Rodolph‘s bunch has claimed victory in four of their last five outings.
- 12 different Aggies saw action on on Friday, with six recording a hit.
- Payton Nicholson’s base knock in the third inning was the fourth of her Aggie career. The sophomore transfer came around to score later in the inning on a single from a pinch-hitting Skye Johnson.
- The RBI drive to left field was the second of Johnson’s career, coming just one game after her first-ever hit against Alabama A&M.
FROM THE FIELD
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the win: “I feel like Desirae [Spearman] really kept her composure against an outstanding offensive team in Louisiana Tech. I think our defense has been working really hard to be able to cover more ground. They’re athletic, they’re fast and they’re quick, so I tip my cap to our defense tonight. I liked what I saw from our offense, because we truly were able to put pressure on a really talented pitcher, then pass the bat all night. I liked our start. I could see the serious nature of all the battles before today come into play on the field tonight. I expect another great fight tomorrow and I believe that we’ll come out hard and be ready to go.”
Sophomore pitcher Desirae Spearman, on her complete-game shutout: “I think the energy from the team helped me stay consistent throughout the day. It started as soon as we got off the bus and we were all so motivated to start conference play off right. I think we saw that LA Tech is relying a lot on their first pitcher, the rest of their team was affected by it, so hopefully we can do more of it tomorrow and Sunday.”
UP NEXT
The series between the Aggies and Bulldogs rolls on tomorrow, March 8. The two sides will square off at 10:00 a.m. MT (11:00 a.m. CT) after moving up the start time to avoid anticipated inclement weather in the evening. The Aggies will look to clinch a road series win with 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).
