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Aggies fall twice on Wednesday, ending campaign at 27-27.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo and Story by Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The 2025 campaign came to a screeching halt for NM State Softball on Wednesday. The Aggies suffered a pair of defeats on day one of the CUSA Championship, exiting the tournament and ending their season. After building a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning against LA Tech, a pair of Bulldog home runs gave them a walk-off 5-4 win. Half an hour later, a trio of Sam Houston deep balls proved to be too much to overcome as an Aggie rally fell short at 5-3.
GAME ONE | NO. 5 NM STATE 4, NO. 4 LA TECH 5
After a First Team All-CUSA selection the day prior, Desirae Spearman earned the starting nod in the circle from Head Coach Kathy Rodolph. The second-year Aggie got out to a hot start, holding the fourth-seeded Bulldogs scoreless through the first half of the contest.
In the early going, the best chance for the Aggies offensively came in the top of the third inning. Drawn walks by Faith Aragon and Lauren Garcia, along with a single from Desirae Spearman, loaded the bases. The lower seed was unable to push a run across, however, heading to the bottom half on a popout.
Through three innings, Desirae Spearman held the Bulldogs to just one hit, ending the frame with her third punchout of the afternoon.
In the top of the fourth, Devin Elam tallied the second hit of the day for the Aggies, singling to right field. Followed by a Tamara Carranza single, Kendal Lunar doubled to left-center field, scoring Elam to give NM State the first run of the contest and a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs had a chance to respond in the bottom of the frame, but a 1-6-3 double play got Spearman out of the jam still holding on to a one-run edge. After LA Tech loaded the bases on a pair of hits, a wild pitch from Spearman allowed the Bulldogs to score their first run of the contest, tying the game at 1-1.
In the top of the seventh, Tamara Carranza led off with a single through the left side, advancing into scoring position with her second collegiate stolen base. A sacrifice bunt from Faith Aragon moved Carranza 60 feet from home before Spearman’s second walk of the afternoon placed runners at the corners. Riley Carley stepped up to the plate with two outs, belting a two-run moon shot to left field, giving the Crimson & White a 4-1 advantage while three outs away from advancing.
In the bottom of the seventh, LA Tech came to life. A one-out single was later followed up with a two-run shot by LA Tech with two away, making it a one-run game. After the next batter was walked, Spearman got the Aggies within one strike of a victory. On a 1-2 count, a Bulldog home run went over the center field wall and stunned the Crimson & White with a 5-4 defeat.
GAME TWO | NO. 6 SAM HOUSTON 5, NO. 5 NM STATE 3
Faith Aragon got the nod in game two as the Aggies found themselves on the brink of elimination. The sophomore got to work in her 19th start, striking out the final batter of the opening frame. Despite four hits across the first two innings, the Aggie offense failed to bring in a run.
In the third, Sam Houston notched a triple before plating the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly. Three pitches later, a solo home run doubled the lead and put the Bearkats in front 2-0 after three.
The struggles at the plate continued for the Crimson & White as the group tallied only two hits over the ensuing four innings, failing to advance a runner to third base between frames three and six.
Meanwhile, Sam Houston placed a runner at first base on an error before connecting on its third home run of the evening and pulling ahead 5-0. In the bottom of the frame, a freshly-entered Bella Clapp tallied a leadoff hit, but no ensuing damage was done.
After Jaileen Mancha escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh, her offense went to work with one last chance to save its season. Kendal Lunar led off with a single before Clapp was struck to reach first base. On a 2-1 count, Spearman launched her 20th home run of the season to dead center field, breathing life into the Aggie bats and cutting the margin to two.
After a 14-pitch at-bat from Riley Carley saw nine foul balls, the senior popped up, handing Devin Elam a one-out opportunity. On the first offering, she tagged a double into the gap and brought the tying run to the plate. One batter later, Faith Aragon earned a walk and gave Tamara Carranza runners at the corners with two away. After a hard-fought plate appearance, the freshman grounded out and the 2025 campaign wrapped up with a 5-3 defeat.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- The Aggies finished 2025 with a 9-20 record away from home and a mark of 18-7 in Las Cruces.
- After scoring five or more runs in five of its last six contests, NM State tallied just seven across 14 offensive innings on Wednesday.
- Joleeanna Hair tallied the fourth stolen base of her young career with a swipe in the seventh inning against LA Tech.
- Desirae Spearman was walked twice on Sunday, driving her remarkable season total to 55.
- Last season, Spearman led the team with 21 free bases on balls.
- The two-way star ended her 2025 season with 20 home runs and 47 RBIs, surpassing last season’s totals in both metrics.
- The contests were the first on Wednesday this season for NM State, dropping the Aggies to 0-2 in such bouts.
- With the loss in the opener, NM State fell to 17-2 when leading after six innings this season.
- Sixth-year Aggie Riley Carley notched her 200th appearance in game one against LA Tech, finishing her career with 201 games played.
- Riley Carley’s hitting streak reached a season-high three games in the opener. Her three-run blast secured the sixth multi-RBI showing of her campaign and her first with more than two.
- The senior had a knack for showing up in the biggest moments in her final year. In the series opener of Senior Weekend, she knocked a single up the middle for a walk-off win. Two days later, she hit a home run in her final home game. In the regular season finale, Carley belted another four-bagger. Lastly, in her 200th career outing and the last day of her Aggie career, she went deep once more, ending her career with 34 home runs.
- Kayla Lunar also wrapped up her Aggie career on Wednesday, doing so with one final appearance as a pinch runner against LA Tech. The sixth-year collegiate student-athlete made one last showing on the basepaths, entering as a pinch runner and recording her second stolen base of the season.
- Jaileen Mancha made the final pitch of her senior season in the Crimson & White. The second-year Aggie tossed 2.2 innings without allowing an earned run, picking up her 20th punchout of the season and the 75th in her time with the program.
FROM THE FIELD
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the 2025 NM State Aggies: “They were great teammates. They rebuilt the culture. I definitely enjoyed battling with this group, and I’m super proud of all of them. The seniors were awesome, and I know the best is yet to come for them. I’m super proud that they were Aggies and they’ll be forever in my heart. As we end a very challenging season, I want to remember all the great times. From the seashells in Florida to the Atlanta Aquarium and everything in between, we had a lot of fun along the way. This was an amazing group and I’m proud to battle with them.”
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).
