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NM State drops third straight road contest at WKU.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo By Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – NM State Softball fell short of the win column once more on Saturday, dropping a 3-1 contest at Western Kentucky. Kendal Lunar racked up the visitors’ lone run on a third-inning solo shot, but the offense stalled after the home run. The Aggies were stifled for the eighth time in their past nine contests, now standing at 9-12 after an 8-4 start to CUSA play.
With eight total games and two league series left, the Crimson & White have work to do in order to secure a spot in the six-team CUSA Championship. After Saturday’s action, NM State stands a game and a half behind the sixth-place Hilltoppers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a quiet top of the first inning, WKU scored in the home half for the third straight game of the weekend. Luckily for starting pitcher Faith Aragon and crew, the damage was held to just one run on an RBI single up the middle.
While the offense went down quietly once more in the second inning, Head Coach Kathy Rodolph opted for a different approach in the circle. The Aggies alternated between Faith Aragon and Desirae Spearman all game as the sophomores traded positions each inning, trotting in from center field to pitch or vice versa.
After Spearman held serve in the second, Kendal Lunar stepped up to the plate first in the top of the third. The junior catcher belted the second pitch of her at-bat deep off the right-field scoreboard for a game-tying opposite-field home run. The blast marked the first tie of the weekend after any single inning as both squads had one on the board through three frames.
Neither team scored again until the bottom of inning six. WKU took the lead for good on a solo home run to left field before a bunt later scored the Hilltoppers’ third run of the afternoon. Kristiana Watson reached on a two-out single in the top of the seventh, setting up an at-bat with the tying run at the plate. Unfortunately for NM State, its woes with runners aboard continued, sending Amy Tudor’s squad home with a 3-1 victory.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- NM State remained in sole possession of eighth place in the CUSA standings at 9-12, sitting 1.5 games behind sixth-place WKU.
- The Crimson & White fell to 9-21 all-time in matchups with the Hilltoppers, holding a 6-11 record in Bowling Green.
- Kathy Rodolph‘s squad is now 6-15 when its opponents score in the first inning.
- The Aggies are 1-14 when trailing after the opening frame this season.
- By allowing just three runs in the loss, the Crimson & White suffered their second defeat of 2025 when their opponents failed to score five or more.
- The only other loss of the Aggies’ season when allowing less than five came in a 3-2 loss at FIU on March 23.
- The Crimson & White are now 4-12 when scoring less than four runs, including doing so in each of the past six contests (1-5).
- Saturday’s loss was the 11th game for NM State with five or fewer hits at the plate and the fourth in its past five.
- NM State fell to 8-7 on Saturdays this season, including a 4-3 mark in CUSA play.
- The visitors dropped to 3-4 in CUSA series finales this campaign.
- Kendal Lunar’s fifth home run of the season also marked the 15th of the catcher’s career and her first since this year’s opening weekend.
UP NEXT
On Tuesday, NM State will play its final midweek bouts of the season. Kathy Rodolph‘s bunch is slated for a doubleheader at No. 13 Arizona. The Wildcats (37-8) will host the two-game clash with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 p.m. MDT (3:00 p.m. local). All the action will be 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).
