By Marshall Mecham
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The New Mexico State softball team (25-23, 15-9 Conference USA) handled business in their final home series against Delaware (28-21, 15-9 CUSA), defeating them two games to one April 24-26.
GAME ONE — New Mexico State 3, Delaware 1
It was a bit of a slow start for both teams in the series opener on Friday, April 24, but the second inning is what stole the show.
After both teams went scoreless in the first inning, the Blue Hens managed to score a run in the top of second frame to take a 1-0 lead. The Aggie defense held their own from there, as they allowed no more runs for the rest of the evening.
NMSU responded immediately in the bottom of the inning, as Johnna Aragon hit a three-run home run to give the Aggies a 3-1 advantage.
From there, NMSU relied on its pitching and defense to maintain the lead the rest of the way through. The low-scoring affair saw neither team score a run the final five innings, as the Aggies secured a 3-1 victory.
Pitcher Faith Aragon came through once again with the win to improve to an impressive 19-7 win-loss record. On the other hand, Kylie Wilkerson took home the loss and fell to an even 4-4.
GAME TWO — Delaware 11, New Mexico State 2 (6 Inn.)
Delaware jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the second game of the series on Saturday, April 25, and never looked back. They used this momentum to add three more runs in the second inning, one in the third and one in the fourth to take a commanding 8-0 advantage.
It was not until the bottom of the fourth when NMSU finally scored a run, as Skye Johnson came home on an error. After allowing the Blue Hens to score another run in the top of the fifth, the Aggies added another run of their own in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Kendal Lunar sacrifice fly to bring home true freshman Destan Burks.
This was the last run NMSU scored however, as Delaware scored two more runs the next two innings to claim a dominant 11-2 victory in just six innings.
Josie Crossman captured the win to improve to 13-8 on the season. Aragon was not able to repeat the same magic as she did the night before and fell to 19-8.
GAME THREE — New Mexico State 12, Delaware 10
The series finale on Sunday, April 26, was the complete opposite of the series opener, as both teams got off to crazy hot starts.
After the Blue Hens scored five runs to start the afternoon, it was looking like a repeat of the second contest but that was not the case. The Aggies bounced back with eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by RBI hits throughout the lineup.
Both teams were going at it from there, as the Aggies found themselves down 10-9 entering the bottom of the sixth inning. This is where they regained control, scoring three-runs highlighted by RBI singles from Burks and Lauren Garcia.
Pitching for a third straight day, Aragon entered in the first inning and worked seven innings of relief to help NMSU secure the 12-10 victory on Senior Day. She is now 20-8, while Wilkerson now has a losing record of 4-5.
The Aggies will be back in action for their final series of the season at 5 p.m. MT Friday, May 1, against Missouri State (20-27, 8-16 CUSA) at Killian Stadium in Springfield, Missouri.
The Aggies have already clinched a spot in the CUSA Tournament, but their seed will be determined following this series. NMSU can finish anywhere from third to seventh place in the standings. They currently sit at fourth.
The top eight teams make the tournament, which will be held at Delaware Softball Diamond in Newark, Delaware. The tournament starts Wednesday, May 6, and ends Saturday, May 9.
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