SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Hoping to come away with a series split at 24th-ranked Sacramento State, the NM State baseball team instead fell 4-0 in the series finale between the two teams Sunday at John Smith Field.
A three-run homer in the second for the hosts was ultimately the deciding blow as the Aggies came up with just five hits in the loss. NM State's record now sits at 11-17 and 9-7 in WAC action.
SCORING PLAYS
B2 | A leadoff double by Dawsen Bacho proved to be the start of something good for the hosts. Hunter Dorraguh drew a walk from NM State starter Josh Laukkanen before third baseman Steven Moretto pummeled the first pitch he saw from the Aggie right-hander beyond the fence in left field. That long ball handed the Hornets a 3-0 lead.
B8 | Though they wouldn't wind up needing it, the Hornets added an insurance run in the eighth. After reaching on a one-out walk, Chris Gonzales stole second with two outs and raced home on an RBI single off the bat of Trevor Doyle to push the hosts' lead to 4-0.
AT THE DISH
• NM State's five hits were spread out evenly among five different players. Kevin Jimenez (one hit, one walk) and Ethan Mann (one hit, one walk) were the only Aggies to reach base more than once.
• Connor Laux generated NM State's lone extra-base hit of the day - a one-out double in the seventh. That two-bagger put runners at second and third for the Aggies, but back-to-back strikeouts by Noah Haupt and Jason Bush ended one of their team's best scoring chances of the afternoon. In all, the Aggies stranded seven man on the base paths.
• Four Sacramento State players came up with multi-hit performance to earn a 3-1 series win over NM State. Leadoff man Jorge Bojorquez went 3-for-5 while Dorraugh, Doyle and Moretto each struck for a pair of hits.
ON THE HILL
• Laukkanen (1-6) worked just 1 1/3 innings and was charged with the loss for NM State. The right-hander surrendered three of the Hornets' four runs on five hits and a walk and did not record a strikeout.
• Frank Dickson Jr., came on after Laukkanen's exit in the second and did a fine job of making sure NM State stayed within striking distance. The southpaw fired four innings of scoreless baseball, striking out one while allowing four hits and giving up two walks.
• Brady Rodriguez (5-0) maintained his perfect pitching record for the Hornets, working his way through five frames and racking up five strikeouts in that span.
• Rodriguez gave up just three hits and a pair of Sacramento State relievers kept the Aggies off the board for the final four innings.
COMING UP NEXT
• After a stretch of 12-straight games on the road, the Aggies finally return to Presley Askew Field where they will continue WAC play. NM State hosts league foe Grand Canyon for a four-game set which begins Friday evening at 6:00 p.m.
++NM State++
