Skip To Main Content

New Mexico State University Athletics

The Official Website of New Mexico State University Athletics
Now Loading: Baseball
Aggies, Oh Aggies!
BASEMaltrudEYEZ
Andrés Leighton
1
New Mexico State NMSU 10-13
2
Winner Oregon ORE 15-6
New Mexico State NMSU
10-13
1
Final
2
Oregon ORE
15-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New Mexico State NMSU 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
Oregon ORE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 X 2 6 1

W: Kafka, Cullen (3-1) L: Hibbitts, Lyle (0-2) S: Somers, Kolby (4)

Game Recap: Baseball | | NM State Athletics Media Relations

#19 Oregon's Late-Inning Score the Difference in NM State's 2-1 Loss

Maltrud works seven innings, Aggies muster three hits

EUGENE, Ore. - Throwing balls and strikes to one of the nation's best teams, sophomore right-hander Rorik Maltrud gave the NM State baseball team a chance at victory by working his way through seven strong innings, but the 19th-ranked Ducks scratched the game-winning run across in the bottom of the eighth to take a 2-1 decision in game one of a non-conference doubleheader Saturday at PK Park.

SCORING PLAYS
T2 | NM State's lone run of the game came with the help of Oregon's only miscue in the tilt. Austin Duffy punched a two-out single up the middle for the Aggies' first hit of the game, bringing up Jason Bush. NM State's catcher lofted a deep fly ball to center field which bounced out of the glove of Oregon outfielder Colby Shade. That allowed Duffy to race all the way around and score, putting the visitors up 1-0.
B6 | It took until the sixth before the Ducks were able to solve Maltrud. Oregon began its rally with a one-out triple off the bat of leadoff hitter Tanner Smith before a pinch-hit appearance by Anthony Hall paid off immediately for the hosts. Hall drilled a 1-0 pitch from Maltrud to left field for an RBI single which plated Smith and knotted matters at 1-1.
B8 | Oregon needed just a single hit in the eighth to manufacture its game-winning run. Maltrud was lifted in favor of Lyle Hibbitts who surrendered a leadoff single to Tristan Hanoian. A sacrifice bunt pushed the Ducks' go-ahead run to second base and a pair of wild pitches by Hibbitts allowed Hanoian to come home and give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

AT THE DISH
• NM State mustered only three hits against Oregon starter Cullen Kafka. The last was off the bat of pinch-hitter Jake Baer in the top of the ninth to put two men on for the visitors. Duffy, however, was a four-pitch strikeout victim to end the game.
• Ethan Mann's leadoff double in the seventh proved to be the Aggies' only hit that went for extra bases. Kafka, however, quickly killed the Aggies' scoring chance by proceeding to strike out the side.
• Oregon's six hits were distributed evenly across six different batters. Aaron Zavala was the only Duck who reached base more than one in the low-scoring affair, drawing the only walk issued by Aggie pitchers while striking for the Ducks' only double.

ON THE HILL
• Maltrud did all he could to hold the Ducks' lineup in check through a fine outing. The sophomore fired seven frames of seven-strikeout baseball, letting up just a single run on five hits
and a walk.
• Hibbitts (0-2) took the loss as he yielded Oregon's go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.
• Kafka (3-1) lasted 8 1/3 innings in order to secure his third triumph of 2021. The Ducks' ace racked up 12 strikeouts while giving up two of the Aggies' three hits.
• Kolby Somers took over for Kafka for the final 2/3 of an inning, earning his fourth save in the process.

COMING UP NEXT
• NM State and 19th-ranked Oregon will wrap up their four-game non-conference series Saturday afternoon at approximately 4:00 p.m. MT. Right-hander Josh Laukkanen is scheduled to get the start on the bump for the Aggies as they try for their first win over a Pac-12 foe since the 2019 season.

++NM State++

Print Friendly Version