Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The New Mexico State softball team split a pair of Western Athletic Conference games at California Baptist in Riverside, Calif., on Friday night. The Aggies took game one 10-2 before dropping game two 2-0.
 
Game 1
Both sides went down in order in the first before the Aggies got the scoring started in the second inning. After Kayla Bowen roped a double to left field, Gabby Aragon grounded to second. However a throwing error from the second baseman allowed Bowen to score from second.
 
After another scoreless frame from Matalasi Faapito, NM State struck again in the third. Hailey Tanori reached base with one out following another Lancer throwing error before Faapito went deep to center to put the Aggies ahead 3-0.
 
Faapito held the Lancers scoreless in the home half of third while the Aggie offense continued to provide support to start the fourth. After a Bowen lead-off walk and a sac bunt from Aragon, freshman Kendra Levesque hit a tank to right with two outs to put NM State ahead 5-0. Then, Hope Banales immediately followed that up with a homer of her own to make it 6-0 Aggies.
 
Another dominant half inning in the circle from Faapito set the red-hot Aggie offense up with a six-run lead. With two outs in the fifth, Nikki Butler hit a solo shot to dead center before walks from Bowen and Aragon. Then, with Maya Martinez up, Aragon and Bowen both advanced on a pass ball before a Martinez single scored Bowen to put NM State ahead 8-0. However, the Lancers scratched a run across in the bottom half and another in the sixth to avoid the run rule.
 
The Aggies then buried the Lancers in the seventh to clinch the win. Ramsay Lopez reached base on an error before Kayla Bowen went yard to extend the Aggie lead to 10-2. Faapito then finished out the complete game for the 10-2 Aggie win.
 
Faapito dazzled in the circle, tossing the complete game for her 12th win of the season giving up
two runs on six hits and four strikeouts. Bowen was on fire at the plate, going 2-2 with two RBI, two walks, a double and a home run.
 
The won was NM State's 11th-straight WAC victory, the longest conference winning streak in program history.
 
Game 2
The second game was a pitchers duel with neither offense able to get on track. After the Aggies were held scoreless in the first frame, CBU scratched across a run on an error to take a 1-0 lead.
 
With the Lancers still leading 1-0 after two, Hailey Tanori reached on a two-out error in the third before stealing second base. However, NM State was unable to plate the run. The Aggies had another golden opportunity to score in the fourth after a one-out double from Butler but an Aggie pinch runner was caught stealing third base to end the threat.
 
Both sides were scoreless from there until CBU scratched across an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth for the 2-0 final. Felicia De La Torre got the start in the circle and tossed 4.0 innings allowing one hit and one run with four strikeout
 
NM State now looks to clinch the series against California Baptist and at least a share of the WAC Regular Season Championship tomorrow, May 8, at 1 p.m. (MT). Fans can stream all of tomorrow's action live on the WAC Digital Network.
 

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