The Basics 
Game Three – WAC Baseball Tournament 
Score: No. 4 NM State 7, No. 2 Sacramento State 3
Records: NM State (23-32, 10-20 WAC); Sacramento State (32-25; 17-13 WAC) 
Location: Mesa, Ariz. (Hohokam Park) 
 
MESA, Ariz. –  The miraculous run through the WAC Baseball Tournament continues for NM State baseball on Saturday in the Championship Game. Through three games, the Aggies have not trailed in the tournament and will face either Grand Canyon or Abilene Christian for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  
 
Cade Swenson earned the start for NM State on Friday afternoon and spun his best game of the season. Throwing 4.0 innings, Swenson allowed just one run and left with the lead.  
 
Offensively, the Aggies picked up right where they left off from Thursday's game. The Aggies jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to an RBI single from Edwin Martinez-Pagani and a two-run double from Tommy Tabak.  
 
NM State got another run in the second inning after Cal Kilgore led off the inning. Gunner Antillon brought the freshman catcher home with a sacrifice fly to center and pushed the Aggies' lead to four.  
 
In the third inning, Sacramento State added to cut the NM State lead to two. Preston Godfrey and Martinez-Pagani once again drove in runs for the Aggies to push the score to 6-1. 
 
After the Hornets added a run in the fifth, Tabak plated another run with a sacrifice fly. The lead would remain at 7-2 until the seventh inning when Sacramento State added a run.  
 
Hayden Johns, Brendon Rodriguez, and Alex Bustamante closed out the ballgame with three scoreless frames. The trio combined allowed just one one hit and dominated the Hornet hitters. 
 
Tomorrow's championship game will air on ESPN+, beginning at 7 p.m. MT on Saturday. Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian are amid a battle for the second spot in the WAC Championship Game. Despite the first section of the WAC Tournament being double elimination, the championship is a winner-take-all game. 
 
Quick Hits  

• Cal Villareal had one of the best games of his collegiate career, tallying three doubles in the win.  
• Villareal put together a four-hit game which led the Aggies offensively. 
• The Aggies have never trailed in the WAC Baseball Tournament.  
• Cade Swenson, Lyle Hibbitts, Hayden Johns, Brendon Rodriguez, and Alex Bustamante all threw in the win for NM State. 
• If Abilene Christian wins the Friday night contest against Grand Canyon, it will force an "if necessary" game on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. 

For complete coverage of NM State baseball throughout the 2022 WAC Baseball Tournament, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Baseball), Twitter (@NMStateBaseball), and Instagram (@NMStateBaseball).