LAS CRUCES, N.M. – On a gusty Friday afternoon, NM State Softball welcomed LA Tech for the two sides' first-ever Conference USA matchup. The Aggies got out to a hot start in their final regular-season home series, but 10 consecutive unanswered Bulldog runs were too much to overcome. The Crimson & White fell to 26-20 overall and joined LA Tech at 11-8 in conference play. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Bulldogs led off the game with a double, bringing her around to score after an Aggie error on the next play. Spearman recorded three straight strikeouts to get out of the inning, holding the Bulldogs to just one run. 

In the bottom half of the frame, the first two Aggies were set down, but the home side mustered up some two-out magic. Dezianna Patmon and Devin Elam each recorded singles up the middle to center field, bringing up senior first baseman Riley Carley. The Tucson, Ariz. native blasted a 2-2 pitch to left field, producing three runs. The fifth-year Aggie belted her third long ball of the season, granting her squad a 3-1 lead after the first frame.

Each side recorded a walk in the second inning, but both failed to plate a run. The Bulldogs got back in on the scoring in the top half of the third inning, starting with a solo shot from Kylie Neel. The next batter reached on a fielding error, and was brought in to score from Brooke Diaz. The Bulldogs' fifth batter of the order recorded a single up the middle, while another error plated Neel to tie the game at 3-3.

Neither team earned a baserunner in either of the following two innings, setting up a 3-3 top of the sixth inning. LA Tech started the inning with a single, which was followed up with a third Aggie error. A walk loaded the bases, with a single plating two runs. A Kate Cooper triple brought in another pair of runs, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead. Later, a sacrifice fly brought in the final run of the frame to pull ahead by five.

With the Aggies unable to find an answer in the bottom of the sixth, LA Tech added to its lead with three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. The scoring was capped with a two-run home run to center field from Clair Raley.

After being unable to put any runs on the board for five consecutive innings, NM State finally found a way to get on the board in the bottom of the seventh as both Brianah Hamilton and Jessica Carreon came home on a pair of wild pitches. With two runners still aboard, Dezianna Patmon brought the fans to their feet once again as she smashed a home run to left-center to pull the Aggies within four runs. Unfortunately, this would be the final gasp for the home side as the final out would be recorded in the ensuing at-bat.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs and Aggies will meet again tomorrow for an early game as NM State attempts to even the series. Saturday's contest was rescheduled to 11:00 AM MT ahead of forecasted strong winds in the late afternoon and evening. The series midway match will air on ESPN+ and be available to follow via nmstatestats.com. 

For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2024 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).