The loss was the third straight for Western as it fell to 10-19 on the season and 2-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. New Mexico State improved to 17-14 and 3-2 in the league.
New Mexico State picked up right where it left of in Friday night’s game, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring eight runs in the first inning. After a leadoff walk, Jason Long doubled to put Aggies at second and third. Hilltopper starter Grady Hinchman was able to strike out Xardiel Cotto for the first out of the inning, but then walked Luke Hopkins to load the bases. Adam Harvey came through with an single to plate two runs, and Derek Maytubby followed with a three-run home run to give NMSU a 5-0 lead. After the next two batters reached, Brandon Lance plated two with an RBI double, and Long delivered an RBI single — his second hit of the inning — to give the Aggies an 8-0 lead after the first.
Hopkins made it a 9-0 game as he led off the second inning with a solo homer, and a double by Harvey ended the day for Hinchman. Reliever Kyle Smith was able to retire the next two hitter, but on a groundout by Cole Monreal, Harvey came in to score to make it 10-0. The Aggies were able to plate three more runs in the third to pull out to a 13-0 lead.
Western finally got on the board in the fourth, as nine Hilltoppers came to the plate. Marcus Ross led off the inning with a single, then went to third on a Casey Hamilton double. Antone Towns followed with a groundout to second that plated Ross with the first Hilltopper run of the evening. One out later, Eric Scriven singled home Hamilton to make it 13-2. Corteze Armstrong added a singe, and a Matt Ransdell double off the base of the wall in right plated two more WKU runs. Tim Grogan added an RBI double of his own as Ransdell came around to score to cut the New Mexico State lead to 13-5.
The Aggies answered with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 15-5, but a Ross home run to lead off the fifth cut the NMSU lead back to single digits. However, the Aggies were able to get that run back in their half of the fifth as Patrick Fields singled home a run. Vince Rodden also added an RBI single in the frame as NMSU increased the lead to 17-6.
Western came back again in the sixth, sending 10 men to the plate. After loading the bases with no outs, Ross singled home two mor runs, but Aggie reliever Tyler Sturdevant was able to get Hamilton to ground into a double play and leave a runner at third. The Hilltoppers rallied with two outs, however, as Towns and Scriven each delivered run-scoring singles to cut the Aggie lead to 17-10.
Again, New Mexico State responded, but this time got just one run in the sixth as Hopkins led off the inning with a double, and came around to score on a two-out single of the bat of Monreal to push the lead to 18-10. Western was able to score in its fourth straight inning as Grogan crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the seventh, but NMSU answered with a Hopkins sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to keep it an eight-run advantage. After holding the Hilltoppers scoreless in the top of the eighth, Fields plated the 20th run of the night for the Aggies with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to make it a 20-11 game.
Ross and Ransdell each recorded three hits to lead the Hilltopper offense, with Ransdell extending his hitting streak to 15 games. Maytubby led the Aggies with four hits, while driving in five runs.
Western will look to avoid the weekend sweep as the teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday (April 10) at 2 p.m. (CST).
