Over the weekend, The New Mexico State Aggies baseball squad won three of four against the Prairie View A&M Panthers taking their record to 8-2 and solidifying their dominance as a force to be reckoned with in the Division. 

Kicking it off Friday evening Prairie View got the best of the Aggies in a close 7-6 battle. By the end of the third inning, the Panthers were already up 4-0. NM State started to get comfortable in the fourth inning when Logan Gallina hit a double to right-center which brought in Nolan Funke all the way from first. Then with a sacrifice pop fly, Ryan Grabosch scored Gallina, and made the score 4-2. 

Prairie View then responded and continued to add runs to the scoreboard. As a result, the Aggies headed into the bottom of the ninth down 7-2. Under the pressure, Edwin Martinez-Pagani ripped a deep homerun over the right field fence. 

When Gunner Antillon stepped up to the plate, Cal Villareal on second and Brandon Dieter on first, he nailed a double down the right field to bring both runners in. This made Antillon the first  Aggie this season to record a four-hit game. 

NM State trailed the entire game but were able to rally in the bottom of the ninth, too late of an effort. Despite the loss, Cam Blazek got his first start on the mound, while Lyle Hibbits and Kaden Palmer earned their first relief position on the mound.

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NM State responded at Saturday’s double-header in a big way winning both ends 8-0 and 13-2. With strong pitching from first time starters Pablo Cortes and Cade Swenson, this Crimson squad was able to focus and perform offensively after Friday’s hiccup. 

The ever reliable Kevin Jimenez started the scoring off in the first with a two run blast to put the Aggies up 2-0. Nolan Funke kept the momentum and added an RBI double in the second by bringing in Ryan Grabosch to put the score at 3-0. Keeping elite fashion, Logan Gallina nailed a three-run shot to right field. To further the cushion, Jimenez brought in Antillon, who got on base with a triple, with a double to left-center. With Cortes still strong on the mound, the contest finished 8-0 in just an hour and a half. 

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Despite only having a short break, the Aggies got off to a quick start in their second game, 

having Preston Godfrey begin the scoring with a clutch RBI single to right field, which brought in Brandon Dieter. Gallina continued with a two-run single to put the score at 3-0. 

Prairie View was finally able to respond with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. Despite a change from the bullpen, NM State overpowered offensively, sustaining the winning niche. Funke got a base with a two-run single and with smart base running was later able to score. The Aggies smoothly responded with three runs and brought their lead to 7-2.

After finishing his first start of the season, Cade Swenson only allowed two runs before the Aggies brought in Brendon Rodriguez in the sixth inning. 

Steadying the scoring in the sixth, Godfrey hit a fly ball to left field which brought in Antillon who got on base with a triple. Gallina then hit his second home run of the day, a two run blast, to put the Aggies up 10-2. 

Without letting up, NM State added three more runs in the eighth. Hunter Antillon and Kyle Westfall were able to get on base and followed by Dieter. Runs scored after an error from the first baseman. The third run came from Gunner Antillon after hitting a double that scored Jimenez, finishing the game a whooping 13-2. 

The Aggies would go on to compete on Sunday and earn an 11-9 win to secure their place as one of the hottest teams in all of Division I. 

After this weekend, NM State will remain at home to host Seattle University. The teams will face off Friday at 3 p.m., followed by Saturday’s game at 1 p.m. and Sundays at noon.