In a high scoring three game series against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros, the New Mexico State baseball team went 1-2, by taking the first game, 11-8, but dropping the last two, 8-13, 2-7. 

Friday’s win yielded eight combined hits from sophomores Gunner Antillon and Kevin Jimenez. While seven of the Aggies’ runs came from a combined effort by Antillon and Tommy Tabak and pitcher Josh Laukkanen earned his first win of the season. 

NMSU got on the scoreboard quickly with a two-run home run from Antillon. On the defensive end, Cade Swenson threw two scoreless innings. 

UTRGV retaliated quickly and put six on the scoreboard in the third. However, the Aggies were able to rally and score three runs in the fourth. But the Vaqueros tacked on two more runs in the fifth. NM State continued to battle and got within one run when Antillon scored the tying run to put the score at 7-7. 

The Aggies got on top in the sixth with a single by Antillon who scored again on a pass ball. UTRGV was able to respond with a run but Antillon brought in another run with a triple and scored on a wild pitch. Alex Bustamante recorded the save and NM State won 11-8. 

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NMSU fell to UTRGV in the second game 13-8, despite nine combined hits from Brandon Dieter, Nolan Funke and Preston Godfrey. 

The Aggies found themselves in an early deficit thanks to the Vaqueros 6-0 lead after the second inning. However, with a home run by Logan Gallina and efforts by Cal Kilgore and Godfrey, NM State diminished the lead to only four. 

UTRGV quickly answered again and scored four more insurance runs making the score 10-3. They continued to score and plated another run in the fifth. 

NM State used this momentum from a triple by Godfrey to earn three runs with efforts from Kilgore, Dieter and Tommy Tabak. Godfrey continued to hit in the sixth and helped the Aggies plate another run by scoring Funke. 

In the eighth inning, the Vaqueros earned one more run giving them a 13-7 lead. The Aggies headed into the ninth down six but were only able to plate one run with a hit from Kevin Jimenez which scored Edwin Martinez- Pagani from second. The contest finished 13-8. 

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In the final game of the series, UTRGV earned a 7-2 win over this Crimson squad in a short seven inning contest. 

Aggie pitcher Cam Blazek kept the Vaqueros scoreless for the first two innings before they broke open and scored six runs in the third. The next two innings, however, remained scoreless. 

It wasn’t until the sixth inning when NM State started to plate runs. The effort started with a single from Jimenez and was followed by four Aggies getting on base. Then Gallina and Funke earned NMSU’s first runs with back-to-back RBI singles. 

Noah Estrella earned four innings of relief and only gave up one Vaquero run in the seventh. And without a response from the Aggies, the game finished 7-2. 

NM State will stay on the road still in search for a win in their next battle against Benedictine Mesa Tuesday April 19 at 6 p.m.