The New Mexico State baseball team got their first win of the season in dominating fashion as they defeated OUZA 23-2 in nine innings of play. In this one game, they score more than half of their 42 total runs on the season going into the game.

With this win, New Mexico State (1-13, 0-3 WAC) avoided matching their program-worst start to a season, 0-14, and give interim head coach, Keith Zuniga his first win as the Aggies’ head coach.

Everything was clicking for the home team; lefty pitcher Darius Garcia got his first start of the season and was in control on the bump. Garcia pitched just 4.0 innings, allowing two hits and one earned run on the way to his first win in the stat sheet.

On the other side of the ball, the Aggies torched the OUAZ (11-10-1, 5-4-1 GSAC) pitching, scoring six runs in the first inning. Left fielder, Mitch Namie, started off the run barrage with a homer to left field, which was followed by a two-run dinger by Christian Perez. A couple of batters later, Damone Hale doubled into the right to be brought home by Cal Villareal on the next at-bat. After a mound visit from the Spirit, catcher Nick Gore blasted a ball over the fences for NMSU’s third homer and sixth run in the very first frame.

With the momentum on the side of the white and crimson, Darius Garcia went right back to work in the top of the second, retiring the side in just 10 pitches.

How did the Aggies reward their pitcher? By tacking on another three runs in the bottom half. All three runs scored in the second inning were on batters walking with the bases loaded. So, not only were the bats hot for NM State, but the ball was being seen very well off the Ottawa pitchers.

New Mexico State kept up the elite form as they went 9-0 going into the third inning. Garcia came right back out with another one-two-three inning to continue his control on the bump. He would cool down, along with the NMSU bats, going into the fourth, allowing one run to get the Spirit on the board.

Having only scored one run from innings three through five (another Nick Gore homer), for good measure, the Aggies put up their highest-scoring inning of the season with an 11-run inning to make sure they were comfortable enough to close out the game. Eleven runs and eight hits from Aggie batters got the job done in the sixth inning to go up 21-1 with three innings remaining.

After a two-run single from Nolan Funke in the seventh, New Mexico State closed out their miraculous first win with yet another three-hitter inning courtesy of Huntington Beach pitcher, Matthew Maloney.

Coach Zuniga, the Aggie players, and fans all needed a win in the books, but a win in this fashion surely makes up for the prior 13 games.

However, focus for the NM State must shift to their next opponents as they will travel up to St. George, Utah for a three-game WAC series against Utah Tech (5-13, 0-0 WAC). The Trailblazers have not yet faced a conference opponent, and with NMSU finally getting a win under their belt, it is time to build on that and continue this shift the season.