The New Mexico State softball team started off their last home series of the season with a 6-5 win over Cal-State Bakersfield on Friday evening at the New Mexico State softball complex.

The ‘Runners (13-27, 5-5 WAC) scored at the top of the first with a Chris Hipa single that scored Julea Cavazos. The game went into a lightning delay midway through the bottom of the first, and the game didn’t resume for an hour and 20 minutes.

When play resumed, it didn’t take long for NM State (30-19, 9-1 WAC) to take the lead back. In the bottom of the second inning, Corrin Green (0 for 2, walk) reached first base by way of a walk that was issued by CSU-Bakersfield starting pitcher Amber Mills (6-12). Victoria Castro (1 for 2, RBI) followed that with a single, and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for senior Tatum Reedy. Playing in her last collegiate series in Las Cruces, she smashed a Mills pitch to straight center-field for a grand slam.

That gave NM State a 4-1 lead. From there, Aggie starting pitcher Makayla McAdams (12-8) didn’t allow CSU-Bakersfield to take the lead, but she did give up five runs in 4.1 innings pitched. CSU-Bakersfield scored a couple of runs in the top of the third inning to trim the Aggie lead to one at 4-3, but NM State answered with a couple of runs of their own at the bottom of the inning to stretch the lead back out to 6-3.

In the top of the fifth, CSU-Bakersfield struck again twice. ‘Runner short-shop Alex Simmons hit a triple into the a right-center field alley, scoring Cavazos. That was all for McAdams, as she was relieved by freshman Kayla Green. After throwing two changeups to Hipa, Green tried to blow a fastball by her, but Hipa was able to hit a blooper past Aggie short-shop Haley Nakamura and it scored Simmons to put the score at 6-5.

After that, neither team posed a scoring threat for the rest of the game, as Green was excellent in her relief appearance, only allowing two hits, and she was able to pick up for first career save in the process.

NM State will play CSU-Bakersfield in a doubleheader tomorrow at the New Mexico State softball complex with the first game beginning at four p.m., with the second game beginning approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

Derek Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]

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