Las Cruces, NM – The New Mexico State Aggies (16-22, 7-11 CUSA) hosted the Sam Houston State Bearkats in a weekend conference series April 17 through April 19. The Sam Houston Bearkats swept the series 3-0 with a narrow 8-7 victory on Friday, April 17.
Friday night had a hot start for the Bearkats, where they jumped out to an 8-0 lead after only two innings. Wes Baker hit two for four with three RBIs, and Ryan Franden hit two for five, with two RBIs. There were multiple early extra-base hits that fueled the Bearkat’s momentum.
On the Aggies side, they had a mid-game rally that ultimately fell short. Some highlights on the offensive side came from a three-run HR from Jonatan Clough, who also had three RBIs. There were several contributors for the rally, including RBIs from Boston Vest, Tommy Meluskey, Brandon Clizbe, and Aidan Lombardi.
On the mound, the Bearkats’ Ryan Peterson recorded the win. He pitched five innings, allowed six hits and an ERA of five. The Aggies continued to see pitching struggles early, with Colton Snedden recording the loss, and Jaden Davis relieving him after only one inning pitched. They allowed a combined nine hits, until the Aggie’s bullpen settled the game from the middle to the end, allowing only one hit after the second inning.
They have a midweek contest against the 22 ranked Arizona State Sundevils on Wednesday, April 22 in Phoenix. The first pitch is at 8:30 pm. The Aggies travel to Jacksonville, Alabama on April 24 to take on the top CUSA ranked Jax State Gamecocks (33-8, 16-2 CUSA).
Sam Houston has had an encouraging past few weeks after a slow start to the season, and a sweep against the Aggies only helped their recovery efforts. The Bearkats have a midweek matchup against the Baylor Bears on Tuesday, April 21 before resuming conference play against Middle Tennessee State (21-19, 8-10 CUSA) in a home series in Huntsville, Texas starting April 24.
