Saturday was a rough homecoming for the New Mexico State softball team.

The Aggies returned home this weekend to take on Minnesota after a month full of away games and out of town tournaments, and after picking up a solid victory over the Golden Gophers Friday night, dropped both games of a double-header by some pretty wide margins.

NMSU (12-14) only managed five hits in their 7-0 defeat at the hands of Minnesota during Saturday’s early game, marking just the third scoreless game all season for an offensively gifted Aggie squad.

Game two wouldn’t be much better.

While the Aggies did hit the ball better in the evening matchup, New Mexico State’s five runs on nine hits were nowhere close to keeping up with an electric showing at the plate for the Gophers. Minnesota forced NMSU to go through three different pitchers (with each one giving up at least two earned runs) by putting up 15 runs on 18 hits — four of which were home runs and three of those coming in the seventh inning — while still leaving nine runners on base.

“If we want a different outcome, we have to be willing to beat on our craft and get better because what we’re doing right now isn’t enough,” head coach Kathy Rodolph said of her team’s performance. “We need to be able to pitch well in the circle and let our defense defend behind us and we need to be able to hit situationally and score runs with runners in scoring position. The challenge for us right now is to step up until what we do is enough.”

These two losses extend a tough stretch for the Aggies, who were losers of eight of their last 11 before Saturday’s double-header. Rodolph did mention the team’s undeniably tough early season schedule, though, which certainly plays a part in the team’s sub .500 record.

NMSU has faced top tier teams like No. 1 ranked Washington and two-time defending national champion Oklahoma and has picked up wins against nationally ranked Kentucky and teams that are knocking on the door of the NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll like Minnesota and Texas Tech. With a resume like that, it’s safe to say the Aggies will be a battle tested group as they enter conference play, which is only two weeks away.

“I hope [our schedule] allows us to understand the bar of where we are and where we want to be,” Rodolph said. “Right now, I feel like we’re a little bit on our heels, so if we want a favorable outcome in conference, we have to get off our heels and get back in the game.”

The Aggies will have a chance to get back on track against in-state rival UNM next Wednesday in Albuquerque and return home for the another big rivalry game against UTEP on Mar. 27.