CLEARWATER, Fla. - The New Mexico State softball team earned a win and a loss on Sunday in the 2010 Under Armour Showcase at Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla., defeating Saint Joseph's 4-3 in eight innings and falling to Drake University 6-1.
The Aggies are now 15-9 on the year after going 3-1 in the tournament. NM State tallied 12 hits against SJU crossing the plate five times for the win, before being held to only four hits in the second game of the day.
"This was a good chance for us to face some good competition outside of our region," head coach Kathy Rodolph said. "We have lots of things to work on and we have eight days of practice after we play Minnesota to clean up some things."
Game one seemed to be a defensive game as neither team was able to score until the top of the fifth when NM State crossed the plate on an Ashley Maroda single to center field. She brought in junior second baseman Kylie Randall, who reached base on a single down the leftfield line.
The Hawks would tie the game in the bottom of the fifth on a single to leftfield. During that same play, the Aggies threw out a Hawks base runner who hit the single as she attempted to pick up an extra base, but was thrown out at second base by Aggie catcher Brittany Clifton.
Neither team scored in the seventh, but both teams crossed the plate once in the seventh to take the game into extra innings. Designated player Angie Ortega was the Aggie who brought in the run in the seventh off a single to right-centerfield. Ortega now has 15 RBI on the season, which is second best for NM State.
The Aggies posted two runs off two hits in the eighth inning. That would be just enough for the victory as SJU was only able to post one run in the bottom of the inning. Centerfielder Tiare Jennings brought in the first run of the inning on a single to center field, and she would also be the winning run as she scored when the Hawks pitcher hit Tehani Kaaiuhe with the bases loaded. Jennings is now hitting .368 on the year with 13 RBI.
Game two was quite different for NM State as it could post just one run off four hits in the game. Third baseman Ashley Maroda was the only Aggie to score after she reached base by being hit by a pitch in the bottom of the second. Junior infielder Vanessa Valles brought her in on a sacrifice fly to centerfield. After senior catcher Ali Baumhover followed Valles with a single up the middle, the Aggies struggled in the box as the next 13 of 14 battters were retired.
NM State now looks forward to facing Minnesota in a doubleheader, Tuesday, March 16 with game one slated for a 3:00 p.m. (MT) start. That game will be televised as a part of the AggieVision Productions, while game to is set to air on the radio at K
Courtesy: New Mexico State University
