Seattle University erased an early deficit and had a chance to take the lead, but New Mexico State gained momentum after thwarting the Redhawks’ third-inning threat, as the Aggies put together a big fourth inning and held on the rest of the way for a 7-4 victory Thursday evening in Western Athletic Conference baseball action at Presley Askew Field.
New Mexico State (14-19, 6-4 WAC) broke through in the bottom of the first inning when Michael Medina led off with a single up the middle, advanced to second on a groundout, and came around to score on a double down the left field line by Derek Umphres. Michael Paulson would follow with his own double to left field, driving in Umphres.
Seattle U answered in the top of the second, starting with back-to-back singles by Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) and Brock Carpenter (Milton, Wash.), with Olson advancing to third after Medina misplayed Carpenter’s single. After Carpenter stole second base, Cash McGuire (Kent, Wash.) laced a single into left field, scoring Olson, but Carpenter was thrown out at the plate attempting to score. Sam Finfer (Bellevue, Wash.) tied the game at 2-2 with a double to right field, scoring McGuire, who had advanced to second on the throw home after his single.
The Redhawks put together a scoring opportunity in the third inning, as Chase Fields (Ontario, Ore.) led off with a single, followed by walks to Griffin Andreychuk (Nanaimo, B.C.) and Olson to load the bases with one out. However, Aggie starter Christopher Bradley wiggled his way out of the jam with a borderline strikeout and a groundout to keep the score tied at 2-2.
The Aggies loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the fourth inning as Paulson drew a leadoff walk, Joseph Koerper singled to left field, and Jory Goldstrom reached base on an infield single. Kevin Carswell drew a walk that forced in Paulson with the go-ahead run, and Medina was able to beat out the relay throw from second base to avoid the double play and drive in Koerper with the second run of the inning.
Kent Blackstone extended the inning with a double down the right field line, scoring Goldstrom and advancing Medina to third base. Seattle U starting pitcher Mac Acker (Redmond, Wash.) finally ended the inning by striking out Kyle Kilgore for the third time in the contest.
In the fifth inning, the Aggies loaded the bases again when Umphres, Koerper, and Goldstrom all drew walks. Grant Gunning (Snohomish, Wash.) came on in relief of Acker, induced a popout, and picked up a strikeout to keep New Mexico State from scoring any runs in the inning.
Medina drew a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, Kilgore sent a single into center field, and Umphres walked to load the bases with one out. Paulson drove in Medina with a sacrifice fly to center field, but Gunning struck out Koerper to end the inning with New Mexico State on top, 6-2.
The Redhawks put together a two-out rally in the seventh inning, starting with a single hit by Andreychuk and a walk drawn by Landon Cray (Chimacum, Wash.). Olson drove in Andreychuk with a double to left field, but Carpenter’s line drive was hit right at Aggie leftfielder Paulson, keeping the Aggies ahead heading into the seventh-inning stretch, 6-3.
Goldstrom led off the seventh inning with a single up the middle, and pinch runner Evans advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a strikeout and a popout, Medina sent a single into shallow center field, scoring Evans and reestablishing a four-run lead for the Aggies.
Seattle U put together one final rally in the ninth inning, as Andreychuk led off with a single and Cray drew a walk. With one out and both runners in scoring position after a wild pitch, Carpenter hit a sinking line drive into right field that scored Andreychuk, but Medina threw out Carpenter trying to stretch the single into a double. Aggie reliever Trey Gonzales finished the game with a strikeout.
Bradley picked up the win for the Aggies, allowing seven hits, three walks, and three runs in 6 2/3 innings of work, striking out seven Redhawk batters. Acker took the loss, giving up six hits, six walks, and five runs in 4 1/3 innings on the mound, but he collected six strikeouts along the way.
"We just did not have a typical night on the mound tonight. We walked eight and hit a batter, and five of their seven runs came thanks to freebies we gave them," Seattle U head coach Donny Harrel said. "We had a couple of baserunning mistakes that possibly cost us, but we feel good about bouncing back tomorrow with a better overall effort."
Seattle U actually earned more hits than New Mexico State, 11-9, led by four different Redhawks with two hits apiece. However, Seattle U stranded 11 runners on base while the Aggies left 10 men on base as both teams had chances to score more runs throughout the night.
Seattle University (16-16, 6-4 WAC) will continue the series with New Mexico State with a doubleheader Friday, April 18, starting at 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. Pacific time). Both games will be nine-inning conference contests, with links to live stats and live audio available on the baseball schedule page of GoSeattleU.com.