LAS CRUCES, N.M. – (March 23) Seattle University baseball struck first Friday night at New Mexico State in both teams' Western Athletic Conference opener. But the Aggies would rally for six unanswered runs late to earn the 12-6 final over the Redhawks at Presley Askew Field in Las Cruces.
Seattle U (12-8, 0-1 WAC) managed just seven hits but were effective in scoring six runs. A big three-run top of the first had the Redhawks leading early. Jake Cosgrove drove in the game's first run while Sean Sutton and Dalton Hurd each added a sacrifice fly RBI for a 3-0 SU advantage.
The Aggies (14-9, 1-0 WAC) pushed across single runs in the first and third, then took the lead in the fourth with a three unearned runs. Seattle U made it 5-4 Aggies when Cameron Sterne scored on a wild pitch in the fifth, but NMSU scored again in the sixth for a 6-4 advantage.
Another Redhawk rally in the top of the seventh knotted the score at 6-6 as a Chase Wells double to left center score Lucas Denney, who reached on an error. Wells would later score on a balk.
But it was all Aggies down the stretch. A three-run homer by Caleb Henderson in the seventh game the home team the lead once again. A Tristen Carranza two-run homer in the ninth made it 11-6 and the Aggies pushed one more run across the plate in the frame for the final six-run win.
Seattle U reliever Tyler Yeh (1-4) took the loss while NMSU's Alex Pinedo picked up the win in relief.
The Redhawks and Aggies continue play on Saturday with a 2:05 p.m. Mountain Time first pitch. The game will stream live on the WAC Digital Network.