NMSU baseball falls 8-3 to No. 10 Dallas Baptist

NM State Athletics
·4 min read
NMSU baseball falls 8-3 to No. 10 Dallas Baptist

THE BASICS:

Score: NM State 3 – Dallas Baptist 8

Records: NM State (11-14), (1-3) | Dallas Baptist (21-4), (3-1)

Location: Horner Ballpark

Win: Ryan Jonson (5-0) | Loss: Josh Sharman (1-2)

DALLAS – The Aggies lose game one of the three-game series against #10 Dallas Baptist 3-8 in Dallas, Texas, March 28. The Aggies had 14 different student-athletes featured in tonight’s competition which includes four pitchers and ten position players.

Left-handed pitcher Josh Sharman earned the starting nod on the mound for the Aggies. In the first, Sharman managed to hold the Patriots scoreless by forcing two fly outs and one strikeout, only allowing one hit.

The Patriots jumped out to an early lead in the second on a solo-home run to left center by Michael Dattalo. The Aggies managed to put some pressure on the Dallas Baptist starting pitcher Ryan Johnson in the third, with a walk by Sheehan O’Connor then a sacrifice bunt by Jadon Arakaki to put him in scoring position. However, the Aggies were unable to tie the game.

Sharman was taken out of the game in the bottom of the fourth after giving up a bunt single. Sharman only allowed two runs on three hits against 12 batters that he faced. Tyler Hoeft was called upon to come into relief.

With Hoeft on the mound the Patriots managed to load the bases on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. With the bags occupied the DBU right-fielder hit a double down the left-field line to score two runs.

The Patriots were able to keep the runs going in the fourth as Tom Poole was hit by the pitch to load the bases once again, the next batter up, knocked a double to right field to clear the bases, with in error in right field the hitter managed to reach third. They got one more run on a ground out to second base. At the end of the fourth, the score was 7-0 in favor of the Patriots.

In the fifth Matt Romero made his sixth appearance of the season. Hoeft’s final line would be one inning pitched, giving up five runs, four were earned, on two hits striking out two Patriots.

The Patriots continued their success at the plate with two singles back-to-back, they would then put on a double steal to advance to second and third. With first base open the Patriots batter would then walk. With the bases loaded Dattalo flew out to right field to drive in the eighth DBU run of the night.

The Aggies put pressure on Johnson in the sixth by loading the bases. They did so on a leadoff single by Jadon Arakaki, then another single by Keith Jones II. With two outs in the inning Damone Hale would walk to load the bases, unfortunately, the Aggies were unable to put a run up on the board in the inning.

Romero managed to hold the Patriots scoreless in both the sixth and seventh innings. In the top of the eighth, the Aggies managed to put a run on the board on a double to left center from Jones that scored Romeo Ballesteros who reached on a four-pitch walk.

Jones was then advanced to third on a ground out by Preston Godfrey. Just 90 feet away Jones would end up coming home on a wild pitch to give the Aggies two runs in the game.

In the Eighth Kade Benavidez came into the game for Romero, Benavidez made quick work of the Patriots sitting down the three batters he faced. Romero’s final line closed with three innings pitched, giving up one run on two hits with five strikeouts.

In the ninth Jones drove in the third and final run of the night for the Aggies on a double off the wall to right center that scored Ty Acton who was the pinch runner for Logan Gallina. Gallina pinch-hit for Arakaki and got hit by the pitch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

  • Jones earned his fourth three hit game of the season.

  • The Aggies went 6-9 when leading off the inning.

  • Jones also earned his eighth multi-RBI game.

  • The Aggie pitchers had fo0ur three up, three down innings in the contest.

  • Jones managed to get two doubles in the game, he is now the team leader with 12 doubles in the season.

UP NEXT:

The NM State Aggies face off against DBU in game two of the three-game series March 29, at 5:30 p.m. MT.

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