NM State baseball's rough stretch continued Friday morning as the Aggies fell 14-8 to Missouri State in the opening game of their three-game series at Route 66 Stadium in Springfield, Mo. The loss marked the fifth straight defeat for NM State, which now sits at 19-29 overall and 8-17 in Conference USA play.
The Aggies showed plenty of fight at the plate, striking first in the second inning when Tommy Meluskey lifted a sacrifice fly to score Aidan Lombardi. Boston Vest added to the lead in the fourth with a solo home run to left, briefly putting NM State back on top. But the biggest moment came in the sixth inning, when the Aggies erupted for five runs. Jonatan Clough smashed a two-run double, Lombardi followed with a two-run homer, and Aidan Taclas chipped in an RBI single to give NM State an 8-5 advantage.
Missouri State answered immediately, however, with a decisive nine-run bottom of the sixth that flipped the game entirely. The Aggies added a solo home run from Easton Rulli in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback.
Clough finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Lombardi went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. The Aggies totaled 11 hits in the series opener, continuing a trend of strong offensive output despite the losses.
Lombardi's home run was his second in the last three games—a notable surge for a senior who had only two homers in his first 30 games this season. He also set a new season high with seven total bases. Steve Solorzano extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest active streak for any Aggie and his third career streak of 10 or more games.
With 11 hits, NM State has now recorded 10 or more hits in four of its last six contests. The Aggies also matched their season high with three home runs in a single game, marking the fourth time this season they've accomplished that feat. Overall, NM State has hit multiple home runs in five of its last 10 games—a promising sign for a team looking to snap its skid.
The Aggies will look to turn things around in game two of the series, hoping to channel their offensive firepower into a much-needed win.