LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State came from behind to win both ends of a doubleheader over Utah Valley University, 12-6 and 12-10, on Friday in WAC softball.
The Wolverines (20-24, 5-9) had a big lead in game two but the WAC-leading Aggies (26-18, 11-3) scored the final nine runs including a walk-off home run from Maya Martinez, her second home run of the game, to extend their winning streak to eight games.
Siena Sandoval homered and had five RBIs in game two and helped UVU build a 9-0 lead before NM State mounted the big comeback. The Wolverines opened up a 9-0 lead behind a five-run third and four in the fourth.
Sandoval drove in five in game two, two coming on a double in the third before a three-run home run in the fourth.
The game was scoreless after two when
Jade Miller led off with a double and later scored with Rebolledo singled to right. Two batters later, with two outs, Milliken singled home Rebolledo before Sandoval doubled home two more runs and UVU led 4-0.
Laynee Betancur also had an RBI in the inning on a fielder's choice to make it 5-0.
In the fourth, Rebolledo singled and Query doubled before Milliken made it 6-0 with an RBI on a fielder's choice. Sandoval then followed with a home run on a 1-1 count to put the Wolverines up 9-0.
New Mexico State was able to extend the game thanks to three solo home runs in the fourth, getting within six, 9-3. Milliken had a sacrifice fly in the fifth to push it to a 10-3 contest but Ramsay Lopez singled home a run in the bottom of the inning and the game was 10-4 after five.
The Aggies responded with six runs in the sixth inning including a two-run, game-tying home run from Matalasi Faapito with just one out.
In game one, the teams combined hit eight home runs — four apiece — but all four from UVU were solo shots while NM State had a pair of two-run homers in the first and a three-run shot in the third en route to an 11-1 lead after just three innings.
The Aggies took a 4-0 lead just four batters into their half of the first, the first two runs coming off the bat of the WAC's leading hitter, Faapito. She hit her 14th of the season with one on and nobody out and two batters later Nikki Butler hit her seventh home run of the season.
Rien Milliken got one of those runs back with her ninth home run of the year in the second, a solo shot to center.
New Mexico State added a single run in the second and six more in the third. Kendra Levesque led off the inning with a lined shot to center on the first pitch of the inning and Gabby Aragon later capped the scoring with a three-run blast.
In the top of the fourth,
Basia Query hit a solo home run, the 20th of her career as she becomes the sixth Utah Valley player to the mark in the program's NCAA Division I era, dating back to 2004. She went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs.
Siena Sandoval also hit a solo home run in the inning and
Kyla Hardy added her solo home run — her third homer of the week — in the sixth inning.
The Wolverines will try and salvage the series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. MT first pitch.
