Aggies complete spring cleaning with sweep of Oakland

Sunday’s to-do list for NM State baseball included some spring cleaning and the Aggies did just that by sweeping Oakland with a 14-2 win. 

After allowing two runs in the top of the first inning, Ian Mejia settled in and dealt 7.0 consecutive shutout innings.  

Despite falling behind early, the Aggies responded with a three-spot in the second inning. After Logan Gallina led off the inning with an infield single, Cal Villareal drove him in with a single back up the middle. Tommy Tabak ripped a triple to right-center field, scoring Villareal and Ryan Grabosch to give NM State a 3-2 lead.  

From there on out, it was all Aggies. In the fifth inning, Edwin Martinez-Pagani and Brandon Dieter picked up back-to-back singles to start the frame. With two aboard, Gunner Antillon ripped a two-run double to right-center and pushed NM State’s lead to three.  

Martinez-Pagani drew a walk to lead off the seventh inning before advancing to second on a throwing error and then stealing third. Antillon then reached on a fielding error by the third baseman which scored Martinez-Pagani. After Gallina got hit by a pitch, Preston Godfrey has ripped a pinch-hit triple down the right field line to score a pair.  

Going into the eighth inning with a six-run lead, the Aggie offense wasn’t settled. Grabosch and Martinez-Pagani both doubled before Brandon Dieter drew a walk and Antillon singled through the left side. With two aboard, Kevin Jimenez launched a three-run blast into the trees in right field. Later in the inning, the Aggies would push across a sixth run when the Golden Grizzlies pitcher balked with the bases loaded.  

In the ninth inning, Cade Swenson made his first appearance of the season for the Aggies. The first batter that Swenson saw, he sat down on strikes. After inducing a foul out to the catcher Hunter Antillon, Swenson retired the final Oakland hitter of the day on strikes to complete the sweep for the Aggies.  

Quick Hits 

• Eight of the nine hitters in the NM State starting lineup recorded a base hit. Gunner Antillon led the way with three hits in the ballgame.
• Ian Mejia’s 8.0 innings of work were the longest by any NM State pitcher this season. 
• With the Kevin Jimenez home run, the Aggies launched six long balls on the weekend.
• Preston Godfrey and Tommy Tabak both hit their first triples of the season in the ballgame.
• With his double, Gunner Antillon now has the team lead with three doubles this season. 
• Cade Swenson struck out a pair in his debut for the Aggies this season. 
• Oakland committed six errors in the contest. 
• NM State’s winning streak now sits at five games. 

On-Deck 

NM State will be back in action on Friday against Prairie View A&M for the first of a four-game set. All the action will be streamed on the WAC Digital Network, while Adam Young will have the call on 91.5 FM KRUX. 

For complete coverage of NM State baseball throughout the Aggies 2022 campaign visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Baseball), Twitter (@NMStateBaseball) and Instagram (@NMStateBaseball).