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Champs Again: NM State Clinches 2022 WAC Baseball Title
NM State will find out its fate for the NCAA Tournament on Monday morning
The Basics
Game Four – WAC Baseball Tournament
Score: No. 4 NM State 7, No. 4 Abilene Christian 1
Records: NM State (24-32, 10-20 WAC); Abilene Christian (30-29; 14-16 WAC)
Location: Mesa, Ariz. (Hohokam Park)
MESA, Ariz. – Mesa Magic. The NM State baseball team finished off its Cinderella run through the WAC Baseball Tournament with a 7-1 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday night. As the last team in, NM State went undefeated throughout the tournament – A perfect 4-0.
The championship sealing victory means one thing: The Aggies are headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in five years.
Pablo Cortes got the ball for NM State and worked two scoreless innings before giving way to Ian Mejia.
Nolan Funke got the scoring going with a home run into the bullpen in right field. Cal Kilgore wasted no time getting the score to 2-0 when he singled to center field, bringing home Preston Godfrey.
Funke kept his mojo alive with a double to score Tommy Tabak. Godfrey and Cal Villareal would push the lead to 5-0 with RBI singles in the fourth as well.
The lone run of the day for Abilene Christian came on a solo shot to right field in the fifth inning. Gunner Antillon would get the run back and then some for NM State in the sixth inning with a 2 RBI single up the middle.
In a non-traditional save situation, head coach Mike Kirby gave the ball to Alex Bustamante in the seventh inning. With nine outs to play, Bustamante showed no nerves and completed the three-inning save seamlessly.
With two away in the ninth inning, Bustamante induced a fly ball to Tabak in right field and pandemonium ensued on the playing surface at Hohokam Stadium.
Following the game, Funke, Tabak, Mejia, and Cortes were all named to the All-Tournament team while Villareal was named the Most Valuable Player. For the second straight game, Villareal tallied four hits for NM State.
Wobble on, Aggie Nation. Wobble on.
Quick Hits
For complete coverage of NM State baseball throughout the 2022 WAC Baseball Tournament, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Baseball), Twitter (@NMStateBaseball), and Instagram (@NMStateBaseball).