Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

BELLEVUE, Wash. - The New Mexico State baseball team (29-14) split the doubleheader with Seattle University, Friday, April 29 winning game one 10-2 and losing game two 5-1 at Bannerwood Park, in Bellevue, Wash.

"We did okay today, and I see a big improvement from the way we played last week," head coach Rocky Ward said.  "Cooper did pretty well in game two and the relievers did what they were supposed to do but we couldn't string the hits together that we needed to come back and win."

GAME ONE RECAP

The Aggies took game one from Seattle 10-2 as the NM State offense posted 14 hits and didn't commit a single error.  The Redhawks tallied eight hits and posted three errors in the game to gall to 16-20 after the loss.

Starting pitcher Ryan Beck picked up win No. 8 of the year after putting in six innings of work while allowing on two earned runs.  He struck out four and walked four of the 30 batters he faced throwing 129 pitches on the afternoon.  Beck got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the second and fifth as the Redhawks finished the afternoon leaving 11 runners on base.

Sophomore Parker Hipp along with juniors Bryan Karraker and Zach Voight led the Aggie offense in the afternoon matchup.  Hipp was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in the third.  Karraker was a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk while scoring four times and Voight went 2-of-3 at the dish with a couple of RBI and a couple of runs scored.

The Aggies scored their first run in the top of the first on a Ryan Aguayo RBI sacrifice fly before Seattle tied it up in the bottom of the inning.  NM State took its second lead of the game when senior Wes Starkes tallied an RBI double to leftfield before being thrown out at third base on the same play.

NM State scored two runs in the third inning on a Hipp homer then Seattle scored its final run of the game in the bottom of the inning.  NM State posted a run in the fourth, two in the six and three in the seventh to move to 29-13 on the year.

GAME TWO RECAP

NM State posted as many runs as the Redhawks did in game two of the doubleheader, but two costly errors in the second inning proved to be too much for the Aggies.  Starting pitcher Justin Cooper went six innings, struck out five batters, gave up five walks and five runs.  It was a test for Cooper as this was his first start since coming off arm surgery during the offseason.

Six different Aggies picked up a hit in the game including Starkes, Forney, Hipp, Waite, Fisher and Karraker.  Karraker was the only Aggie to cross the plate after he got on with a lead-off double down the right-field line.

The Aggies wrap up the series with Seattle, Saturday, April 30 at 11 a.m. (MT).  The game will join in progress on the radio on KSNM AM 570 with Jeff Matthews giving the play-by-play.