Aggies Even Series with Top-Seeded Liberty

LYNCHBURG, Virginia (KVIA) -- There are stars, and then there’s Desirae Spearman. The freshman standout pitched the entire seven innings on Saturday, holding Liberty scoreless for 6.2 innings. The El Paso native also blasted a pair of long home runs, bumping her season total to 15, leading all of Conference USA. With the win, NM State improved to 26-18 and 11-6 in CUSA. Sunday morning’s game will now determine the winner of the series at 11:00 AM local time.

HOW IT HAPPENED

For the second straight game, Jillian Taylor scored the first run in the first frame. A ball four to Desirae Spearman was also a wild pitch, allowing Taylor to round home and take a 1-0 lead. The score held there for the remainder of the first two innings. 

In the top of the third inning, NM State had its best frame of the day. After Jillian Taylor got on base again with a leadoff single, Desirae Spearman came up to the plate. The freshman pounded her 14th home run of the season to left center, racking up a 3-0 lead with two RBIs. Dezianna Patmon followed up Spearman with a four-pitch walk, advancing to second on a Devin Elam groundout. Later, Patmon moved to third base on a wild pitch, and made her way home on the game’s fourth wild pitch. Patmon’s run gave the Aggies a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning. 

The score remained 4-0 until the top of the fifth, when Dezianna Patmon earned another walk. The junior stole second, before scoring on a Devin Elam single. The Crimson & White took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth, holding Liberty scoreless through the sixth. 

In the visitors’ half of the seventh frame, Desirae Spearman came up to the plate for the fourth and final time of the game. The Hanks High School product launched a bomb to left field, clearing not only the wall but also the netting behind. The ball was absolutely crushed, clearing the 220-foot wall in left center by at least another 40 feet. 

In Liberty’s final inning, the Flames got quick production, tagging a single then walking the bases loaded with one out. The Flames advanced a runner to first on a fielder’s choice, with the runner on first being thrown out at second. The play was reviewed for interference, but the umpires ruled that the call stood. Two runs scored on the play. A walk and a single loaded the bases again, but a groundout to Spearman ended the game with no further damage. 

NM State won 6-2, defeating top-seeded Liberty on their Senior Day, in what was the Flames’ fourth conference loss of the season. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Jillian Taylor extended her hitting streak to 10 games with a third-inning single. The senior improved on her career-best streak. Before this stretch, her best mark was five straight games. 
• Devin Elam extended her own hitting streak to eight games, past her previous best of six games. The reigning CUSA Player of the Week recorded a fifth-inning single, scoring Dezianna Patmon for her 13th RBI in the past 10 games. 
• Desirae Spearman recorded two home runs, bringing her season total to 15. The freshman is now tied for first among all CUSA batters in home runs with WKU’s Taylor Sanders.
• Liberty left 11 runners on base, scoring just two runs. Through six innings, the Flames had no runs and eight batters left on base. 
• Spearman lowered her season ERA to 2.90, allowing just one earned run across seven innings of work on Saturday. The freshman threw 124 pitches in what was her seventh complete game and eighth win of the year. 
• NM State earned five walks in the win. The Aggies only had five or more walks in seven games this season. The only other conference game where NM State recorded five-plus walks was the second game against UTEP.

UP NEXT

NM State will stay in Lynchburg for the series finale on Sunday. The Aggies will lead off at 9:00 AM MT (11:00 AM local). The series rubber match will air on ESPN+ and be available to follow via nmstatestats.com. 

For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2024 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).