Aggie Offense Explodes in Commanding Win Over Liberty

LYNCHBURG, Virginia (KVIA) -- The NM State (12-11, 1-1 CUSA) bats were on full display in a 10-6 win over Conference USA foe Liberty (17-7) on Saturday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The Aggies delivered a 16-hit performance and capitalized on key opportunities to hold off Liberty's late comeback attempt.

Third baseman Brandon Forrester set the tone from the leadoff spot, recording three hits, including a double, a triple, and two RBIs. Right fielder Joey Craig provided the power, launching a solo home run as part of his three-hit, four-RBI showing.

The Aggies struck first in the second inning when Craig's RBI single brought home Kade Benavidez. NM State then submitted a big fourth inning that saw Forrester, Steve Solorzano and Tommy Meluskey drive in runs to extend the lead to 4-0. Craig added a solo homer in the sixth, followed by an RBI triple from Mitch Namie to build a 6-0 advantage.

Liberty responded with five combined runs in the sixth and seventh innings, highlighted by a three-run homer from Josh Sorenson to tighten the score at 7-5. The Aggies answered emphatically in the eighth with Meluskey delivering a run-scoring single and Craig driving in another two Aggies to stretch the lead to 10-5.

Despite a solo homer from Cal Early in the ninth, the Aggies closed out the win with strong relief pitching from freshman Dylan Weekly. Starter Hayden Lewis (1-2) earned the win with five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five. Weekly provided a solid two-inning finish, limiting Liberty to one run.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

• NM State collected its third road win of the season and earned its first road victory over Liberty with this being its first road trip to Lynchburg in program history.
• The Saturday win marks the fifth time this season that the Aggie offense has recorded 10 or more runs in a single game. The Aggies’ 16 hits are also the second-most for the team this year and represents the fifth time the Aggies have recorded 14 or more hits in a game. NM State also recorded 10 RBIs to mark the sixth time this season it has logged double-digit RBIs.
• The Aggies 41 at-bats is the most in a single game this year.
• With triples from Brandon Forrester and Mitch Namie today, this marks the third time this season that the Aggies have tallied multiple triples in a game. Entering the day the Aggies had eight triples on the year which ranked 27th in the nation.
• Joey Craig finished the day with three hits to mark the third time this season he has recorded three hits in a game. Additionally, his four RBIs is a new career high.
• Hayden Lewis tossed a career-high 5.0 innings and tallied a career-best five strikeouts while collecting his first win of the season.
• Brandon Forrester also tallied three hits on Saturday which marks his 10th multi-hit game of the year which serves as the most on the team.
• Tommy Meluskey matched his career high in hits with two – marking the third time he has had two hits in a game this year.
• Bryce Campbell finished the day with two hits to extend his hit streak to five games which marks the longest active streak on the team.

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