LAS CRUCES, N.M.—The UVU baseball team dropped the first of a three-game series to the New Mexico State Aggies by a final score of 7-4 Friday as the Wolverines managed just six hits on the night. Starter Patrick Wolfe threw 5.0 innings and allowed six runs, eight hits, two walks with seven strikeouts while taking the loss for UVU. The Wolverines batted just .188 on the night by going 6-for-32 at the plate. UVU fell to 18-16 on the season and 5-5 in WAC play.
Things looked promising for UVU as Trevor Howell led off the game with a double down the right field line, then advanced to third as Stone Ramsey hit into a fielder’s choice. Howell got the Wolverines on the board as he scored on a wild pitch by Aggie starter Chris Kucko.
NM State responded with two outs in the bottom of the first as Trey Stine cleared the bases with a bases-loaded, three-base error by Mark Krueger for a 3-1 lead. Craig Brinkerhoff got one run back for UVU in the second as he scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Mark Schlehuber. The Aggies responded and extended their lead to 5-2 in the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back sacrifice flies to center.
Krueger brought UVU within 5-4 in the third with a two-run home run to right field, but it was as close as the Wolverines could get. NM State tacked on two more insurance runs with a pair of singles in the fifth and eighth innings to seal the victory for the Aggies.
The Wolverines recorded just one hit the rest of the game after Krueger’s homer in the third inning as Paul Estrada doubled to center in the top of the ninth.
UVU looks to even the series against NM State Saturday at 1 p.m. MT in Las Cruces, N.M.
