SUGAR LAND, Texas – A tight contest escaped from NM State in the ninth inning on Friday afternoon in Sugar Land, Texas. Lamar struck for three runs in the final frame to remain perfect on the season and finished off a 5-2 victory.
 
Friday starter Treyjen Meza threw a tremendous ballgame for the Aggies, working 6.2 innings. In his outing, Meza became the first Aggie to strikeout 10+ hitters in over a season. Meza allowed just two runs, both in the second inning.
 
In that second inning, Lamar used an RBI double followed by a run-scoring single to jump out to a 2-0 advantage. Nolan Funke quickly cut into that deficit for NM State in the bottom half of the inning with his first home run of the season.
 
Two innings later, Funke once again delivered for the Aggies. Following a single from Gunner Antillon and a walk from Kevin Jimenez, Funke ripped a single to right center, tying the ballgame at two.
 
Lamar and NM State remained deadlocked at two for the majority of the ballgame until the Cardinals struck in the ninth. The Cardinals managed to push three runs across the board in the final frame to remain perfect on the season.
 
Matthew Maloney took his second loss of the season as NM State fell. In 1.2 two innings of relief, Maloney was roughed up for three runs, all in the ninth. A leadoff home run got things going for Lamar before back-to-back singles knocked Maloney out of the game. After Will Sierra took over in relief, a triple down the right field line cleared the bases and put Lamar ahead by three.
 
Quick Hits
·      NM State falls to 0-4 on the season while Lamar remains a perfect 6-0
·      Treyjen Meza became the first Aggie to strike out 10+ hitters since Sammy Natera fanned 14 against UIC on February 19, 2022.
·      Damone Hale, Gunner Antillon, and Nolan Funke all recorded hits in the ballgame and remain the only Aggies to notch hits in every game this season.
·      Funke added his first multi-hit game of the season
·      The Aggies will be back in action on Saturday against Northwestern State, beginning at 10 a.m. MT.