New Mexico Softball – At New Mexico State – Rio Grand Rivalry
When: Tuesday, April 14, 6 p.m. MT
Who: New Mexico State Aggies
GoLobos.com: Live stats, live stream, box score, postgame recap and stats
Video: The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.com, Comcast Cable (Channel 77), FOX Sports Arizona Plus, FOX College Sports Pacific and the Altitude Channel.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After winning the Colorado State series over the weekend, the University of New Mexico softball team will take a break from Mountain West action to play its final nonconference game of the season by traveling down to Las Cruces, New Mexico to get even with New Mexico State in the second Rio Grande Rivalry game of the season.
The Lobos are coming off another exciting weekend as they won their fourth Mountain West series of the season, claiming game two and three against Colorado State. The Lobos fell in game one 2-0 but bounced back for a 4-3 walk-off win on Saturday and 7-4 victory on Sunday.
New Mexico is now 24-20 on the season and 8-7 in the Mountain West which is four games ahead of where the Lobos were at last season.
New Mexico State will be a tough test for the Lobos again as the Aggies are known for the powerful offense. The Lobos will look to redeem themselves after the 12-6 loss at home to NMSU on March 24.
The Aggies are currently ninth in the country in home runs per game (1.62). They have hit 77 total for the season thus far with junior Fiana Finau leading the way with 18 home runs which is sixth in the nation. The Aggies are hitting .355 on the season and are also ninth in the country, scoring 7.59 runs per game.
Not only do the Aggies have a strong offense, they also have a tough pitcher in the circle in Karista Donithorpe. She is 26th in the nation in wins with 17. She is 17-4 on the season with a 3.18 earned run average and in 116.2 innings of work, she has struck out 108 batters. She is currently holding her opponents to a .242 batting average.
NMSU comes into the series with a 34-12 overall record and a perfect 9-0 record in the WAC.
The Lobos are hitting .294 on the season with Mariah Rimmer leading the way with a .385 batting average. She is leading the team with 55 hits to go along with a team-leading 11 doubles.
In the circle, Krissy Fortner is still leading the pack with a 2.83 earned run average. She is 7-4 on the season and in a team-leading 84 innings of work, she has struck out 54 batters and allowed 38 runs off 75 hits.
After New Mexico State, the Lobos will look to a weekend off as it will be their Mountain West bye weekend. The Lobos will return to action the following weekend, traveling to San Diego State for a three-game series April 24-26.