Posted by FanAg on 4/9/2005, 2:42 am Las Cruces, N.M. - The Aggies sent 14 hitters to the plate and scored 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as the New Mexico State baseball team blew away Western Kentucky, 16-7 in the opening game of a Sun Belt Conference series Friday night at Presley Askew Field. Leading 6-5 headed into the bottom of the sixth, the Aggies put the first two batters on and red shirt freshman Luke Hopkins (Albuquerque/St. Pius X HS) lined an RBI double down the left field line to score the duo and jump start the Aggie rally. Sophomore Adam Harvey (Celina, Texas) followed Hopkins' double with a three-run home run over the scoreboard in left field. In the next at-bat, senior Emory Davies (Louisville, Ky.) registered the Aggies' second back-to-back home run of the game as he hammered a 2-1 offering to deep right field. The big inning was capped six batters later as senior Xardiel Cotto (El Paso/Andress HS) smacked a two-run single through the right side of the infield as the Aggies cruised to the lopsided victory. With the win, the Aggies improve to 16-14 overall and even their Sun Belt record at 2-2. The Hilltoppers, who lost their second straight game Friday night, are now 10-18 overall and 2-5 in conference play. The Aggies lead the all-time series with the Hilltoppers 10-5. Hopkins, who set the Aggie freshman home run record with his 10th homer of the season in the bottom of the first inning, went 3-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBI. Cotto, who combined with Hopkins in the first inning to hit back-to-back bombs, went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and two driven in. Junior Brandon Lance (Enid, Okla.) also had a solid day at the dish as he went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Topper third baseman Tim Grogan, who was the Sun Belt Conference preseason player of the year this season, led the Hilltoppers offensively, going 3-for-4 with a trio of runs batted in. Senior Dustin Cameron (Allen, Texas) pitched well as the right-hander went five innings and gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits to get the win and improve to 4-4 on the season. Cameron, who struck out three and walked three in the outing, did not allow a runner past second base until the top of the fifth inning. In the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs, the Hilltoppers finally plated a run against Cameron as Grogan hit a two-out single to right field that scored a pair and pulled Western Kentucky to within three runs at 5-2. After the Aggies added a run in the bottom of the frame, the Toppers came right back and scored three times in the sixth to pull to within one at 6-5. Hilltopper starter, Daniel Faulkner threw 131 pitches in five innings, but earned the loss after giving up nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits in five innings of work. Faulkner, who faced three batters in the sixth, was one of four Western Kentucky pitchers to throw in the inning. The Aggies and Hilltoppers will be back in action Saturday night as they play the middle game of the series at Presley Askew Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and fans can catch all the action live on the radio with Jeff Matthews on KSNM 570 AM.
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Aggie Baseball Pounds Western Kentucky in Series Opener Friday
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