BOXSCORE: at New Mexico State Game 1
BOXSCORE: at New Mexico State Game 2

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Northern Colorado battled hard in the first game, and struggled to find the strike zone in game two, dropping a pair of games at New Mexico State on Saturday, 16-13 and 19-5 (seven innings). With the losses, the Bears move to 6-10 on the season while the Aggies improve to 14-2.

Senior Andy Mees went a combined 7-for-10 in the two games, bringing his season average to a blistering .460, while fellow senior Erik Hegstad hit safely in both contests to extend his hitting streak to 13, the longest streak since John Ray hit in 16 straight in 2007.

Freshman Cameron Tallman pitched the first five innings of game one, allowing six runs on seven hits, walking three and striking out four. Fellow freshman Ty Jacobs came on in relief, throwing 3.1 innings allowing seven runs on six hits with three walks and one strikeout. Freshman Forest Carpenter faced two batters in the eighth, giving up two runs on one hit (no earned) with one walk, while Forbes Scott threw the final 0.2 innings, allowing one run (no earned) on three hits with a walk and strikeout.

Mees went 5-for-6 with four RBI in the game, while junior Mike Raudenbush went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. The Bears tallied a season-high tying 18 hits, scoring 13 runs with just one error committed, while New Mexico State scored 16 runs on 17 hits and also tallied one error.

New Mexico State got on the scoreboard first with a leadoff home run to left field by Richard Stout. Three batters later, with two outs, Ben Harty did the same for the 2-0 Aggies lead.

With the score still 2-0 in the top of the third, freshman Adam Hilker singled through the left side to lead off the inning and junior Mike Raudenbush followed with a double down the left field line for runners on second and third with no outs. Senior Andy Mees singled to center to score Hilker to bring the Bears within one, 2-1.

New Mexico State opened the game with a four-run fourth inning behind a three-run homer by Jeffrey Farnham. In the top of the fifth, Hegstad answered with a three-run blast of his own as Raudenbush and Mees had both singled ahead of him.

The fourth home run of the day for the Aggies was a two-run shot by Nate Shaver in the bottom of the fifth to extend the NMSU lead back to four, 8-4. Back-to-back singles by junior Seth Budde and freshman Ty Crudo singled the end of New Mexico State starting pitcher Noah Garza. Garza surrendered six runs on 10 hits, walking one and striking out six.

Junior Tyler Borzileri then reached on an error and Hilker doubled to left field to score a pair. Raudenbush followed with a single to center, promptly knocking the Aggies second pitcher out of the game with the score 8-7 and no one out. Scott Coffman allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits in three batters faced. Mees continued his stellar senior season with a three-run homer to right centerfield to give the Bears their first lead of the day at 10-8. Frankie Duran recorded two outs on the hill for NMSU, but sophomore T.J. Berge added to the hit parade with a home run to right field and Duran's day was over. He allowed two runs on two hits in 0.2 innings of work.

Budde, who started the sixth inning with a single, continued the frame for the Bears with another single up the middle. Crudo walked and then both advanced a base on a wild pitch. Borileri recorded the team's eighth hit of the inning with a single, scoring both Budde and Crudo for nine runs in the inning and a 13-8 lead.

New Mexico State closed the gap in the bottom of the seventh with a pinch hit grand slam by Bryan Marquez after the inning started with a walk and back-to-back singles, making the score 13-12.

The Aggies added four more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to regain the lead, 16-13 and win the game.

In the nightcap, junior Jeff Sciba lasted only 1.1 innings, giving up seven runs on five hits, walking six and striking out four. Senior Brian Sizemore, facing his former club, pitched 2.2 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on two hits with four walks and two strike outs. Freshman Dylan Smith, making his first career appearance for the Bears, threw the final two innings, giving up eight runs (six earned) on four hits with four walks and no strike outs.

Mees was the only Bear with multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-4 for a solid 7-for-10 outing on the day. The Bears scored their five runs on eight hits and committed four errors, while the Aggies scored 19 runs on 11 hits and tallied two errors. Daniel Simon got the win for NMSU, pitching five innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking three and striking out four.

The Bears got on the board first with a single run in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Mees singled to centerfield and moved to second on a walk by Kevin Sandberg. Hegstad then singled to right center to score Mees and hit safely in his 13^th straight game.

New Mexico State tallied three in the bottom half of the frame and four more in the bottom of the second for the 7-1 advantage, knocking starter Sciba out of the game in the second. The Aggies tacked on one more in the bottom of the third for an 8-1 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Berge singled through the right side and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. He scored on a single by Borzileri for the 8-2 score. The Aggies answered with three more in the bottom of the fourth for a nine-run lead at 11-2.

The Aggies exploded for eight more runs in the fifth inning, aided by two Northern Colorado errors to break open a 19-2 lead.

The Bears did not give up, chipping away at the lead with three runs in the sixth frame. Berge walked to start the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. Senior Phil Santucci singled for runners on first and third and Jarod Berggren walked to load the bags. Hilker grounded out to move everyone up a base, and after Raudenbush was hit again by a pitch, Mees reached on an error to score two.

Smith held the Aggies scoreless for the first time all game in the sixth inning, but in the final inning NC could not manage any more runs, falling 19-5.

The two teams meet in the finale tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and is available on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.