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New Mexico State ended its 2026 baseball season in a frenzy.
The Aggies and visitors Florida International combined for 51 runs on Saturday, May 16, in Las Cruces in the season finale for both teams. NM State (20-34, 9-21 Conference USA) scored 21 of them, and that would be enough for a win in almost every other game. But Saturday was not just any other game, and the Panthers (19-35, 10-20) put 30 runs on the board to come out on top.
The Aggies' 30-21 defeat means they have lost their last series of the season, as FIU also won on Thursday. NM State closes the campaign with 10 losses in its last 11 games, and it dropped its final six series in CUSA play.
MORE AGGIES SPORTS: From Las Cruces High to NMSU, Steve Solorzano's dream is now a reality
MORE AGGIES SPORTS: Benet Higgs named New Mexico State's permanent softball coach
Saturday's game is the only Division I game this season with at least 20 runs from both teams. The last one was Rhode Island's 36-22 win over William & Mary on Feb. 16, 2025, and the last one before that was Milwaukee's 26-21 victory over Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne on April 6, 2005. The highest-scoring game this season before Saturday saw Boston College prevail 26-19 over Connecticut on March 10.
The Aggies chased the game until the fourth inning, when Boston Vest's three-run double gave them an 8-7 lead, one they extended to 11-7 before the seventh inning. However, that's when FIU's bats became untouchable. The Panthers tallied 11 runs in the frame to take an 18-11 lead, and they led by as much as 11 when they plated six in the eighth inning to earn a 24-13 advantage.
Six runs in the bottom of the eighth saved NM State from run-rule humiliation. Aggies outfielder Aidan Taclas hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning before one of the wildest games anywhere in the nation this season came to an end.
NM State's 21 runs were the most it scored against a D-I opponent since tallying 22 against Jacksonville State on April 28, 2024. The previous high this season was 16 against New Mexico in a 10-inning thriller on April 28, and against Prairie View A&M on March 1 in a seven-inning run-rule win. NM State's highest total against any opponent in 2026 was the 39 runs it held against the University of the Southwest on March 10.
The Panthers and Aggies combined for 98 at-bats, 55 for the visitors and 43 for the home team. Six batters tallied at least four hits, five of whom were FIU players. Steve Solorzano was the only NM State player with four hits. Five home runs were hit, four off the bats of the Panthers. Taclas hit the Aggies' lone homer.
NM State and FIU sent 18 total pitchers into the game. One of the 11 NM State pitchers was infielder Camden Kaufman, a former junior college pitcher who took the mound for the first time at the D-I level in the ninth inning to the crowd's joyful amusement. Those 18 pitchers walked 17 batters (nine drawn by the Aggies and eight drawn by the Panthers), hit nine others (five NM State players were hit, and four FIU players were hit), and allowed 16 doubles (eight each for the Aggies and Panthers). Only two of the 18, FIU's Matthew DelVecchio and NM State's Connor Wylde, allowed zero runs.
At least one run was scored in every inning, and multiple runs were scored in 11 of the 18 half-innings. The Panthers and Aggies combined for 44 hits, 28 for the former and 16 for the latter. FIU batted .509 on Saturday, while NM State's leadoff batters went a perfect 9-for-9.
The Aggies' sweep at the hands of Missouri State from May 8-10 meant they failed to qualify for the CUSA Tournament before this week began, so their third season under coach Jake Angier is over.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU, FIU score 51 runs in offensive masterclass to end 2026 season
Continue reading...
The Aggies and visitors Florida International combined for 51 runs on Saturday, May 16, in Las Cruces in the season finale for both teams. NM State (20-34, 9-21 Conference USA) scored 21 of them, and that would be enough for a win in almost every other game. But Saturday was not just any other game, and the Panthers (19-35, 10-20) put 30 runs on the board to come out on top.
The Aggies' 30-21 defeat means they have lost their last series of the season, as FIU also won on Thursday. NM State closes the campaign with 10 losses in its last 11 games, and it dropped its final six series in CUSA play.
MORE AGGIES SPORTS: From Las Cruces High to NMSU, Steve Solorzano's dream is now a reality
MORE AGGIES SPORTS: Benet Higgs named New Mexico State's permanent softball coach
Saturday's game is the only Division I game this season with at least 20 runs from both teams. The last one was Rhode Island's 36-22 win over William & Mary on Feb. 16, 2025, and the last one before that was Milwaukee's 26-21 victory over Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne on April 6, 2005. The highest-scoring game this season before Saturday saw Boston College prevail 26-19 over Connecticut on March 10.
The Aggies chased the game until the fourth inning, when Boston Vest's three-run double gave them an 8-7 lead, one they extended to 11-7 before the seventh inning. However, that's when FIU's bats became untouchable. The Panthers tallied 11 runs in the frame to take an 18-11 lead, and they led by as much as 11 when they plated six in the eighth inning to earn a 24-13 advantage.
Six runs in the bottom of the eighth saved NM State from run-rule humiliation. Aggies outfielder Aidan Taclas hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning before one of the wildest games anywhere in the nation this season came to an end.
NM State's 21 runs were the most it scored against a D-I opponent since tallying 22 against Jacksonville State on April 28, 2024. The previous high this season was 16 against New Mexico in a 10-inning thriller on April 28, and against Prairie View A&M on March 1 in a seven-inning run-rule win. NM State's highest total against any opponent in 2026 was the 39 runs it held against the University of the Southwest on March 10.
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The Panthers and Aggies combined for 98 at-bats, 55 for the visitors and 43 for the home team. Six batters tallied at least four hits, five of whom were FIU players. Steve Solorzano was the only NM State player with four hits. Five home runs were hit, four off the bats of the Panthers. Taclas hit the Aggies' lone homer.
NM State and FIU sent 18 total pitchers into the game. One of the 11 NM State pitchers was infielder Camden Kaufman, a former junior college pitcher who took the mound for the first time at the D-I level in the ninth inning to the crowd's joyful amusement. Those 18 pitchers walked 17 batters (nine drawn by the Aggies and eight drawn by the Panthers), hit nine others (five NM State players were hit, and four FIU players were hit), and allowed 16 doubles (eight each for the Aggies and Panthers). Only two of the 18, FIU's Matthew DelVecchio and NM State's Connor Wylde, allowed zero runs.
At least one run was scored in every inning, and multiple runs were scored in 11 of the 18 half-innings. The Panthers and Aggies combined for 44 hits, 28 for the former and 16 for the latter. FIU batted .509 on Saturday, while NM State's leadoff batters went a perfect 9-for-9.
The Aggies' sweep at the hands of Missouri State from May 8-10 meant they failed to qualify for the CUSA Tournament before this week began, so their third season under coach Jake Angier is over.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU, FIU score 51 runs in offensive masterclass to end 2026 season
Continue reading...
