“I’m really proud of the team’s response to our Saturday outing,” Aggie head coach Kathy Rodolph said. “I challenged them hard to live up to the standard they have set for themselves and they certainly did that, it’s a solid start we can build on.”
NM State flexed its offensive muscle throughout the first week of the season. The tournament host finished its five games with a .387 batting average, a .739 slugging percentage, 42 runs on 55 hits and hit 14 balls out of the ballpark, almost three per game.
Senior outfielder Malena Padilla led the charge during the week with three total home runs. Four other Aggie players each had a couple of homers during the tournament, including Western Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Staci Rodriguez and Preseason All-WAC members Emma Adams and Fiana Finau.
“We expect a lot from our offense and it did not disappoint this week,” Rodolph said. “When you hit 14 home runs and score 42 runs in five games, I believe it’s going to be fun to watch us.”
The pitching staff was led by right-hander Karysta Donisthorpe who picked up all three wins for the Aggies, including Sunday’s, and finished with a 1.29 ERA in the tournament. The Farmington, N.M., native pitched 3.2 innings on Sunday while allowing only four hits and one run. She had three of her 15 total strikeouts this week on the final day.
Catcher Tatum Reedy, who was behind the plate on Sunday, has been instrumental in helping Donisthorpe and the rest of the Aggie pitching staff begin to develop great battery chemistry.
“Karysta was outstanding and consistent this weekend and showed a lot of maturity,” Rodolph said. “Tatum Reedy also showed true heart in the catching position this week as she was terrific behind the dish for us.”
All three NM State pitchers got quality time in the circle throughout the tournament. Junior right-hander Makayla McAdams pitched over five innings in the tournament while freshman south paw Dallas McBride pitched 12 innings.
Although at times McBride looked like the freshman, first-time Division-I pitcher which she is, she also showed glimpses of how dominant she can be and helped the Aggies out of many difficult situations, including Sunday when she stepped into the circle in the top half of the fourth with the bases loaded and proceeded to induce a fly-ball out to end the inning.
McBride also quickly let it be known that she is not just a force in the circle, but also at the plate. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native finished the week hitting .455 and was the fourth of the Aggie players to finish with two long balls.
“I saw some great moments from Dallas McBride this week,” Rodolph said. “We threw her into the fire and she showed real glimpses of her potential.”
The big inning for NM State on Sunday came during the bottom half of the third when the Aggies broke a scoreless game wide open with five runs. The big hit came from senior first baseman Kelsey Dodd who slammed a ball over the right-center field wall. The three-run shot was Dodd’s first of the season.
The Rams got one back in the top half of the fourth after an RBI single by third baseman Savannah Clark. It could have been much worse for NM State, however, as Colorado State left the bases loaded.
The Aggies quickly got the run back, plus one, after two runs in the bottom half of the frame on three hits and a hit batsman. NM State would tack another run on in the fifth inning after a Rachel Rodriguez sacrifice fly.
The Aggies led 8-1 after five full innings. The Rams would get a Holly Reinke homer in the top of the sixth inning, but that would be as close as they would get as McAdams came in and got the final six outs for NM State.
“Makayla McAdams came in strong today, even though she was really feeling under the weather,” Rodolph said.
Aggie fans will get another chance to see their team play in a home tournament as NM State will host its second-consecutive tournament, the Troy Cox Classic, beginning Friday, Feb. 13. The Aggies welcome Kansas, Bradley and Weber State to the NM State Softball Complex. A total of 10 games will be played from Friday through Sunday. The Aggies will be part of five of those games beginning with a matchup versus Kansas on Friday at 4 p.m.
A solid W for @NMSUSoftball v Colorado St. Highlight of the day was a 3-R HR by Kelsey Dodd. Listen back here >> http://t.co/JrPB2cdMDr.
— Adam Young (@youngpbp) February 9, 2015