LAS CRUCES, N.M. –For the second straight weekend, freshman standout Desirae Spearman served as a catalyst to the success of the Aggies. However, this time the stakes were raised as she dominated in the circle and at the plate to help the Aggies (5-1) split their series with Big Ten counterpart Nebraska (3-3) on Friday evening at the NM State Softball Complex. In the opener, Spearman pitched a complete game and allowed just one hit to lead the Aggies to a 3-0 win over the Huskers. The second half of the series went the way of the visitors as Nebraska topped the Aggies 4-1.
The victory over Nebraska marks the first over a Power Five program since the Aggies also defeated the same Husker program in 2020 – doing so twice during a shortened season.
On Friday, the Aggies were led by Spearman who finished the day 4-for-6 at the plate with three RBIs, one home run and a double while tallying seven innings and four strikeouts in the circle. The Aggie offense also received support from sophomore Kendal Lunar who notched her second home run of the young season. In her second start as an Aggie, Jaileen Mancha was also effective as she recorded five strikeouts and allowed one earned run in five innings of work.