NMSU loses to Texas Tech

New Mexico State coach Brian Green said the Aggies did a good job with the game plan offensively and that they were aggressive early in the count.

But from a execution standpoint, NMSU fouled off a lot of fastballs that were hittable early in the count as the Aggies fell to No. 9 seed Texas Tech 9-2 to open the NCAA Lubbock Regional on Friday in Lubbock, Texas.

“We always want to be aggressive, but going into the game, we really couldn’t miss the fastball because they have good secondary stuff,” Green said. ”We fouled too many balls off. If you could it again, you hoped you could a better job with fastball offensive execution.”

The Aggies (40-21) were making their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2012 and will face either Louisville or Kent State in a elimination game Saturday.

NMSU starting pitcher Jonathan Groff, the 2018 Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, got ahead in the count a lot against Texas Tech, but could not get his changeup down.

Texas Tech, which finished with 11 hits, did damage with two outs in the first, taking a 3-0 lead with a RBI double from Grant Little and then a two-run home run by Zach Rheams.

Joey Ortiz cut the Tech lead to 3-1 with a solo home run, his seventh of the season, in the top of the third, but the Red Raiders added two runs in their half of the third and added four more in the bottom of the seventh.

Groff gave up five runs, all earned, on eight hits with strikeouts and two walks for his first loss since March 31 against Sacramento State. Groff had nine straight wins going into Friday.

“His [Groff] stuff was OK,” Green said. ”They did a really job of scheming with him. But his secondary stuff was up. He was throwing them for strikes, but his changeup was up. Normally that change is diving down where he gets the ground ball and the rollover. It was just up today and his fastball was average.”

Tech starting pitcher Dylan Dusek lasted onlytwo innings as he was having blister issues, but relief pitcher Ryan Shetter only gave up one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts in five innings to get the win.

The Aggies finished with eight hits with Ortiz finishing 2 for 4 with a home run and a RBI and Caleb Henderson was 2 for 4 with a triple and a RBI.

NMSU will send Kyle Bradish to the mound on Saturday.