LOGAN, Utah - Utah State softball (10-12, 2-0 Mountain West) opened its Mountain West ledger with a pair of victories against New Mexico (12-17, 0-2 MW), winning 5-4 and 8-0. 
 
"It's a big start," head coach Steve Johnson said. "We have our preseason but everything is in preparation for this conference play. What we talk about is getting the first win and then we try to win the series. That happened on the same day for us… We're excited for this and now it's on to try to sweep the series."
 
Utah State and New Mexico played just over seven innings of the first game on Friday before the game was suspended due to light tied at 4-apiece. 
 
Freshman left fielder Jaden Colunga put the Aggies on the board first with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. New Mexico later took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth.
 
Utah State reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth after a two-run homer from freshman right fielder Kya Pratt and a RBI single from senior catcher Makenzie Macfarlane for the 4-2 edge. The Lobos then evened the score a 4-all after scoring a run in both the top of the sixth and seventh innings.
 
"It feels so good," Pratt said. "Coming here as a freshman is really intimidating at times so getting that right off the bat feels great. Honestly it's looking real nice right now. The team is definitely coming together. Preseason went great. After that break, we just really came together. Communication is coming together and I can just see this team going far this year."
 
The teams went back-and-forth heading into Saturday until an RBI from sophomore shortstop Ariel Fifita scored graduate first baseman Gabriella Jimenez for the 5-4 walk-off victory in the bottom of the 10th. 
 
Sophomore Mia Reynolds made the start in the circle for the Aggies, striking out five batters and walking two in her 4.0 innings of work. Freshman Hailey McLean earned her fifth win of the season, striking out 11 batters in her 6.0 innings in the circle.
 
"We played really well yesterday in game one," Johnson said. "We gave up too many free passes and missed too many clutch hits, but we got the job done at the end and that was an important step for us to take. Then we came out in game two and we just played with a lot of energy in both games and it showed right away."
 
USU dominated from the plate in game two on Saturday. Sophomore third baseman Claire Raley for the scoring started for the Aggies with an RBI single in the bottom fo the first. A Pratt RBI single and a Lobo error later extended the advantage to 3-0 in the bottom of the second.
 
An RBI double from freshman designated player Grace Matej and a Colunga RBI single in the bottom of the fourth put Utah State on top 5-0. 
 
The Aggies were ready to call things early heading into the bottom of the fifth. Jimenez got things going in the frame with a lead-off bomb to left field. USU then recorded back-to-back singles from sophomore second baseman Claudia Medina and Fifita. Senior center fielder Tyler Thornton doubled to left field to score Medina before an RBI single from Pratt scored Fifita for the 8-0 run-ruled, walk-off Aggie victory.
 
"I love a good competition. I thought that first game was super fun, it was just kind of cold out here in Utah," Pratt said. "But I love run-ruling. The energy in the dugout is just crazy and just getting that game over with, everyone coming together, strong game."
 
Freshman Tess Bumiller pitched her second complete game of the season for her third win, giving up no runs and just three hits in her 5.0 innings of work.
 
"Pitching is everything in this game," Johnson said. "When we're attacking in the circle and we're getting ahead and we can let the defense play loosely, that's when we're most successful. We tell our pitchers to limit the free passes and home runs; those are the two things the defense can't defend. We did that in game two. We made the plays behind, it was a clean game. As long as we stay consistent with that approach in the circle, we're going to be really good."
 
UP NEXT
 
Utah State and New Mexico play the final game of the series on Sunday, March 19, at noon at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field. 
 
For more information on the Utah State softball program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUSoftball, on Facebook at USUSoftball and on Instagram at ususoftball.
 
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