MOBILE, Ala. The No. 6 seed New Mexico State Aggies built a 10-0 lead in the first three innings en route to a 20-9 victory over No. 1 seed South Alabama in the championship game of the Dodge Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Stanky Field Saturday. The Aggies earned their first NCAA Tournament bid in the schools history as they took the automatic bid given to the conference winner. Third baseman Hal Bisnett was 3-for-4 on the day with two doubles, a home run, and three RBI for the Aggies and was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. Other top Aggie hitters on the day included outfielder Kurt Wilkinson, 4-for-6 with four RBI, and second baseman Gabe Veloz, 3-for-5 with five RBI.
Josh Touchstone of USA extended his school and Sun Belt Conference record-hitting streak to 29 games. Ben Nelson hit his first home run of the season, and Kyle Stanky homered as well for the Jaguars.
Justin Brown (3-2) earned the win for the Aggies by pitching a scoreless 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing just one hit. Mike Hale started for NMSU and pitched a scoreless two innings before giving way to Jerrod Marcangeli. Marcangeli pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs, two earned, before Brown came on in fourth inning. Mike Smith pitched the final four innings of the game to earn his third save of the season.
Eric Thomas (2-4) took the loss for the Jaguars. Thomas started and gave up the games first run in two-thirds inning of work. Seven USA pitchers took the mound with Caleb Crosby and Kevin Sytko retiring the most batters. Crosby pitched three innings and gave up two runs, and Sytko pitched the final two innings and allowed three runs.
The Aggies (37-23) and the Jaguars (41-17), expected to be an NCAA Tournament at-large selection, will await the outcome of the NCAA Tournament selection show on Monday at 11:30 a.m. (CDT) to determine their postseason possibilities.
New Mexico State 20, South Alabama 9 (May 25, 2002 at Mobile, Ala.)
New Mexico State 154 001 612 - 20 18 2 (37-23)
South Alabama 002 200 131 9 14 3 (41-17)
Eric Thomas, Mel Spivey (1), Adam Wood (3), Caleb Crosby (4), Scott Mularz (7), Bert Heath (7), Kevin Sytko (8) and Shane Scoville, Kyle Stanky. Mike Hale, Jerrod Marcangeli (3), Justin Brown (4), Mike Smith (6) and Erik Winegarden. W - Brown (3-2). L Thomas (2-4). HR Winegarden (15), Kenning (24), Bisnett (6), Nelson (1), Stanky (3). T-3:32 A-1,794.
Game notes: Game 13 (Championship) of Dodge Sun Belt Conference Tournament. New Mexico State earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. NMSU wins first tournament championship.
Tournament Notes
*Sun Belt Tournament Records
- Team Single Game Home Runs: (tied) 5, South Alabama (vs. Florida International, May 24, 2002); 5, Florida International (vs. New Orleans, May 22, 2002)
- Individual Single Game Runs Scored: (tied) 5, Erik Smallwood, USA (vs. Florida International, May 24, 2002)
- Individual Single Game Home Runs: (new) 3, Ryan Mulhern, USA (vs. Florida International, May 24, 2002)
- Individual Single Game Innings Pitched: (tied) 10.0, Ryan Bicondoa, WKU (vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, May 23, 2002)
- Team Single Game Combined Runs: (tied) 29, New Mexico State 20, South Alabama 9 (May 25, 2002)
*Sun Belt Conference Records
- Consecutive Game Hitting Streak: (new) 29, Josh Touchstone, USA (April 5 May 25, 2002; still going)
- Individual Single Season Home Runs: (new) 29, Brad Eldred, FIU, 2002 (still going)
- Individual Single Season RBI: (new) 94, Ryan Kenning, NMSU, 2002 (still going)
*NMSU, with the No. 6 seed, is the lowest seeded team to ever advance to the championship game.
*NMSU is the third team in four years to play for a tournament title in their first opportunity as a member of the Sun Belt Conference Florida International (1999 won), Middle Tennessee (2001 lost). The Aggies are the second team in four years to win a tournament title in their first opportunity as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. NMSU did not qualify for the tournament in 2001.
*A No. 1 seed has not won the tournament since 1996.
*NMSU has not played in a conference tournament since 1980 when the Aggies were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
*USA is playing in their 14th Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game.
*Six different teams have won the conference tournament in Mobile, Ala. South Alabama (1980, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000), New Orleans (1978), South Florida (1990), Arkansas State (1994), Louisiana-Lafayette (1998) and New Mexico State (2002).
*USA had an 8-game tournament winning streak going into the championship game.
*NMSUs Ryan Kenning hit his second home run in 19 games, 24 for season, second in the conference behind FIUs Brad Eldred. Eldred and Kenning are under consideration to participate in the 2002 Rawlings Home Run Challenge in Omaha on June 13.
Quotes
New Mexico State Head Coach Gary Ward: We had a lot at stake today. They didnt have much at stake today. We just executed awfully well offensively. We got some breaks and some key base hits. The baseball gods were sitting on our shoulders. Hitting here was the real challenge. I think we relaxed today. Having gotten here, we felt we belonged here and really played with a lot of emotion.
Coach Ward on the play of MOP Hal Bisnett: Hal has really been playing better. Hes starting to show power. He was a guy earlier in the year that really had some fundamental mechanical things and he fought through it. Over the last month, hes really given us power and hes given us great at-bats."
South Alabama Head Coach Steve Kittrell: You really have to give a lot of credit to New Mexico State. Its a humbling game. We played about as poorly as Ive seen us play all year. Im disappointed, but certainly been around this game long enough to know that once in awhile there are days like this and we just picked a bad day to have it. New Mexico State has an outstanding hitting ball club. We just walked too many. We didnt pitch well today. Its a situation where we have to react to this loss and get ready for next week. Maybe its a wake-up call. Last year we won this thing and went to the regionals and didnt play well, so maybe we will turn it around. I just know they outplayed us. They totally dominated the game. They have a really good team."
Most Outstanding Player Junior third baseman Hal Bisnett (Lake Stevens, Wash.)
We just finally put a good game together. I dont think anyone felt any pressure (of trying to win on South Alabamas home field). We just wanted to come out and play a good game.
--2002 SBC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT--