TEMPE, Ariz. – On a chilly morning at Farrington Stadium, the bats for Michigan and New Mexico State were unaffected by the weather. 

The Wolverines (9-2) rallied in the third inning, putting up four runs and fending off the Aggies (5-8) in a 5-3 victory. Both teams started the weekend in the Sun Devil Classic on Friday, Feb. 20, with their best in the circle. 

However, that didn't stop a barrage of hits, as Michigan sophomore pitcher Kat Meyers gave up nine hits in a complete game on Friday.

The clutch hitting was the winning variable for the Wolverines, as they went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, helping fuel the big third inning. 

After three straight singles loaded the bases to start the inning, redshirt junior catcher Lilly Vallimont came through with a two-RBI base knock to give Michigan a 3-0 lead. 

After a sacrifice bunt by junior designated player Erin Hoehn put two more runners in scoring position, junior outfielder Ella Stevenson made it 5-0 Wolverines with a base hit of her own. 

Meyers eventually settled in on the mound, retiring six of the last seven Aggies hitters. On the other side, NM State junior pitcher Faith Aragon shut down the Michigan hitters for the final three frames. 

Aragon also went complete in the circle, giving up eight hits and five earned runs while striking out seven. She enjoyed a strong day at the plate as well, going 4-for-4 in the leadoff spot for the Aggies. 

The only long ball of the day came from NM State sophomore second baseman Bella Clapp. In the fourth inning, the lefty sent a two-run shot the other way over the leaping outfielders in left-center field to cut the lead in half, but that ended up being the end of the Aggies’ scoring on Friday.

Clapp, a graduate of nearby Hamilton High School in Chandler, went 1-for-3 on the day and made a couple nice plays at second base in her return to the Valley. 

Clapp’s home run still wasn’t enough for NM State, though, as the Wolverines took an early lead in the first and played from ahead the whole day. 

Vallimont led Michigan offensively out of the 3-hole, going 2-for-3 with two extra-base hits and two RBI. On top of that, Vallimont also flashed the leather on Friday, gunning down an Aggies runner at second base from behind the plate. 

The Michigan native has had a strong start to the 2026 campaign hitting .424 along with 11 RBIs. 

Junior centerfielder Jennisa Conway also tallied two hits in the leadoff spot for the Wolverines, as she picked up two singles and came around to score in the third inning.

Conway, who is hitting .515 this year, provided a good spark at the top of Michigan's order in the win to kick off the Sun Devil Classic.

The Wolverines will have their first of two opportunities to take down the host, No. 22 Arizona State, at 3:30 on Friday, before facing off with the Sun Devils again on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the same time. 

While it was a long trip to Tempe for the tournament, Michigan brought more than just players and coaches. Friday’s crowd at Farrington Stadium was filled with maize and blue, and the Wolverines fans – almost 2,000 miles away from Ann Arbor – sang along to “The Victors,” the famous Michigan fight song, after the win and went home happy.