Heath Goin pitched seven strong innings to lead New Mexico State over Hawai'i, 9-3, today in the first game of Western Athletic Conference doubleheader at Les Murakami Stadium.

Goin (4-1) gave up three runs (one earned), five hits, a walk and three hit batsmen with three strikeouts for the Aggies (16-18 overall, 5-6 WAC). Dillon Smith followed with two scoreless innings, allowing a walk and a hit with one strikeout in a non-save situation.

Josh Slaats (0-4) lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned), four hits and two walks with one strikeout for the Rainbows (15-21, 7-8).

The Aggies wasted little time against Slaats, scoring in the first. Richard Stout led off with a single to left, stole second, took third when Joseph Scaperotta grounded out to second and scored on Chris Auten's single to short. Auten scored on Tyler Hardt's hit-and-run double to right-center to make it 2-0.

The Rainbows got one of the runs back in the bottom of the first. Sean Montplaisir led off with a walk, took second on Derek DuPree's sacrifice, went to third when Jon Hee grounded out to second and scored on Branodn Haislet's single to left to pull UH to 2-1.

The Aggies chased Slaats in the third. Auten hit a solo home run with one out to make it 3-1. Hardt reached on second baseman Greg Garcia's fielding error and Marcus Quade walked, ending Slaats' day. Josh Schneider came in and struck out Franky Busani, but Joe Leghorn's RBI single to left-center made it 4-1 before Bryan Marquez struck out.

The Aggies added a run in the fifth. Hardt led off with a single and was safe at second when Schneider's high throw pulled shortstop Hee off the bag when Quade reached first on fielder's choice bunt. The runners advanced on Busani's sacrifice and Hardt scored on Leghorn's sacrifice fly to left to make it 5-1.

NMSU kept up the scoring in the sixth. Jusitn Lucero led off with a double, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Stout's single to left, making it 6-1.

The Rainbows cut their deficit in half in the sixth. DuPree reached on shortstop Stout's fielding error and Hee was hit by a pitch. Haislet reached first when he grounded to short for a force at second to put runners at the corners, setting up Jeff Van Doornum's two-run double to center to pull UH to 6-3.

The Aggies increased their lead in the eighth with a three-run home run to right by Scaperotta, his second of the series and 13th of the season, to make it 9-3.

Alex Myers, a first baseman, made his pitching debut for the Rainbows, pitching a perfect inning, striking out one.