Snake-bitten New Mexico State played with the sense of urgency Hawai'i lacked yesterday in a 5-3 win to avoid a sweep of a Western Athletic Conference series.

The Rainbows (29-12 overall, 7-6 WAC) showed up a little too late, stranding the bases loaded after scoring two in the bottom of the ninth, as 1,528 at Les Murakami Stadium watched UH squander a golden opportunity to pull within a half-game of first-place Louisiana Tech, a 2-1 loser to Sacramento State yesterday. Instead, UH dropped to third place because Fresno State beat San Jose State, 4-0, yesterday.

"We just showed up, threw our gloves on the field, expected to win and deserved to get beat," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.

As an example, a two-base wild pitch in the top of the ninth scored an insurance run for the Aggies. With a runner at second and one out, Darrell Fisherbaugh's first pitch to the right-handed hitting Brandon Lance was low and away. But freshman catcher Landon Hernandez was a bit slow to chase the ball down, allowing Jason Long to score from second base on the wild pitch.

"I thought that Landon didn't go after it the way he should have," Trapasso said. "That was a microcosm of the day. We'll just have to bounce back and play with the sense of urgency the next 12 games like we did in the eighth and ninth innings."

On the other side, the Aggies (15-28, 2-10) were significantly better than in the two losses in which they allowed a combined 16 runs and committed four errors in one of those games. They were flawless yesterday in supporting starter Brian Gausman (3-5), who surrendered three runs, eight hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in eight-plus innings. He was pulled in the ninth after loading the bases. Dillon Smith allowed two of the runners to score, but stranded the bases loaded for his first save.

"We didn't play well for two days," NMSU coach Rocky Ward said. "To come off the floor and come back and get a win was pretty important."

The win was Ward's 200th of his coaching career. But more important, he hopes it jump-starts a team snake-bit by injuries. The Aggies were without the league's leading hitter Luke Hopkins (.431, 12 HRs, 54 RBIs); Gausman was a projected closer until pressed into joining the rotation. Ward said he had eight key players out. But he is hopeful Hopkins will return next week for the LaTech series.

"Now you've got a little momentum and a little hope," Ward said.

As it had done the previous two games, UH scored in the first inning. Two-out singles by Justin Frash and Luis Avila put runners at the corners. But it took a Gausman wild pitch to get Frash home to put UH ahead, 1-0.

Meanwhile, UH starter Ian Harrington, battling the flu he picked up in Nevada last week, looked like he was in control the first two innings. But the Aggies sent nine to the plate in a four-run third.

"I felt a little weak, but I wasn't throwing my fastball where I needed it," said Harrington, who was charged with four runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings, his quickest departure of the season. "It all snowballed from there."

The left-hander, who is listed at 190 pounds, said he lost some weight during his illness, but did not know how much.

Tyler Davis and Matt Daly each followed with three innings, with the latter allowing one run. Fisherbaugh went two-thirds of an inning.

The Rainbows sent eight batters up in the ninth. Singles by Frash and Avila and a hit batsman by Matt Inouye loaded the bases and ended Gausman's day. Smith came in from the pen to face pinch hitter Esteban Lopez, whose fly out to right was too shallow to advance any runner. But Kris Sanchez's sacrifice fly to left made it 5-2. Consecutive wild pitches by Smith made it 5-3. With a runner at third, Jon Hee and Eli Christensen walked to load the bases, putting the tying run on second and winning run at first. But Robbie Wilder flied out to center to end the game.

Hawai'i will need to get into gear next week against hot Sacramento State. The Hornets, who won 2 of 3 from LaTech, are breathing down UH's back, just percentage points behind.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.