There was a 30-minute intermission after Game
1 of this double-header. Crowd
chatter let me know that this double-header would be a 9-inning game and then a
7-inning game. I had thought that both
would be 7 innings, as the schedule had optimistically stated that Game 1 would
start at 2:00 pm and Game 2 would start at 4:00 pm. Even without knowing the time, I could tell
it was nowhere near 4:00 when Game 2 started.
Actually, several people in the crowd for the second game arrived as the
first game was ending and had to wait through the intermission. (Some came from the Aggie Women’s basketball
game. Talk about real Aggie fans.)
I visited the concession trailer to take care of diner. On the way down the stands, I noticed the
stylish, hot girls who’d been seated in front of me had left a pile of
sunflower shells spit on the stands.
Granted, that was what everyone else was doing, but that seemed less
classy behavior than how they had looked.
For $9 I had a small bad hot dog, lousy nachos, and a Coke Zero, all of which
I ate too fast, which would have consequences.
Immediately, I ended up wearing the nacho sauce. After the game, the nachos came back and
haunted me that night.
At least the stadium music was good. (I found out later that it was 90’s Night at
the ballpark for the music.) There was
even a surprising jazz track that sounded like a Vince Guaradi song. I fiddled with my little radio again, hoping
Game 2 would be broadcast, but no luck.
Taking a look back, the radio press box was dark. With the sun going down, it got cooler, but I
felt prepared as I’d brought a jacket. I
could now clearly see the scoreboard with the dark. The field was well lit. The stadium was not. Seeing to write notes and keep a scorecard
was a challenge.
As attractive as the girls sitting in front of me for Game 1
were, they got topped in Game 2. A
stunning blonde kept getting my attention as she walked past me a few
times. Unlike the other girls who had
clearly invested a lot of time and money in their looks, this girl was in blue
jeans and a t-shirt, with her hair casually pinned up and was wearing little
makeup. She was just naturally
beautiful. As she wasn’t sitting
anywhere near me, I wasn’t able to make an onsite sketch, but after dreaming
about her, I found myself trying to draw her Monday morning. This probably isn’t even close in looks, and
I was rushing this.
During the game, a group of Japanese girls came in and sat directly
behind me. Having watched plenty of
Anime, I knew Japanese when I heard it, though I didn’t understand any of
it. They were a lively bunch. They chattered, “ooh’d and ahh’d” with plays
on the field, giggled, and at one point, even broke into a little song. I’ve seen a couple of baseball games played
in Japan . Their crowds there are pretty passionate, but
these girls (presumably university students) just seemed to be just out for a
little entertainment. They did not seem
to be there rooting for #4 Brent Sakurai of the Aggies, which was the most
tenuous guess I could make for a draw for the girls (and he’s from
Hawaii). In contrast to what I’ve seen
in the cartoons, no tentacles appeared while they were there. (I should mention that I actually haven’t
seen the notorious tentacle Anime, UrotsukidÅji or anything like it, though I have
seen a couple naughty comedies that were very funny and highly inappropriate in
mixed company.)
The game started off well as the Aggies got fired up from
two great defensive plays in the first.
Once again, #7 Daniel Johnson made another great catch in center field
(I’m sounding like a broken record).
Then there was a great relay to third from right field to cut down a
runner trying a stretch a double into a triple.
The bench actually helped by shouting “Three!” to tell the on field
players where to throw the ball. This
got the Aggie dugout rev’ed up. In the
second, it was the Black Bear’s turn, as they got out of a bases loaded jam
(thanks to two more hit batsmen) without giving up a run. I like seeing the players getting really
involved. However, nobody scored for the
first four innings, and everyone quieted down.
It was scoreless, but not tension-less. Everyone waited to see who would break the
seal first. If the ump missed any calls,
don’t worry, both benches and the crowd will let you know. There was no let up on the home plate umpire from
the previous game. Elsewhere in the
crowd, a (I’m trying to be as diplomatic as possible) developmentally
challenged little girl was heckling the Maine
team. It was disconcerting, but she was
into it and having a good time. No harm
done. #9 Roman Trujillo from Las Cruces , came with his
own cheering section, which is appropriate for a hometown young man. In the second inning, I saw a fake to third,
throw (or fake) to first move. This type
of motion is a balk under the current MLB rules. One, it’s a waste of time. Two, it never works. (Okay, I’ve seen it work, but it’s about as
common as a triple play.) The college
rules should be amended. Also, lengthy
timeouts with full team meetings on the field should be discouraged, as college
games typically run too long.
In the fourth, #24 Marcel Renteria, the Aggie pitcher, got
hit on the leg by a liner. He was
checked out and okay, but in the fifth, he was really laboring. Along with a couple of hits, there was a wild
pitch, a balk, and made many throws to first to hold the runners (a sure sign
of a tiring pitcher). Still, Renteria
and the Aggie defense held them to two runs.
There was actual dancing the Maine
dugout. They were back into it. In the bottom of the fifth, the Black Bears
went through three pitchers achieving the same result: two runs scoring with
only one hit and a bunch of walks. The
turning point in the inning was #33 Joe Koerper seemingly hit by a pitch. Coach Brian Green had it out with the ump and
fired up the team and the crowd. Maine ended the inning
with a double play. We were tied.
In the sixth, I held my breath for the possibility of a four
strikeout inning. #27 Joe Galindo
entered the game and got three strikeouts, but one was with a wild pitch, which
allowed the runner to reach. The last
out was a fly out, but I was glad to see a scoreless frame. Just to keep the crowd involved, there was a
foul ball that went straight up and over the screen and dropped unto the entry
stairs to stands. A kid got it and
brought back to an older woman. She
ended up with three or four balls.
Perhaps she was collecting them for the team. There was another older woman sitting
nearby. Though she had a blanket, it had
gotten too cold for her and she left before the end. She told the other lady that she’d listen on
the radio. I should have said something.
Meanwhile, between innings, I noticed
two Aggies running a sprint to the outfield with a coach. It seemed like punishment, but I don’t know
for what.
The final inning, the 7th, started off ominously
as #8 Brett Worthen came in and fell off the mound, nearly cart wheeling,
twice. He was okay, but there must have
been something wrong with the mound. It
didn’t affect his pitching, as he had two strikeouts. #25 Mason Fishback, the catcher, threw out
the one base runner. It had been getting
steadily colder at the park, and my jacket was no longer enough
insulation. I was officially freezing,
but darned if I was going to leave. At
the bottom of the frame, the Aggies got two hits and were moved up by a wild
pitch. With one out, the next batter was
walked intentionally to load the bases for a possible double play. Fishback came up and did hit a grounder to
second. But the play developed too
slowly, and he beat it out to first as pinch runner #18 Greg Popylisen scored the
winning run. The team charged the field,
and I suddenly felt toasty warm for the rest of the evening.
For players of the
game, I give it to Galindo and Worthen for locking down the 6th and
7th innings. The Aggie
defense came up big with some great plays and only one error. I arrived home happy and finally saw a
clock. It was 8:20. So that was a nice, tidy six hours at the
ballpark. Who’s up for a game tomorrow?
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