Tuesday, May 10, 2016

NMSU Aggies vs Seattle U Redhawks Baseball 5-7-16

(Sorry, this is a bit late.)  I mentioned not feeling well going to the game last Sunday.  I spent the week miserable with a cold.  I couldn’t even take a day off to recover, since my backup went on vacation to go to the Canelo-Khan fight Vegas with his girlfriend.  (Though it’s nice to know that there’s one thing at work I do that is actually daily business-critical that not just any untrained yahoo can do.)  I don’t think going to the game made my condition worse, but it didn’t help.  (I was able to thank the officer who’d bought the tickets for the game and told him that he was mentioned there.  He was pleased with the recognition.)  Thankfully by Saturday, the Theraflu-ish stuff I belatedly started taking finished the cold off (and after I’ve likely infected a dozen people at work).

I was feeling so good, when I got up, I went right over to Hastings for Free Comic Book Day just when they opened.  Unfortunately, so had a couple of hundred other people, but I got what I was looking for (and a DVD and a gift for someone to give the store some business).  This doesn’t have anything to do with baseball, but bear with me, this doesn’t merit a separate post, but needs mentioning.  I simply ask you to recall my review of Batman vs Superman, and then take a look at this from the Grumpy Cat free comic.   
    

Even Grumpy Cat is piling on.  And this right after How It Should Have Ended does their magnum opus skewering of the film (oh, watch this Superman episode they did nine years ago first, if you haven’t seen it).  Meanwhile, Marvel releases their superhero vs superhero movie, Captain America: Civil War this weekend to rave critical and fan reviews.  DC, just stick with your awesome CW shows and think about expanding on them (heck, rename the network The DC and do five superhero shows a week, I’m okay with that) and stop embarrassing yourself with your movies. 

Back to baseball.  The Aggies lost an extra-inning heart-breaker Friday night, 10-9 in 10 innings.  Given that they started down 5-0, it was a good effort.  DJ had a pair of home runs and there was even a pineapple giveaway for the fans.  They had the lead in the 9th, but Galindo had his first blown save off a home run, no less. 

The weather for today’s game was wonderful.  I dressed way too warmly and ended up not needing a jacket.  The predicted 40 mph winds for the weekend never really materialized and the ambient temperature was pleasantly warm.  The parking lot was also pleasantly full with three RV’s tailgating.  It was Greek day and a fraternity was there handing out free pizza and playing games at the front gate.  Our attendance was a robust 753 souls, a great crowd.  Being Greek Day, it was the Girl Show when it comes to pretty young women at the ballpark.  This time though, there plenty of young men there as well. 

The frat boys actually provided the best entertainment.  A bunch them occupied the section next to the visitor’s dugout.  These seats were chosen for a reason.  As the Seattle dugout started off the game fairly loudly, they were quickly shouted down by the frats.  As the Seattle players returned after bad at-bats, they got the full business, ruthlessly.  I was on the other side of the stadium and didn’t hear what they were saying, but it must have been Bleacher Creature-esqe as the players were retreating head down to the back of the dugout.   I bear these opposing schools no animosity, so I wouldn’t do this, but I was loving every minute of watching somebody else doing it.
     
There were lots of kids out for the game.  There some by the radio booth crowd mike that everyone got to listen to for the whole game.  I think many were there for the MLB’s Pitch, Hit, and Run competition that took place after the game.  I’d love to break that event down for you like a kid NFL combine, rattling off height, weight, sprint times, and Wonderlic test results, but I was hungry after the game and left immediately afterward.  (By the way, Scholotzsky’s new pretzel bread Ultimate Cheese sandwich is awesome.)  I’m sure it was fun to watch.  I got my allotment to cute kid action in the 6th.  There were about ten kids hanging out by the entrance ramp.  The next foul ball that went out of the stadium sent the whole gaggle of them screaming after it.  It was hysterical.         

There were plenty of characters in the crowd.  There was a little girl with a recovered baseball and a softball.  That’s an interesting souvenir for a baseball game.  There was a guy with a signed bat, and a kid with a bunch of signatures on a jersey.  I think I saw a couple of softball players.  The volleyball player that had been on crutches was just using one crutch this time to get around now.  I was sorry that her teammate wasn’t there.  She’s very pretty and seems like she’s about 7 ft tall.  She’s been hard to miss, whenever she shows up.  The football player from last weekend and his girlfriend were there.  I also noticed that the Redhawks have an attractive female trainer.  The inter-personal dynamics in their clubhouse must be interesting.  

There was a girl in an Oriental bamboo hat.  The traitorous, double agent fashionable girl was not there.  I fully expected to see her wearing a Redhawks jersey this time.  In the 9th, a girl brought in a cute little dog.  I still wonder about the rules for that, but I say, bring in the dogs.  There was a fan with a pineapple, our new mascot.  The dangerous killer hawk returned, ominously circling the field.  The PA even brought in a DJ to play music between innings (sorry, I didn’t write down his name).  He did a good job with the limited canvas to work with. 

Okay, the real fan news here is that I saw the hottest chick ever at the ballpark.  She was dressed in tight-fitting workout clothes, shades, and her long highlighted blonde hair pulled back in a long practical, but elegant ponytail.  To borrow a line from a William Gibson story, if you’re trying to impress a crowd, you have to be really gorgeous to aspire to show up somewhere that casual-looking.  It wasn’t that she had any special features; it was just that every feature that she had was perfect.    

                                         
                                         

The game certainly started off well for the Aggies.  After a 1-2-3 top of the first, #3 Austin Botello came up with a man on.  A big gust of wind suddenly kicked up.  It was an Aggie wind as what looked like a pop up initially, sailed right over the right field fence.  Aggies up 2-0.  #7 Brock Carpenter, last night’s hero for Seattle, lead off the next inning with a home run, but the Aggies answered with a run in the second and two more in the 4th.  5-1 Aggies.

In the 4th, after hitting a home run and a triple, Botello drove in another run on a single.  Unfortunately, he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double, looking to finish the day with a reverse natural cycle.  Carpenter on the Redhawks was also working on a cycle during the game.  I honestly don’t understand the mystical importance of hitting for the cycle.  I just don’t.  I’d take four hits on the day any way they came, preferably like Josh Hamilton hitting those four home runs at Camden Yards in 2012.  That was an achievement.  (Actually, he went 5 for 5 that night.)      

#34 Nick Meservey of Seattle came into the game as one of the best pitchers in the conference, but just didn’t have it today as three of his four walks came into score.  #38 Kyle Bradish had been very effective pitching for the Aggies in the meantime.  However, after his warm up pitches in the 5th, I noticed him rotating his arm, which could pretty much only mean he was in some discomfort.  The hit batsman, the wild pitch, the two-run homer, and finally the walk bore out my theory.  By the end of the inning, it was 6 to 4 Aggies.  Two Aggie relievers were used in the 6th as the Redhawks mounted another comeback, but the damage was limited to one run.  With the score now 6-5 Aggies, #33 Joe Koerper led off the bottom of the 6th with a deep home run to center.  That may have been the back-breaker for Seattle.  Koerper arrived at home plate and was first met by Pona the rally pineapple in the receiving line, whom he promptly kissed.    

In the 8th, #30 Tyler Erwin came in and locked down the inning.  As he came off the field, #12 pitcher Chris Kucko was the first to greet him with screaming and a beating.  The two staged a “rally” fight as it were.  I’d seen them do this on TV during the game with the Lobos earlier in the week.  The announcers were concerned the two might injure each other.  #27 Joe Galindo was brought out for 9th.  He would again face Carpenter, who had homered off him the day before, but this time it ended in a strikeout.  While the tying run came to the plate, Galindo struck him out looking to end the game.  Aggies win 8-5.  

It was a very clean game by both teams without any errors.  Neither club beat themselves, though seven of the 12 batters who didn’t hit their way on did come around to score for both teams.  The Aggies have really tightened up their defense from earlier in the season.  I think credit goes to coach Brian Green for that.  The game went 3 hours and 14 minutes, but the steady scoring, close score, and a large, happy crowd did not allow the game to drag.

Your players of the game are #3 Austin Botello, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run, and #25 Chase Ridder for Seattle (what a great name), on a similar line, who went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run.  #5 Dalton Hurd had the best defensive play on the field with a great diving catch in the 7th.  However, the best play of the game was in the stands.  In the 6th, a foul ball went straight back and hit the canopy and dropped into the crowd.  A young man who might have been a high school player, nonchalantly picked it out of mid-air, and casually tossed the ball to someone nearby.  That got a round of applause from me at least.  Your stat of the game is that the Aggies scored in six of their eight innings.  Even at one and two runs at a time, that is unbearable offensive pressure to put on your opponents.   



I end up finishing off my day watching the Canelo-Khan fight, but that will have to keep for another post.  Free comics, a great game, and a great fight, what a great day!

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