NMSU Aggies vs Seattle U Redhawks Baseball 5-8-16

“I hope I don’t look like how I feel,” was the first thing I said to Ron as he picked me up on Sunday.  In spite having a swell day on Saturday, an upset stomach and troubled thoughts kept me awake all night.  I dragged myself out of bed at about 10:30.  After running flowers to my mom down the street for Mother’s Day and running back for a shower and getting out and dressed just in time to get Ron’s call, I’m exhausted.  Good thing the start time of the game had been moved back to noon.  I think the Aggies owed me one anyway.  Ron had had his Mother’s Day plans on Saturday wrecked and decided to spend the day at work instead.  He was looking forward to a pleasant afternoon too.

  

We’re greeted at the gate with free giveaways.  I come away sporting a nifty new totebag and a soft foam baseball, all courtesy of our rival bank.  Aren’t they generous and supportive of Aggie athletics?  Ron is almost beyond complaining.  (The officers take this stuff so hard.)  He took his ball to the marketing director Monday morning and asked, “What are you going to do about this?”  She took the ball from him and was going to scribble out the bank’s name with a pen before he took it back from her.  I just don’t understand why the baseball and softball programs don’t promote things like this and $1 hot dog Sundays and $1 ice cream better.  You’d almost certainly get a few more people to show up for freebies and cheap food.  

Even though it was Mother’s Day and the game time changed, there was still a good crowd of 622 at the park.  I wonder if that “Stuff the Skew” promotion last weekend helped boost attendance this weekend.  They also seemed vocal and into it, which are the best things a crowd can be.  Some great Kansas City Royals gear was in the house.  One guy had a cool t-shirt and another had a KC hat and a solid blue jersey.  While they were sitting in the same section, they weren’t together.  I hope there wasn’t a “wearing the same dress to the prom” vibe going on.  Let’s all just be fans.  Meanwhile, Jezebel returned.  The fashionable girl came slinking back for the final home game.  I’ll forgive her, mostly because she’s hot.  She can show up wearing whatever she wants. 

Walking in with my full radio, since the small one didn’t recharge, my jacket, which I didn’t need, my giveaways, my notebook, and a hot dog and Coke, I was glad to have the tote bag, but I really needed a Sherpa.  Ron and I were joined later by another co-worker, Chuck.  He’d hoped to be with his son today, the student body president.  Unfortunately, he’d enjoyed himself at the game a bit too much on Saturday and was sunburned and sick.  In any case, Chuck seemed to like the facility after his first visit and wanted a return trip.  We ended up discussing the fight for a bit (and I hope to write that up soon).  There was even another officer present with his little son and, embarrassingly, I was the only one who didn’t immediately recognize him in casual clothes.    

  

Before the game, we got a wave from Adam Young, perhaps dashing to the restroom before the game.  I was sorry we weren’t able to stick around after the game so I could tell him how much we enjoyed the broadcasts, and to see the Senior ceremonies.  There was a great little tidbit during the game about coach Brian Green.  He’d worked with Brandon Crawford on the Giants and Cody Decker, currently with the Albuquerque Isotopes, during their college days.  They both praised his work with them on their defense.  Given that I like both players, this certainly boosts the coach even more with me. 

The coaches’ wives tossed out the Mother’s Day pitches.  The players gave them a big round of applause.  Pona the Pineapple’s mom and dad were in attendance.  A couple of fans brought them in with them.  We were honored that they were sitting in our section.  The Pineapples must be filled with pride over their child.  Of course, many other friends and family of the team were there for the last home game.

Okay, this time I was definitely sure that some of the softball team was in attendance.  The only chatter I heard from them was that their practice today was canceled.  They walked right past us going to their seats.  I waved “hello” and smiled.  I identified #10 Amy Bergeson, #18 Rachel Rodriguez, and #24 Corrin Green.  I kept wanting to go over and say “Good luck at the tournament.”  I’d written about these girls and remembered some of their better games.  I really wanted to say something, but was just too shy to do it.  I’m not always this shy, but I definitely am around these players.   

Team captain #23 Fiana Finau was working with the ballpark staff.  She came around throwing cozies to the crowd later.  Fiana looked completely different out of uniform, with her hair down and smiling, dare I say she was downright glamorous.  At last year’s game, the whole team was in a section together, presumably after a practice.  The PA called them out for their great season, and they stood up and got a round of applause.  I wished that had happened again.  Seeing the girls up close, I noticed that they are fairly normal, mortal-sized young women.  The guys are all big strapping young men.  Even Ron, who is a big fellow, was impressed with their size, as he passed by the opposing team while they were leaving by the front gate (which I still think is a terrible thing to have them do).           

 

The Aggies got the scoring started in the second with #11 LJ Hatch hitting a solo home run and #4 Brent Sakurai driving in another.  Aggies up 2-0.  The picture here from the Las Cruces Sun-News is from the start of the third inning.  #18 Greg Popylisen robbed a sure double, leaping at the wall and crashing into it, while making the catch.  Lying on the ground, he held up his mitt with the ball in it.  But, the Redhawks would score later in the inning.  2-1 Aggies.       

The Aggies would drive in one run each in the 3^rd and 4^th.  In the 4^th, #32 Lucas Denney of the Redhawks hit a home run hard enough that Hetzel didn’t even move as it sailed over the right field wall.  Our score was 4-2 Aggies at that point.  To start the 5^th, much like Poplisen earlier, #7 Daniel Johnson also made a crashing catching catch off the deep center field wall.  I hope those walls are padded.  The wind was occasionally gusting, which was probably picking up some of these fly balls.

In the 5^th, I noticed we were surrounded by a bunch of attractive young women sitting around us.  After seeing all these pretty girls at the stadium, does it get old?  No.  Not really.  No.  Back to the game.  Hatch drove in another Aggie run in the bottom of the inning, putting them up 5-2.  Once again, the Crimson was putting up this steady drip of runs on the opposition.  In the 6^th, DJ would get a double off of the sole error of game and then steal third.  Popylisen would reach after being hit by a pitch and advanced on the next out.  These two little mistakes would both come around off a single by #44 Dan Hetzel.  Aggies up 7-2.  This would be the end of the Aggies’ scoring.

Meanwhile, the bullpen, already probably overworked over the last two games, was about to get leaned on again.  While the Aggies were up comfortably, the Redhawks were not ready to give up yet.  The coach had probably hoped to use some of the secondary guys to mop up, but a two-run homer in the 8^th by #25 Chase Ridder brought the score to 7-4.  Aggie closer #27 Joe Galindo came out for the 9^th.  Galindo was definitely overworked and it showed as he yielded a run, two hits, and walk.  With the tying runs in scoring position, #30 Tyler Erwin came in.  If he was gassed too, Erwin gritted it out well, getting the last two outs on a foul and a strikeout.  Aggies win 7-5.    

Here’s your stat of the game.  Take another look at my messy Aggie scorecard.  Coach Brian Green used eight pitchers to get through nine innings.  You think he wanted to win this game?  I’m not sure where he heard it, but Ron said that the Aggies only had one pitcher left.  For players of the game for the Roadrunners, I pick #16 Sheldon Strober for going 4 for 5 and #25 Chase Ridder for hitting another two-run home run.  I’m guessing he’s going to hate leaving town after his weekend.  For the Aggies, #44 Dan Hetzel went 3 for 4, but his clutch 2-RBI base hit in the 6^th was the difference in the score.  Speaking of clutch, how about #30 Tyler Erwin finishing off the game with a strikeout with the tying run on second?

As Ron and I were leaving, it suddenly hit me that my season with in-person Aggie baseball and softball was over.  “What am I going to do with my Saturdays and Sundays now?”  It hit Ron later at the Orange Leaf as he nursed some titanic indigestion after consuming a triple with everything at 5 Guys burgers (they serve shakes now too, by the way).  He squeezed out this epiphany between bouts of pain, “What am I going to until September waiting for Aggie football?”  Well, I’m going back to my usual listening to Rangers, Rockies, and Chihuahuas games on the radio and watching whatever random games show up on Fox.  (I’m guessing Yankees vs Red Sox, Red Sox vs Yankees, Cubs vs Cardinals, and a couple of Rangers games.)  In person, I’m hoping for a couple of trips to see the Chihuahuas this season.  Even better, a trip on Memorial Day weekend to see the Giants and the Rockies in Denver has been booked.  I can live with missing Indy and Monaco for that.