NM State Aggies vs Perdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons Baseball 3-1-20

I’d had this series circled on my calendar since it came out on the schedule.  At last, an opportunity to see the Mastodons!  I had heard of the Perdue-Fort Wayne team at some point last year and became fascinated with their nickname.  It’s about as original as you can get with a team name without being ridiculous, like the Baby Cakes for example.  (RIP.  I wonder what New Orleans is going to be doing for baseball this year.)

Unfortunately, the scheduling didn’t agree with my time this weekend.  I didn’t take time off for the Friday game.  I missed the Saturday double header to go to Senior Day for Women’s Basketball.  I don’t regret that since I saw an overtime Aggie win and got a cool giveaway t-shirt, but I did miss Nick Gonzales hitting five freaking home runs over those two games.

The weather forecast for Sunday’s early game was not encouraging.  Also, the last two weekends, they’d suddenly changed the times for the Sunday games casting the scheduled time in doubt.  Fortunately, it was only cool and overcast to start the morning.  I did have an umbrella with me just in case.  Ron picked me up along with his friend Jenny.  When we got to the parking lot it was full, so we were there at the right time. 

The crowd inside was okay, but got better after the game started.  The Diamond Club only had few people there though.  It was dog day.  There was an adorable Corgi-ish pooch down in front.  He was barking at the Mastodons, so we knew that he was an Aggie dog.  The Aggies on the field were in their whites, but with cool digi-desert camo hats.  I’d show up early for a giveaway on those or something close to it.  A couple of the guys were throwing around a football. 

I’m not going to rehash my sob story from the basketball game, but former Aggie Soccer star Aileen Galicia was working at the game for the marketing department instead of Emerson.  I sort of expected this.  Anyone in that degree plan ends up working at the ballpark at some point.  I wasn’t seeing her constantly in front of me like I was at the Pan-Am Center yesterday, so it wasn’t as depressing.  (Not that I’m complaining about seeing a beautiful young woman in any case.)             

Egad!  The scorecards added up on the first try.  Going back to yesterday’s basketball scorecard, this is a two-game streak, my longest ever.  Granted there might some discrepancies with the official scoring due to a couple of judgment calls.  I did consult the rule book later where I wasn’t sure.

Chris Jefferson started for the Aggies, who was un-scored upon in his first two starts.  The top of the first was quick, like PFW (Perdue-Fort Wayne) was in a rush to make a flight.  There was no radio call, but there was TV, which might have said if there was a curfew.  Aileen came down to take a picture of the Corgi for the team Twitter.  A white hound dog came in, who also got his picture taken.  The dogs seemed friendly with each other.  In the Aggie half of the frame, Zerek Saenz got on via a high throwing error by the shortstop.  Nick singled, but a strikeout and a double play ended the inning.

The top of the second was even quicker.  The Mastodons were swinging away on the first pitch.  The sun came out a bit.  The crowd was unnaturally reverently quiet.  Perhaps everyone was worried nothing would happen in this game.  After two quick outs, Noah Haupt and his Major League-level beard (as the TV commentary dubbed on Friday) singled.  A walk and a single up the middle by Tommy Tabak drove Noah in.  1-0 Aggies.  I saw my co-worker, Jessie, come in.  I’ve seen him here a couple of times this season.  I’ve called him the Mayor because everywhere he goes he’s smiling, shaking hands, and chatting with people.  Today was no exception, as Jessie went around to several people in the stadium.

The announced temperature for the game was in the 60’s.  Back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it was 42 degrees.  The Mastodons did have some fans with them.  It was $1 hot dog day.  Ron and Jenny would get up to go to the Concessions to clean them out.  The Corgi didn’t want his owner’s offered doggie treat and was instead barking for his hot dog.  (The dog clearly has no taste in food.)

After two strikeouts in the third, a Mastodon singled to break up the no-hitter.  (That might have made the game interesting.)  Jefferson went ahead and struck out the next batter.  The ump seemed to be calling nothing but strikes for him.  Chris was also working fast.  Aileen brought a little girl down for the window toss contest.  The girl threw the ball a bit indifferently, but hit it.  The Aggie dugout gave her a round of applause.  A lady brought in a large shaggy black dog that might have actually been a pony.  Aileen made sure to get a picture of that dog.  She was doing a good job.

Nick led off the bottom of the third with another single.  A comment in the crowd was, “He’s in a slump.”  Compared to five home runs yesterday, maybe.  Two outs followed.  Zach Smits took two balls before being given an intentional walk (unless he got brushed by a pitch).  Kevin Jimenez singled in Nick.  Noah then rifled a double down the first base line to score two more.  4-0 Aggies.

Ouch!  Catcher Jason Bush took one off the cup in the fourth.  He said he was okay, but the ump chatted with Jefferson for a minute anyway.  The next batter, Garett Lake, singled.  Then, Garrett Mohler smacked a double to the centerfield wall.  The ball was bobbled and the Garett with one “R” scored.  A sacrifice brought in the Garrett with two “R’s.”  4-2 Aggies.  It took 14 1/3 innings, but Jefferson was finally scored on.  I have one of those runs being earned.  I think there was a double even without the error.

The Mastodons had had enough of Nick for the weekend and intentionally walked him in the bottom of the fourth with two out and nobody on.  He was picked off, but beat out the throw to second for the steal.  Unfortunately, Tristan Peterson struck out for the third time in a row to end the inning.  Jefferson was back on track in the fifth and got three groundouts to second.

Bush walked in the bottom of the fifth.  Zach hit into an easy double play, but the shortstop bobbled it and didn’t get either out.  KJ came the closest for to homering for the Aggies today.  His shot down the third base line just curled foul.  He grounded out, but a wild pitch got Bush to third where Noah drove him in with a shallow sacrifice to center.  5-2 Aggies.

Jefferson cruised through the top of the sixth.  The pocket contest was asking for cold and flu related items.  Like I needed to be reminded after my bout last week and anybody else needs it after the concurrent new virus scare.  The Mastodons brought in a new pitcher for the bottom.  His second pitch hit the backstop.  Zerek struck out, but the third strike went straight between the catcher’s legs to the backstop to let him on.  Nick was up next and a pitch flew over his head before an intentional walk was given from the dugout.  The PFW coach took that pitcher out and brought in a new one.

That didn’t work out any better.  After the first walk, the PA played Walk Like an Egyptian.  The second walk forced in a run.  A single by Zach brought in two runs.  After a third walk, the coach had to bring in another pitcher.  This one finished the inning with a quick double play.  Damage done.  Aggies up 8-2.

I had my personal highlight here.  Volleyball player Cat Kelly came in with her mom (I’m guessing).  (I may or may not have seen some other team members in the crowd too.)  Since she walked right passed me, I couldn’t resist talking to her (unlike my insecurity in talking to Aileen).  Cat might have vaguely remembered me when I talked to her last year (11-14-19).  

I congratulated her on the team’s season.  I also told her how brave she was at the WAC Tournament playing with her injury.  Upsettingly, she said her leg still hurt (though the pain apparently doesn’t keep her from being awesome on court).  Cat is such a soft-spoken sweetheart.  She must be a ferocious competitor to be where she is, but it’s hard to imagine that from meeting her.  I also got to rub it in on Ron later that he missed seeing her.

Jefferson got a double play to end a three-batter the top of the seventh.  Ron and Jenny actually came back right after.  They were in time for a drunken-sounding Seventh Inning Stretch led by some guys having a really good time in the center grandstand seats.  In the bottom, Austin Duffy got on as the PFW third baseman bobbled his grounder.  It wasn’t ruled an error.  Nick was intentionally walked for a third time.  He hadn’t even made it to the batter’s box before they waved him to first.  Tristan cashed in that slight with a run-scoring single.  9-2 Aggies.

Freshman pitcher, Sammy Natera, came on for the Aggies in the eighth.  Ron didn’t think Jefferson had thrown to much more than 70 pitches (it was actually 53!), but with this lead, Coach Kirby maybe wanted to give a couple of pitchers some work.  Sammy hit the leadoff batter with his first pitch, who then staggered to first.  Bush went down as well on the play.  I’m not sure if he was hit by the ball or the bat.  Sammy gave up a single that advanced the first runner to third, who then came in on a passed ball.  Another run came in on a ground out.  9-4 Aggies.

The forecast wind was now kicking up hard and it was cold.  A Mastodon fly ball last inning travelled pretty well, but mostly the wind seemed to be crossing the field.  The Mastodon DH, Andrew Lawvere, came in to pitch.  Looking at his stats, he is apparently a two-way player.  Lawvere worked a quick bottom, as the Aggies swung early.  It was getting colder, but the crowd was mostly sticking around since the game seemed about over.      

What happened next happened so quickly, shock didn’t even set in while it was happening.  I barely took any notes on the action, but it was all pretty straight forward.  Alex Reyes came in with a five-run lead.  The Mastodons started off the inning with three-straight hits, which scored a run.  Reyes got a strikeout and then a groundball for a double play.  However, Nick wasn’t able to turn it and only got one.  Four more singles rapt through as PFW batted around and tied the score.  9 all.

Well. 

Didn’t see that coming. 

I think the Aggies were actually lucky it was tied.  They could have easily been trailing going into the bottom of the ninth.  Big boy pants engaged.  Duffy leadoff the bottom by getting hit hard enough by Lawvere, who was still pitching, to hear it well up in the stands.  Tabak then crushed a double to the center field wall.  Duffy tore around third and was waved around.  He slapped the plate as the throw came in late.  Aggies win 10-9!  Tommy was mobbed on field.  That was unnecessarily exciting, but a great result.  Yeah, we didn’t have our usual comeback win today, so decided to do a walkoff win instead.  What a bunch of drama queens.           

Let’s hand out some gameballs?  (Somehow pretending this wasn’t a near complete disaster at the end.)  For those pesky Mastodons, Dylan Stewart went 3 for 4 and Garett, with one “R,” Lake had the big two-run single in the ninth.  For the Aggies, Chris Jefferson gave up 2 runs in 7 innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks, a tremendous effort that was almost wasted.  (Alex Reyes is a good pitcher, but took a tough loss in Tucson last week.  He apparently hasn’t recovered.)  Zach Smits and Noah Haupt had great days driving in the runs, but forget it.  Tommy Tabak gets the nod for saving the win.  

The game finished in about two-and-a-half hours.  It was quick, which was a good thing because it started getting really unpleasant with the wind soon afterward.  We ran into Jessie on the way out and chatted for a bit.  On the field, the coach’s little dog was running around as his handler was trying to catch him.  (I saw video of another game earlier this week, where he got loose during play somehow.)  Nick was being set up to be interviewed in the dugout.  I think I heard him asking for a golf cart and a driver to take him to first directly from the dugout, rather than having to walk there during his at bats.  “It’d just speed up the game a little,” he said. 

We picked up Jenny’s husband, Steve, for lunch at Andele’s in Old Mesilla.  I’m sure it’s great food if you like Mexican food.  Otherwise, you’re having a hamburger, like I did.  I saw a waiter take one by and figured out I wasn’t going to be able to eat one in one sitting.  I ordered the Kiddie Burger, which was still about the size of a regular Whataburger.  Afterward, we were at Caliches.  Starting today, they were offering Ron’s favorite seasonal special, the Key Lime Pie flavor.  Jenny was happy with seeing two good games over the last two days (though she would have been okay with a blowout win today instead).  She’ll will be heading back to Arkansas this week, but will be taking back a few happy sports memories and some Aggie swag.