NM State Aggies vs Liberty Flames Softball 4-12-25

Thanks to scheduling, this is my first Aggie Softball game report since early February.  I’ve put in some little recaps with my Aggie Baseball reports.  The team has been having a pretty good season up until last weekend.  They got swept in three games in El Paso at UTEP.  This was quite the shock, as the Aggies have historically done well against the Miners, have a better record this season than the Miners, and poached the Miners’ best player before the season started.  Just looking at the box scores and recaps, I couldn’t get an explanation.  The Aggies seemed to have everyone playing. 

 

This wasn’t the best time for the Aggies to play the best team in the conference and #25 in the nation, Liberty, even at home.  They lost Friday night, 5-1.  Saturday, after a great lunch at Freddy’s with a grilled cheese hamburger, I chugged a large cup of water and took off to the Softball Complex.  It was hot and sunny with a breeze blowing.  It was reasonably nice, but that water was a great idea.  In two-and-a-half hours, I had no need to go to the bathroom.  Winter was definitely over.  The official scoring listed the temperature as, “Hot enough to slowly cook meat.”

 

I drove past the Soccer field and it was completely torn up with construction.  I was wondering why they’d scheduled an exhibition at a nearby field next week.  (I might go to that.)  Outside the stadium, I picked up two softballs that were loose from the practice field and took them up to the pressbox for a “Sweeeeet prize.”  I might have should have given them to some kids to redeem, but I didn’t see any on the way in.  The little lollipop wasn’t a bad idea to have to suck on in the heat, anyway. 

 

A great crowd of 428 showed up for the game.  There was a good buzz going around and everyone seemed to be having a good time.  One guy was having a really good time.  He was wearing a cowboy hat, cut-offs, and a Western shirt.  He was dancing in the aisle to a 90’s hip hop song.  He would be dancing for the rest of the game during breaks.  He reminded me of the guy with the big headphones that dances in the aisle at the Pan-Am Center.  I hope this guy had something to drink there, because he was really working it in the heat.           

 

The Aggies were doing their usual pregame ritual and included the team photographer in their bump session.  They also did something new by making a circle together.  Afterward, I saw pitcher Taryn Bennett juggling softballs.  I can juggle, as well.  That’s a worthwhile skill. 

As you can see, that grilled cheese hamburger was the best thing about my day.  (Actually, I watched the newest Mobile Suit Gundam, GQuuuuux, on Amazon Prime this morning and loved it, too.  I haven’t seen a new anime that I’ve loved in a long time.)  Jaileen Mancha started for the Aggies.  She didn’t have much trouble, except for a bobbled ball in the left field by Devin Elam.  That was a bad precursor of things to come.  Kaylan Yoder started for Liberty.  One of her pitches to Desirae Spearman flew over the umpire’s head, but she struck Des out looking.  Elam drew a walk and Lauren Garcia battled for several pitches before finally fouling out to end the inning.

 

The PA announced it was National Siblings Day.  I’d mentioned a bunch of sister relations on the team earlier (2-8-25), but I missed one.  The third base coach is the older brother of first baseman, Kristiana Watson.  This guy really looks like he should be playing on the Baseball team or the Football team.  He’s a head taller than everyone else on the field.      

 

The wheels came off in the top of the second.  It started off with a bad throw from Kenzie Nicholson at second to let on the leadoff batter with a two-base error.  The next batter had a bunt single, and then the next batter drove in the first run with a sac fly.  After a run-scoring single, Coach Rodolph went out for a conference.  The PA played the Home Depot commercial music, but it wasn’t an ad.  Or was it? 

 

The next Flames batter dropped a bunt perfectly into the small part of the batter’s box that is fair and got on.  The crowd and the coach complained, but it was likely fair.  Rachel Roupe came up and hit a low liner to left that Elam wasn’t able to come up with and two runs scored.  Elam seemed to throw the runner out at second, but Roupe was ruled safe.  The crowd was in an uproar again.  The next batter hit a hard shot to third, but Taylor Nicholson couldn’t come up with it and another run scored.  4-0 Liberty.

 

In the bottom of the second, Yoder accidently rolled a pitch to the plate.  Don’t let that fool you; she could throw very hard, if a bit wild.  A foul ball went backward and dropped onto the aluminum walkaway and put a small dent in it.  Tamara Carranza beat out a hustle double on a blooper.  Taylor singled.  Sister Payton Nicholson pinch ran for her and stole second easily.  However, Yoder finished off the inning with a pair of strikeouts.

 

Desirae, who was playing in center, caught a deep flyball for the first and last out of the third.  She’d also caught a fly there for the final out of the previous inning.  The breeze was blowing across the field and seemed to be knocking balls down.  Jaileen only gave up a single for the inning, which deflected off her glove.            

 

Between innings, the PA mentioned Emma Bunch of the Women’s Golf team played at the Ladies Masters last week and came in 11-th.  I saw some of that tournament.  There were some yellow towels in the crowd and remembered there was a Masters giveaway item today.  Dad had mentioned it yesterday.  If I’d remembered I might have gone early to get one for him.  Or not, I don’t know if being out in the heat for another 20 minutes would have been worth it.  They threw a few to the crowd.  I tried to get one there, but it didn’t happen.  Sorry, dad.  One of the girls tossing them, I think, was former AD Mario Moccia’s daughter.  I can’t believe she’s old enough to be in college.     

 

Desirae was caught looking again for the first out of the bottom of the third inning.  The crowd was angry again, though she was not.  Yoder gave up a walk before Roupe made a great play in right field on a foul ball.  I think.  I couldn’t see it where I was sitting, but assume she had to make a running catch for it.

 

The top of the fourth did not go well.  Jaileen gave up her first walk and was relieved by Zantelle Rodriguez.  She immediately gave up a single and then a three-run homer to Roupe.  The homer was a line drive to center that may have hit the cameraman on his perch there.  He definitely flinched.  Zantelle was not helped out afterward by the defense.  Kenzie had another error at second and Tamara had an error at short.  Those errors and two singles brought in two more runs.  Taryn came in in relief and her first pitch hit the batter on the helmet.  She gave up a run-scoring single, but finally got the last out.  That was six runs to make it, 10-0 Liberty.

 

 

By this point, maybe half of the crowd had deserted.  The PA announced that Football season tickets were on sale.  Tickets come with a Wave the Wonder Dog figure.  As much as I like the dog, I hope they’re not planning on marketing him again as the main reason to see the team. 

 

The Aggies only managed a walk in the bottom of the fourth.  In the top of the fifth, the Aggie defense managed to throw out the lead runner twice on consecutive groundball plays.  The PA played the disco classic, I Will Survive, in the break.  The Dancing Cowboy was still dancing.  Desirae came up again, and with the wind dying down, she cranked one out to left center . . . where KK Madrey reached over the wall and brought it back.  It was that kind of day for the Aggies.  Liberty wins 10-0 in a run rule.

 

I don’t think Liberty needed any help to win this game, but 4 errors definitely did in the Aggies.  That total doesn’t even include a few other dropped balls.  The Aggies were playing nervous.  They also couldn’t hit Kaylan Yoder, who was effectively wild in the shutout.  She gets a Gameball, along with Savannah Woodard, who was 3 for 4, and Rachel Roupe, who had 4 RBI’s and a 3-run homer.  For the Aggies, I reluctantly hand one to Taryn Bennett, who didn’t allow a run of her own in relief. 

 

Both teams came together on field to wave to the crowd.  They then made a prayer circle.  That was a nice touch.  I went home in some measure of dread of having to come back early tomorrow morning for the ***next game.***  This is not how I wanted what is probably my last Softball series of the season to go.  On the radio, I got to listen to three more blowout games against teams I like (though another team I like did win one of those blowouts).  It was that kind of day.    

Comics Review: Archie Milestones #28 Jughead Food Festival

I saw this on the Barnes & Noble newsstand and had to have it.  It’s a bunch of stories about Jughead eating; how could it not be fun?  In short, it was.  There were several stories drawn by Rex Lindsey inside, so you can enjoy his well-detailed artwork, and the fine work of other Jughead artists.

 

The opening story is conceptually the funniest.  Coach Keats recruits Jughead as a motivational speaker for the hockey team.  This works out about as well as you’d think.  At least concession sales went up.

 

Dan Parent introduces this attractive redhead.  Archie and Reggie strike out with her, but somehow she wants Jughead.  Of course, Jug’s attraction to her is food-related.  There’s no explanation why she’s after him, though.

 

It looks like Josie and Valerie make a cameo in this Samm Schwartz Jughead tale.  (Or maybe not.)  I love Samm’s panels of Jughead going berserk with food.

 

Fernando Ruiz shows a dashing, dancing Jughead, who’s promoting Mrs. Beazly’s ethnic dishes in the cafeteria.  Unfortunately, this attracts too much female attention for him.

 

I just love this Lindsey panel with Archie’s reaction to Jughead’s hot sauce.

 

Here’s another funny concept.  A modern “artist” decides to put Jughead on display as a work of art, The Jug.  I do have to admit, Lindsey is a great Jughead artist, but he’s better at drawing guys than girls, such as Betty and Veronica.  His characters are a bit too cartoony to make them as glamorous as most other Archie artists do.  I wonder if this is how Samm ended up drawing Jughead, as well.  For his character of Trula Twyst, Rex does puts more detail on her.  (At least I think he created her.  I can’t find any info on that.)    

   

I love this panel with the micro-burgers.  I feel like Lindsey lives next to a real life Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe for him to draw it so well.   

 

Here’s a rare sight: the girls smooching with Jughead.  This is pleasantly drawn by Bob White, an Archie artist I’m not that familiar with. 

I wonder if this story is from earlier in Rex Lindsey’s career.  It’s a little like an Archie comic trying to look like a 70’s Marvel comic.  In this story, Ethel rejects Jughead for a date, so she can do out with the guy with the suspenders.  I think she did Jughead a favor. 

 

Another Lindsey story details why there’s no high-end coffee shops in Riverdale.  It’s sort of reminiscent that Adam Hughes’ Betty & Veronica mini-series.  Both stories end with Pop’s being the town’s primary coffee shop.  

 

 

Finally, Jughead drags Archie all over town, as he chases after various food deals.  This is where all his calories go.    

 

Again, this one was a lot of fun.  It’s Jughead in his element: stuffing his face.  I’d glad I picked this one up.

NM State Aggies vs Dallas Baptist Patriots Baseball 3-30-25

I woke up nursing a headache and still hadn’t gotten over last night's game.  I hate these 11:00am games.  At least the weather was wonderful.  It was warm and sunny with a light breeze.  There was kind of a light crowd too, at 431.  There was a Little League team present dressed in sharp-looking Cubs uniforms.  For that matter, the DBU Patriots were wearing gold uniforms.  They were a cross between camo's and the Padres' home uniforms, but without the stripes.  Pretty cool.  

 

I talked to Trey Reese after I got to my seat.  (His wife, daughter, and a couple of Volleyball girls were with him.)  I'd heard a couple of guys talking last night about Steve Solorazano.  They didn't think his injury last night was too bad.  Trey confirmed that.  We also noticed he'd been hit twice in the game while batting.  You wonder if that might have also contributed to the injury.

 

Cooper Reese was doing okay.  I noted that he'd only thrown 3 strikes in his outing, but he wasn't missing on the balls by much.  Trey said that they had a called for an offspeed for Cooper's first pitch, which Trey didn't think was the right call, given that he came in with a 3-1 count.  After that walk, Cooper never got settled. 

 

Fan Michael was talking to broadcaster Adam Young nearby and we finally got Adam and Trey to meet.  Adam has mentioned Trey a couple of times on the air.  I'm still hoping Adam will invite Trey on the air for some color commentary.  Adam mentioned that his co-host this weekend and former Aggie pitcher, Marcel Renteria, said he couldn’t imagine being a freshman, like Cooper, and being brought in the kind of pressure situation he came into. 

 

 

I didn't have trouble with the scorecards today, except that I didn't get the lineups filled in until about the fourth inning.  I need to stop having conversations while the PA is announcing the lineups.  Chris Daniels started for the Aggies.  He was also the DH.  Two-way players are cool, but losing Steve was like losing two players.  It’s a risk.  Trey said this game was going to be a “Johnny Wholestaff” game, indicating they might need everybody.  Cooper was told he might get in, which Trey thought would be a good thing.

 

Daniels gave up a double to start.  The next batter nearly scored him, but Joey Craig in right field made an awesome leaping catch at the wall.  This would set the standard for defense today.  Daniels finished out the inning with a pair of strikeouts.

 

Brandon Forrester started the bottom of the first with a double as well.  Aiden Lombardi promptly drove him in with a single.  I was about to say that Mitch Namie was due after an 0-fer performance yesterday, but he jacked out a 2-run homer before I could.  Tommy Mcluskey and Boston Vest also singled and Tommy came home on a wild pitch.  The Aggies were up 4-0 and we wondered if this was going to be another wild one.

 

Craig topped himself with the first batter of the second.  He went over the wall for a catch of a foul ball.  I couldn't see it where I was sitting, but Michael got up and watched the play.  Daniels finished the rest of the inning without drama.  The Aggies only had a single in the bottom.

 

I started listening to Aggie Softball, which was on the radio.  They were up 1-0 in the third.  An even bigger distraction came in at the same time.  A very cute redhead brought in a beautiful, fluffy German Sheppard and they sat down in the first row on the aisle.  I was in love.  I should specify with whom, but I assume they'd be a package deal.  She was having a good time with the dog, smiling and talking to him and petting him and feeding him.  This was one happy dog and owner.  (Since she stayed to the end, I assume this was a player girlfriend.  The dog might even be his, too.) 

 

Cade Shumard came in to pitch for the Aggies in the top of the third.  I’ve seen a couple of shaky appearances from Cade this season, but he’s one of two lefties on the staff, so the team needs him to pitch well.  He started off with a walk that was driven in by a double, but that was all of the damage.  We’ll take it.  4-1 Aggies.  In the bottom, DBU starter, Ryan Borberg, was now in a groove and struck out two in a scoreless inning.

 

Hazen Wright was our third Aggie pitcher for the fourth.  He was helped out with some more great defense.  Boston snatched a hot liner just off the turf at third.  He was part of an inning-ending double play with Lombardi and Bryce Campbell that was downright acrobatic in execution.  The Aggie went 1-2-3 in the bottom again.

    

Aggie Softball was now up 3-0 in the fifth.  Baseball was also in the fifth.  Tommy began the top with tremendous dive catch in center for the Aggies.  Hazen hit the next batter and walked the next.  He was relieved by Jaden Davis and a double play ended the frame.  The third base ump got hit by a Patriot warm up toss before play, but without any harm.  The Aggies had a hit batter in the bottom, but still couldn’t get a rally going.

 

Connor Wylde, the Aggies’ other lefty, started the sixth.  He came in shooting peas and struck out the side.  In the bottom, Borberg had two strikeouts, but let two on with a single and a walk and had a wild pitch.  He was relieved and looking strikeout ended the inning.  Aggie Softball won their game, 3-0.  Faith Aragon pitched another shutout.  

      

I somehow ended up in a conversation between Michael and Trey’s wife, Robin, about the band, U2.  I’m not expert and they were, but I’d listened to their music.  Trey noted the pretty dog lounging in the aisle, “The dog thinks he owns the place.”  I answered, “I’m okay with that.”  Wylde got two easy outs to start the seventh.  A well-placed infield single and a walk threatened, but Boston dove on a grounder and still managed to throw out the runner at second. 

 

The Aggies generated some offense off a new DBU reliever, Mason Swinney, in the bottom.  Forrester singled.  Lombardi moved him over.  Swinney made a great play on that grounder and got a strikeout, but was relieved.  The new pitcher hit the next two Aggie batters, including Craig on the head, but no damage.  Unfortunately, there was no damage in the inning either, as the Aggies loaded the bases without scoring.  This was starting to uncomfortably remind me of yesterday’s game.

      

Wylde struck out the first batter of the eighth looking, but walked the next batter.  Adam Berghult came in to pinch hit and made the most of it.  He sliced a 2-run homer to right center that just cleared the wall.  Even if it hadn’t, it would have been a gapper anyway.  Wylde got another strikeout.  Finally, there was a tough grounder to third.  Boston made a wild throw on it, but Bryce caught it and tagged the runner going by.  4-3 Aggies.  DBU went through two pitchers in the bottom of the eighth.  The Aggies got two runners on with a single and an intentional walk, but still couldn’t score. 

 

We go to the ninth and Wylde was still pitching.  He struck out the first batter and walked the next.  Bryce made a great play at first on a grounder going down the line.  He stepped on first for the second out and then to threw to second for the DP, but the ump ruled, “Safe.”  Forrester was hopping mad and the crowd was infuriated.  The next batter cranked one to deep centerfield.  Tommy made a great leaping catch and crashed into the wall for the final out.  Game over, man!  Game over.  Aggies win 4-3.  Whew!  That was a great game.    

 

 

The teams lined up and shook hands afterward.  I’m always glad to see that.  It doesn’t always happen in baseball.  I saw a cute little wiener dog wearing a baseball hat on the way out.  At my car, I called dad and asked about bringing a pizza and watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament games that were on (which aren’t worth talking about). 

 

It was a Pizza Hut stuffed crust pizza that I had a coupon for.  I thought it was great.  Dad apparently doesn’t like stuffed crust pizza.  I’ll note that for the future.  When I started looking up the box score of the game, I suddenly realized that this was a great win for the Aggies.  DBU is ranked #17 in the nation.  I saw they had a good record, but this was surprising.  I did not see their pitching at its best this weekend.  Even while pretty effective today, they kept hitting batters and making wild pitches.  The Patriot hitting is excellent.  Without some tremendous plays on defense by the Aggies, they probably would have busted out again. 

 

I’ll toss out the Gameballs.  Adam Berghult’s pinch hit home run was DBU’s standout, clutch offensive performance, and I’ll hand it to their whole pitching lineup today.  Ryan Borberg only had one bad inning, but had 7 K’s and the longest outing of anyone today.  For the Aggies, Brandon Forrester went 3 for 4 and Mitch Namie had one hit, but it was a 2-run homer.  Connor Wylde had a gritty 4-inning performance for the win, including 6 strikeouts.  The Aggie fielding defense also gets a Gameball, especially Joey Craig.  His two plays early on may have been pivotal.

            

The wind actually picked up considerably after the game.  This could have been a very different outcome if this had happened earlier.  The bats almost seemed tired after yesterday’s outburst.  It’ll be another unfortunate weekend off from Aggie Sports this week with nothing scheduled, and I’ll be missing the Aggie/Lobo game on Tuesday, but hopefully listening.