NM State Aggies vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Softball 2-14-26

 

After the Oklahoma/Idaho State game and after my lunch, I went to the bathroom and saw a large crowd queuing up at the gate. It ended up being a great crowd at 754 officially. It was mostly Aggie fans this time (as opposed to last time), I think. Aggie Softball’s opponent, Minnesota, also wears crimson. However, the Golden Gophers team was actually wearing all black with a smiling cartoon gopher head on their jerseys. It was like we were playing the Buckee’s girls softball team. (I’m sure their team has made this observation, as well. It’s too obvious.)

Some of the crowd brought in adorable dogs. There was a beagle puppy, a little wiener dog, and a little fluffy dog with a one of the Aggie girls at the scoring table. He took a nap on a towel on the table. He was so cute. Coach Rodolph was here, but didn’t bring in her half doodle, unfortunately.

The Aggie girls on field were laughing at a couple of Valentines cards on the video screen featuring the players. (It was Valentine’s Day.) Kendal Lunar was pictured in a cute pose with the line, “My lineup is better with you in it.” And there was a mock proposal picture between two of the girls saying, “We make the perfect double play.”

Taryn Bennett started for the Aggies. After a leadoff single, Lucy Hooper bunted. Lauren Garcia ran up from first to get it and threw the ball to first. Unfortunately, it went somewhere downfield instead. Both runners scored on the error. I couldn’t see where exactly where the ball went from where I was sitting and apparently, neither could the Aggies. Tara Wolocko followed that with a solo home run. The Gophers had double, but that was left stranded. 3-0 MN.

The PA announced it was 51-degress in Minnesota. Here in Las Cruces, it was alternating hot and cold in the game depending on the cloud cover and the wind. There was a cold breeze going at times. Taylor Baca gave the ball a ride to centerfield in her at bat, but the wind knocked it down. Devin Elam did single, but that was all for the inning. An usher gave a little girl a foul ball. She kept it. The PA wasn’t asking for the balls back today. I also saw an Oklahoma kid at the game with a signed ball and some Aggie swag. (Visitors love getting giveaways from the host.) There was at least one other OK fan at the game. She was sitting next to me.

Taryn had three fly ball outs for the top of the second. Devin made a running catch in right field for the final out. In the bottom, the Aggies’ offense warmed up. After a pair of singles, Bella Clapp worked with the wind and caught the jet steam for a 3-run homer. A walk followed, but a nice glove flip from Hooper to first helped kill the rally. We were tied at 3.

I was listening to Aggie Men’s Basketball against Jax State on the radio during this game. They were at halftime with the Aggies up, 32-29. Makenzie Jones at third had a hard luck error on a bad hop to start the top of the third. There was nearly another error on Bella at second, but she managed to get the out anyway. Hooper tried to score on a single from second, but Taylor made a great on-target throw to Madi Bachman at the plate to get her and end the inning.

In the bottom of the third, Brooklyn Jones made a running dive and catch on a hit by Devin to start the inning. Next, the wind knocked down a drive by Lauren. The PA announced Joleeanna Hair as “Jojo,” which I’ll go ahead and use for the rest of the season. (Thank you.) She hit a grounder to short that took a bad hop on the shortstop for another error in the game. The infield seems to be rougher than it looks. Jojo was left stranded.

The Gophers scratched out another run in the top of the fourth with a single, a sacrifice, and a double. Makenzie made a diving catch on a foul liner to end the inning with MN up, 4-3. The Aggies got a walk and a single in the bottom, but couldn’t make anything of it.

The Gophers added to their lead with a 2-run homer by Scarlett Kuhn in the fifth. This one was crushed. It was not wind-aided at all. 6-3 MN. Devin doubled to start the Aggie half of the inning. Lauren struck an RBI double liner off of the third baseman’s mitt, which chased the MN starter from the game. Sydney Schwartz came in with a walk, but then proceeded to strike out the side with a great offspeed pitch. Bella was the final batter and even with a mid-at bat from chat from Coach Higgs, she still couldn’t hit it. 6-4 MN.

Top of the sixth, Taryn worked a scoreless inning. There was an error, as Taryn got a comebacker and Bella clanked on the toss while covering first. The umpire was somehow in the middle of that play. Bella had an involved conversation with the umpire between innings. The Aggies were also scoreless in their half. There was a controversy on Makenzie getting hit in her at bat. The umps had a conference and awarded her first. The MN fans piped up in an uproar. At the scorer’s table, Coach Rodolph was taking care of the player’s little, puffy dog. He was irresistible.

The stadium lights came on, though it was maybe an hour before the sun would go down. The Gophers began the seventh with another homer from Wolocko. After that and back-to-back singles, Taryn was finally pulled from the game. I felt so bad for her. I (and I’m sure the team) really want her to figure it out and do well. Faith Aragon came in and handed out a walk to load the bases and then gave up a grand slam to Jae Cosgriff. Faith is a pretty good pitcher. I almost think she wasn’t prepared to come in here. She settled down to get the final two outs. The Aggies would go down in order in the bottom. The Golden Gophers win, 11-4.

I got several Gameballs for the Gophers. Tara Wolocko went 2 for 4 with 2 solo home runs, Scarlett Kuhn was 4 for 4 with 2-RBI’s from a home run, Jae Cosgriff was 2 for 4 with 5 RBI’s including a grand slam, and Sydney Schwartz pitched 3 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts. For the Aggies, I’ll highlight Bella Clapp for her 3-run homer. The pitching, hitting, and defense (3 errors) weren’t sharp enough to beat a P4 team today, but they were competitive. It was a disappointing loss, though.

The MN team chanted something to their fans in stands after the game. I’m not sure what I heard. Not sure I wanted to. It didn’t seem polite. On the radio, the Men won at basketball at least, 79-77. They lead all the way, but by mostly single digits. I was also finally informed that they’re in last place in the conference in the postgame. I wasn’t aware of that.

I again avoided the nightcap. I wasn’t cold yet and I didn’t want to be. I got home in time to see the end of the O’Rilley Series (it’s going to take a while to get used to that) Daytona race. In spite of the drivers’ best efforts at crashing everyone out, Austin Hill would win the race. Just as well I missed the Softball game, the Aggies lost to Idaho State, 11-7. The Aggies had 5 errors that resulted in 7 unearned runs. Faith Aragon was a bright spot going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s and she pitched 4 innings allowing 1 run.

One more day of the Troy Cox Classic on ***Sunday.*** I’m beat, frankly, but I’ll be there.

Idaho State Bengals vs #4 Oklahoma Sooners Softball 2-14-26

I think that's me bottom center in the white floppy hat.

I seriously considered not going to this game. I did want to see more of #4 in the nation, Oklahoma. I just didn’t want to deal with more of their fans. Actually, the matchup I really wanted to see this weekend was Oklahoma against Minnesota. I thought MN might be a closer match anyone else. That was the early morning game, though. The Sooners beat the Golden Gophers, 12-2, in a run rule. So much for that.

The parking lot was again full and the “Sold Out” sign was up at the ticket office for this OK game against the Idaho State Bengals. This has been a banner weekend for the Aggie Softball program, at least monetarily. (The ticket prices were doubled for these games.) The Talking Heads, This Must Be the Place, was my walkup music coming up to the stadium. I like that song.

I didn’t have a problem getting in this time, unlike yesterday, but they were counting everyone, and judging by the full stands, it was close to a sellout. It was mostly Sooner fans, but there were several IDS fans there. I don’t know how many Aggie fans were present, other than myself. I was again lucky to find a seat. This time, I noticed that there were two concessions trailers parked by the soccer field and one of them was serving burgers and tacos. (Too bad they don’t do more of this at Softball, Baseball, and Soccer.)

The PA played Eric Clapton’s It’s in the Way That You Use It. It’s all my 80’s favorites today. OK coach was cheered when she brought out the lineup card. That’s loyalty. IDS was wearing snazzy orange and black uniforms. They made a circle by their dugout and clapped before the game. OK made a circle in the pitching circle before the game.

Marketing Director Nicole Sack walked by and suddenly said, “Hi.” (I was sitting by the aisle.) Perhaps she was surprised to see an Aggie fan here. She was in a good mood and who could blame her with this attendance. Later, back to reality, she was sweeping up popcorn on the stairs.

The top of the first began with a looking strikeout of a Sooner that caught everyone by surprise. The heckling by the OK fans started immediately and never quit on any further close calls. They did agree with the two walks in the inning. Bengal pitcher, Elizabeth Tommasini, did take a hard hit on the leg on a comebacker. She was okay. She later hit a batter, which forced in a run. Another run scored on a fielder’s choice, before Kai Minor cleared the bases with a triple. It was 4-0 Sooners.

During the inning, an OK foul ball hit the tent with their broadcaster. There were lots of foul balls in this game, but very few kids, so nobody chasing them. Also, the crowd was packed in, so getting up to chase them would have been a problem. The PA was giving all of the players some kind of walkup music for the game, likely not to their tastes, but it was upbeat. The PA also announced that it was 60-degrees in OK, 44-degrees in Idaho, and 65-degrees here.

The Bengals only managed a walk in the bottom of the first. In the top of the second, an OK fan in the red and white overalls appeared. It’s almost like a big-time football game. A great infield hit by Abby Dayton, a walk, and a 3-run homer by Kasidi Pickering chased Tommasini from the circle. Josslin Law came in and got the next three batters out. The final out was a looking strikeout on an appeal. Now the OK fans were mad at another umpire. Law had a great offspeed pitch. She was mobbed coming back to the dugout. 7-0 Sooners. The Bengals got two on in the bottom via a walk and an error, but weren’t able to cash them.

A cloud passed overhead and it was like an eclipse with the otherwise bright sunshine. Top of the third, a walk began the inning. The OK and IDS fans around me now agreed that the home plate ump was terrible. The OK fans were getting along better with the IDS fans than they were with the Aggie fans. Minor next blasted a majestic 2-run homer over the new scoreboard. Law was hit on a comebacker by the next batter, but did get the out on the play. She hit a batter and gave up a single, but without further damage. 9-0 Sooners.

In the bottom of the third, the second baseman dropped a grounder, but still got the out at first. Or should I say that the umpire gave her the out at first. There was a pitching change after the second out. Odd, given that Alyssa Parker had a no-hitter going. It wasn’t a good move as Ava Brown came up and broke up it up with a home run to center. 9-1 Sooners.

Gabbie Garcia got the run back to start the fourth with a homer. The PA was now saying “Boomer Sooner” on their home runs. Kennedy Dudley made a nice shoetop liner catch at third before Law retired the side. 10-1 Sooners. In the bottom of the fifth, I think former AD Mario Moccia’s daughter and a friend sat down by me after a couple of other fans had left. She wasn’t next to me, otherwise I might have asked how her dad was doing. There was a leadoff single in the inning, but that was all of the offense. OK wins 10-1 on a run rule. The girls didn’t get to see much of the game before leaving.

The teams made a prayer circle after game. This must be an Oklahoma tradition. They’re trying to make a better impression on the road than their lousy fans are. This began a mass exodus from the stands.

Gameballs for OK, Kasidi Pickering went 2 for 2 with 3 RBI’s and a home run, Kai Minor went 2 for 3 with 4 RBI’s with a home run, and Alyssa Parker gave up no hits or runs for 2 2/3 innings. For the Bengals, Ava Brown broke up the no-hitter with home run, so nice job there.

It was an hour and a half before the next game. I hadn’t planned on this contingency. I wasn’t really hungry, but had nothing better to do, so I went ahead and hit the Concessions trailer. At the grill, I got a $17 burger, chips, and soda. I returned to the empty stands to eat. It was really good. The burger reminded me of the ones served at the El Paso Chihuahuas games, thick and juicy.

I ran into Rito with the Aggievision crew and chatted for minute. I waved to his brother Mando, who was on field setting up a promo pic for the next game. The PA was still playing good music. I was enjoying Tears for Fears’ Head Over Heels.

Several IDS players were hanging out in stands, some with their parents. The girls danced a bit to the PA music, but left before the game started. (Good thing. It ended up being crowded for the Aggie game.) I noticed pitcher Josslin Law with her dad. I went over and complimented her on her offspeed pitch. She’s a cute little blonde. She smiled, giggled, and laughed. If I’d noticed Ava Brown, I would have congratulated her, too.

I was missing the O’Rilley Series Daytona race on TV. (I had to look up who the sponsor was this season.) I had to hope the next softball game with the Aggies would be worth it. I brought my radio for the Men’s Basketball game against Jax State, which would be starting at the same time. From the pregame show, I discovered that the Aggies are in danger of missing the tournament. They may have to win out in their last six games and get some help. Okay, Aggie Softball versus the Golden Gophers, ***up next.***

NM State Aggies vs #4 Oklahoma Sooners Softball 2-13-26

 

The forecast was not good for today for the opening of the Troy Cox Classic, but for a matchup between Aggie Softball and #4 in the nation Oklahoma, I was willing to take some risks. It was cloudy most of the morning, but (of course) it didn’t start sprinkling until I was driving down the street to the game. I took off an hour early for the game expecting a large crowd, especially given that OK had played Montana in the morning (and won 17-0). I’ve seen this happen before (2-17-18).  That game and crowd were unforgettably epic.

At the Softball Complex today, it was about what I expected. The parking lot was full. I ended up in the next door Baseball parking lot. Walking over to the stadium, I ran into Pistol Pete and a Cheerleader. This was the enthusiastic Pete with the big mustache. He liked my floppy hat and I rang my cowbell for him. You know it’s an important game when Pete’s here.

There was a long line at the stadium. I thought it was for tickets. Nope. There was a “Sold out” sign on the ticket office. The sellout happened well before gameday. It was maybe 10 minutes before I reached the gate and they cut off entrance with me. Myself and a bunch of other people behind me stood around for five minutes until an usher came back and said, “Five more.” I got in. I briefly considered giving up my spot, maybe to a visiting Oklahoma fan, but there were so many people behind me, why bother?

The stands were packed. Attendance was listed at 978. This was less than the previous meeting (1,200), but people were sitting in the aisles then (and the fire department showed up to clear them out). A police officer was observing the stands before the game. Unfortunately, maybe half of the crowd was for the Sooners. (Maybe even more than half.) OK had their own radio announcer under a tent at the top of the stands.

I didn’t get a program. I didn’t even see one as I hustled into the stadium. I didn’t see the Concessions trailer either, though I saw people with concessions. I was lucky to get a seat. I was close to the top and could see the new all-turf Baseball field. It looks great. Coach Rodolph was on the softball field. She went over to the OK dugout and then came over and hugged the umps. That’s probably the friendliest she’s ever been with an umpiring crew. AD Joe Fields was also here.

Aggies huddled up for a long time before the game. The rain started increasing. The proceedings started with a video tribute for Coach Rodolph. She’s a 6-time conference champ, 4 NCAA appearances, and 600 wins. She threw out the first pitch. After that was a message from the New Mexico Lt. Governor. He’s apparently a big softball fan and had scouted Zantelle Rodriguez on the Aggies and helped finance the new videoboard. Pistol Pete was working it for the crowd with a hat toss before the game.

I don’t think the scans truly reflect the condition of these scorecards. They are highly rain damaged. Given the conditions, I did great job of filling these out. It helped that the game was very sharply played, in spite of the rain. I think there was only one play that was a bit strange, but even then, it was what it appeared to be. (I’ve usually said, “If nothing weird happens at your softball game, you should ask for your money back.”)

Jaileen Mancha started for the Aggies. She started off the game with a walk. After a single, Gabbie Garcia came up. She just seemed to make a little slap hit to left, but it popped over the fence. You wouldn’t think the ball would carry in the heavy, wet air. Jai hit the next batter, who was driven in with a single. All nine OK batters came up in the inning before the third out. 4-0 Sooners.

The Aggies punched back in the bottom of the first. The new third baseman, Makenzie Jones (she was new to me, at least), walked. Devin Elam, C-USA Player of the Week last week, was back in the lineup. She hit a shallow liner that the left fielder just missed. Taylor Baca then doubled both of them in with a liner just out of centerfielder’s reach. 4-2 Sooners.

The PA announced it was 72-degrees and partly cloudy in Oklahoma and 65-degrees and raining here. Usually, we have better weather than the visitors, so this announcement backfired. A couple of ballhawk kids were waiting by the entrance. The stands were packed to the pointed that kids would not be running out of their seats for foul balls. Some fans who got concessions came back and reported that there were still people waiting in line outside. They were hoping people would leave, so they’d be allowed in. I hope the fans who didn’t get in were given refunds. (I found out later that people were in the parking lot standing in truck beds to watch the game.)

Jai worked a scoreless second. She was helped out by Makenzie snagging a liner at third, which almost turned into a double play with a runner at first nearly being doubled off. The Whataburger video played and coupons were handed out. That makes the commercial worthwhile. Next time I’m hungry for a burger there, I’m jumping up and waving my arms for a coupon. Kendal Lunar began the bottom of the second with a low line drive home run to center. The Aggies threatened for more with a couple of singles, but a reliever, Audrey Lowry, came in and closed the door. 4-3 OK.

OK got the offense going in the top of the third. After a walk, Isabela Emerling cranked off a massive foul ball to left. She’d have to settle for a single. Ailana Agbayani drove in a run on a single. Tamara Carranza made a nice over the shoulder catch at short for the first out, but then Kai Minor doubled in the runners and chased Jai from the game.

We were getting serenaded with a “Boomer Sooner” chant on these runs. Pistol Pete started a “Let’s go Aggies!” chant. I was sitting some OK fans. They were obnoxious. One of them started in on Pete. He said, “Don’t have a bad time on my account.” She answered with, “I’m having a good time. Look at the scoreboard.” Admittedly, that’s a pretty good burn, but a poor attitude. Arguing with other team’s mascot isn’t going to endear you to your hosts.

Zantelle came in and walked the first three batters, which drove in a run. Garcia then cleared the bases with a double. It still wasn’t over. There was another walk. The Aggies got the second out on Tamara making a nice throw to third from short on a grounder. The Sooners protested this play for some reason, but it seemed like a straight-forward force out. Freshman Kalena Lemus came in and walked her first batter. Agbayani would single in another run, before Lauren Garcia at first made a diving catch to finally end the inning. Damage done, 12-3 OK.

Lauren doubled to start the bottom of the third. Tamara was then hit in the back on a pitch. Kendal came up right after with a massive F-You 3-run blast. That’s how to get revenge. Lowry buckled down and struck out the next two batters. 12-6 OK.

Kalena worked a 1-2-3 fourth. Makenzie made another good play at third with a nice scoop and throw to first. Meanwhile, Pete was having a running fight with OK fans. Finally, he said, “I’m making enough enemies.” The bottom of the fourth began with Nelly McEnroe-Marinas at third making a dive catch on a liner. Devin tripled as the left fielder slipped trying to field it. Keep in mind, it is wet on the field and raining off and on. Lauren walked, but both Aggie runners were left stranded.

The Sooners batted around again in the top of the fifth. Kalena was left in to weather the barrage of 3 homers (including a 3-run shot by Agbayani) and 2 singles (with a pair of walks). An OK fan tried to get Pete to say, “Boomer Sooner” after a home run. At this point, I was hoping for a run rule, partly to get out of the rain, but mostly to get away from the OK fans. The Aggie defense was still good. Taylor made a running dive catch for the first out of the inning. 18-6 OK.

In the bottom of the fifth, the OK fans around me left early. They had something better to do? Bella Clapp singled in the bottom of the fifth, but that was all. Oklahoma wins 18-6 in a run rule. Both teams gathered for a prayer circle after the game. At least I can feel good about the OK players.

Gameballs. For the Sooners, Gabbie Garcia was 3 for 4 with 6 RBI’s and a home run, Ailana Agbayani (that’s a fun name to say) went 3 for 3 with 5 RBI’s and a home run, and lastly, there’s the odd line for Ella Parker and Abby Dayton in right field, who had no at bats and 4 runs scored.

For the Aggies, Taylor Baca was 1 for 3, but had a clutch 2-run double and Kendal Lunar was 2 for 3 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI’s. It was a very clean game for the Aggies defensively. They looked sharper in this game than last week. However, the killer for the Aggies was the 8 walks and 2 hit by pitches. 9 of those free passes scored.

So, damp and chilled to the bone, I went to work. I didn’t have enough time to go home and change. I dried out, but didn’t feel warm again until I was home and went to bed under my blankets. The Aggies did play a nightcap with Montana. The rain probably stopped, but of course, it got colder at sundown. The Aggies won it, 8-3. From the stats, some errors by the Grizzlies gifted the Aggies 3 early runs. It was a good Aggie team effort hitting. Faith Aragon pitched all 7 innings and was 2 for 4 and scored 3 runs. Maybe Coach Higgs should have used her for this game.

***Saturday*** we’re back for more of the Troy Cox Classic.

NM State Aggies vs UT-Arlington Mavericks Softball 2-8-26

I woke up on Sunday morning listening to the Aggie Softball rematch game versus St. Thomas on the radio with Adam Young. (I was at yesterday’s game.) Destiny Perez made her college debut in the circle for the Aggies, but was chased out quickly and left the bases loaded with no outs. Faith Aragon came in and got 2 strikeouts and a groundout. It was 1-0 ST.

Devin Elam was not in the lineup. They didn’t mention her getting injured last night. The Aggies came back to score and tie it in the bottom. In the top of the second, ST blew it open with a 3-run homer, which came after a questionable overturned call on a player tagged out on base. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. Zantelle Rodriguez was brought in, but the Tommies ran it up to 8-1.

In the top of the third, Cassidy Carby hit her second home run of the game and made it, 12-1 ST. By the fourth, the deep Aggie bench was in and playing and it was 15-1. In the fifth and final inning, the Aggies loaded the bases and a run was walked in. ST had to bring in a reliever, who was warming up in the bullpen alongside a UTA pitcher getting ready for the next game. 15-2 St. Thomas was the final. There were 400 in attendance at the game. That’s a pretty good crowd, since the game started at 9:00am.

With that, I took off for the next game at noon against UT-Arlington. In the parking lot, I had an odd encounter with a dippy bird. I had to wait for him to move along before I could park. Walking up to the stadium, I ran into the ST girls waiting to get on their bus. They looked tall and pretty up close.

In the stands, I noticed they finally removed the ball that had been sitting in the outfield netting since the first game on Friday. Coach Rodolph was also there at the scorer’s table. I went over and said, “Hi,” to her. She is officially retired. She’s just there as a fan, but doesn’t have to buy a ticket to get in. I asked about the dog, who wasn’t there. She is a half-doodle that the Coach got after retiring. The Coach was very gracious, as always. I asked who I should talk to about naming the field after her.

From seeing her talking to others, I almost think I could have asked her what happened last year with her being forced out and about Associate Head Coach Cat Hefner getting fired and gotten a long explanation. However, I’m not a player parent or a booster, so I didn’t want to overstep just being a fan. Kathy’s happy. We’ll leave it at that unless something comes up.

It was warm. I quickly figured out that I was overdressed in a pullover and took it off. The crowd increased to 500 and they were pretty lively. Adam was also calling this game on the radio. Devin wasn’t playing in this game, either. She was in the dugout wearing street clothes. I hope that doesn’t mean she’s done for the season? Aggie Baseball was scrimmaging next door.

This was a busy game, as you can see. Jaileen Mancha started for the Aggies in the top of the first. A hit batter started off the game. From there, there was an error at first and a stolen base. A single brought in a run and another single brought in another run, along with a bad throw home scoring a third run. 3-0 UTA. That was a pretty shaky inning.

Violet Redondo singled to start the bottom of the first, but was thrown out taking too wide a turn around the base. Following that, the Aggies had a single, a walk, and moved up on two wild pitches. Lauren Garcia came up and slapped a 3-run homer to left center. The girls lined and made a tunnel in front of the dugout for her. Hailey Lynn Sralik got a second out for the Mavericks, but was taken out after a hitting Taylor Baca on the helmet. She was okay. I think it was an offspeed. I finally noticed her walk up music was Old School with Poison by Bell Biv Devoe.

Madi McDonnell came in in relief for UTA. She faced Kendal Lunar first and we got another tunnel, as Kendal hit a 2-run homer. Even better, after a single, Bella Clapp slapped one out. Make another tunnel! The Aggies batted around in a 7-run inning. It was 7-3 after one inning. Holy cow!

Coach Rodolph left during the inning and came back with her dog. I heard her say that she’d promised to bring in the dog if the team homered. A little later, the Coach took the dog over to meet a toddler. It was sweet.

Sort of like on Friday, with a 1-2-3 inning going to each outfielder, in the top of the second, all of the outs were erased baserunners with a caught stealing ending the inning. Between innings, there was a t-shirt toss. One t-shirt hit a shade umbrella and went to another fan. A single by Skye Johnson started the bottom of the second. There was a strategically questionable sacrifice that did work out. An error at third would drive in Skye. The Aggies loaded the bases with two outs. Joleeanna Hair sent a big flyball to the wall, but it was caught to end the inning. 8-3 Aggies. We’re looking good.

Boom goes the dynamite! The Mavericks batted around in the top of the third. It started with a leadoff homer by Mia McNulty. Jaileen got two outs while giving up a double, but then four singles and two errors brought in 4 more runs and suddenly gave the Mav’s a 9-8 lead.

The Aggies struck back in the bottom of the fourth. A single and a walk were driven in by Joleeanna. She was driven in by Bella to put the Aggies back up, 11-9. Between innings on the video board, they showed a Kelsey Horton highlight reel for her election to the Aggie Hall of Fame. She got a round of applause from the crowd, though, unfortunately, she wasn’t here. (I think she just earned a medical certification.)

These four innings took a while. On the radio, Adam mentioned the game would be running into a travel curfew in an hour. (Not a curfew for the Superbowl later this afternoon.) The Mavericks weren’t going away. They scored two in the top of the fifth. Peyton Holland doubled in the tying run, but was thrown out at third. The Aggies loaded up the bases in the bottom with two outs. Kendal came up. The Coach was yelling instructions and encouragement, but Kendal flied out.

The mortal blow came in the top of the sixth. A walk, a single, and an error, a bad throw on a possible double play, began the inning. A sac fly brought in a run to give UTA the lead. Bringing in a pinch runner paid off there. Coach Rodolph was yelling encouragement to Jaileen, but Coach Higgs was making the decisions and brought in Taryn Bennett.

Taryn has some funky warm up music. Interesting. She walked the first batter. Cameron Cooper hit a comebacker. Taryn got it, but no one was covering first. Fans started yelling at the team to get their heads in the game. Bases loaded, a single brought in another run. The Aggies got the second out on a force at home, but a hit batter loaded the bases and set the table for McNulty’s second home run, a grand slam. Jaileen was put back in to get the final out. Damage done. 19-11 UTA.

Here’s the real tragedy of the inning. That was 8 unearned runs. I had to get multiple explanations on this from two different AI’s. Since the first error occurred before the first out, it made all the runs for the inning unearned. I’ve heard this before, but it seemed inconsistently applied to my understanding. I understood in the third inning when the runs that came in with two outs after an error were unearned. In any case, you get these line scores for Aggie pitching today that read: J. Mancha 14 runs, 7 earned; T. Bennett 5 runs, 0 earned.

Adam’s warnings about the curfew were becoming more persistent. In the bottom of the sixth, Skye doubled in Joleeanna, which avoided the run rule and forced a seventh inning, though the crowd was deserting. (Superbowl food run curfew in effect.) Cooper in left field made a nice rundown on high fly at the wall in the inning.

In the top of the seventh, pinich hitter Camila Spriggs drove in a run. On the next batter, the game suddenly ended on an Aggie error, the sixth of the game. It was 2:20 and with the Mavericks up by 8, the curfew time became hard. Start the PA music and the end the game. UTA wins 20-12.

Gameballs. For the Mavericks, Mia McNulty had 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s, and Cameron Cooper was 3 for 4 with an RBI. For the Aggies, Lauren Garcia was 2 for 3 with a 3-run homer, Joleeanna Hair was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s, and Bella Clapp was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run.

For the most part, this Aggie team can score runs. The question is their pitching and defense. The team scored 12 runs and didn’t even come close to winning. They have a bunch of pitchers, but somebody’s got to step up. If Devin Elam doesn’t come back, I also have to worry about their offense, too. That first game blowout may be a precursor of how they’ll perform against a good pitcher.

I called dad after the game to ask him about me bringing over a meal for the Superbowl. He insisted he was going make hamburgers, which he cooked yesterday and burned and didn’t have buns for. I asked again about getting something, but he wouldn’t hear it and told me to go get something for myself.

Those Whataburger commercials on the new video game worked on me. I went there for lunch and had the Honey Barbeque Chicken Strip sandwich. That was great, at least. The game, however, was the worst Superbowl ever. I actually broke my stylus playing videos on my iPad while the game was on. I’m not watching another Superbowl unless a team I like is playing. As a Cowboys fan, that means I’ll probably never watch another. (Given a dip in ratings for this game thanks to the matchup and the halftime show, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cowboys aren’t placed in next years’ Superbowl.) Today was a bit disappointing, but it was a nice day to take in a game at the ballpark.

NM State Aggies vs St. Thomas Tommies Softball 2-7-26

Since this is the first full Aggie Softball post, I’ll go ahead and address the big controversy. We still don’t know what happened with Coach Rodolph being basically dismissed. However, from reading a news report, we find out that Associate Head Coach Cat Hefner was fired “with cause.” It was something to do with “personal files or student records,” which were not available for public viewing. It’s a mystery.

Coach Rodolph’s contract ran out in June. She stayed through the fall season, but her contract was not renewed by the new athletic director. Her and the university seemed to part on amicable terms, though. Assistant Coach Benet Higgs was named interim head coach.

With the early finish to the previous game, I ended up standing around in the stands for an hour. I was glad I brought a coat, as it was getting colder. We had radio for the game with Duke Keith. He’s likeable, but occasionally confused. I noticed the Aggie girls were still doing their horseshoe dance ritual before the game, so that hasn’t changed with the new coach. The team got an intro video on the new scoreboard, like the Pan-Am teams get. There was a good crowd of 501 present for this game against the St. Paul Tommies. We’ve met this university before in Baseball (5-20-23).

Faith Aragon started for the Aggies. She began by giving up a double. There was a bad cover at first and a single turned into another double. A lady with an adorable fluffy dog came in. Oh my goodness, it’s Coach Rodolph herself! She sat down at the scorer’s table with the players working there. The question is: Did she buy a ticket? Faith gave up another double, which scored 2, and she was taken out for Jaileen Mancha. Bella Clapp at second helped her out by catching a liner and throwing out the runner at second. 2-0 Tommies.

The Aggies came right back in the bottom of the first. After a single and a hit batter, Lauren Garcia drove in the two runners with a single. Bella smacked no doubter to center for a 2-run homer. Her teammates lined up and made a tunnel for her to run through back to the dugout. Suddenly, it’s 4-2 Aggies.

The PA announced it was 65-degrees here and 24-degrees in St. Paul. I admit was fascinated with the dog. The Coach left her dog for a minute with a player who was recording stats. The girl was holding the dog and writing on a chart. In the second, the game nearly came to me with a heads up foul ball into the stands a couple of rows below me.

Jaileen had a quick second, but ran into trouble in the third. She gave up a solo shot and Coach Rodolph started yelling at her. After a double and a single, Grace Nosan would hit a 2-run homer. Freshman Kalena Lemus was called in and made her college debut. She got the final out, but the Tommies had retaken the lead with 4 more runs, 6-4.

A thunderous troop of kids were charging after every foul ball. Games are better with the kids there. The Coach was going around the crowd talking to people, who were maybe player parents or boosters. She was having involved talks with them. Between innings, I saw the home plate ump smile watching fans go nuts for a hat toss into the stands. The Utah Valley team came in to watch the game.

In the bottom of the third, St. Thomas had 2 errors, but the Aggies weren’t able to take advantage of the mistakes. On one error, the shortstop dropped a popup and Taylor Baca took second and collided with the player there. Ruby Moore was shaken up, but stayed in. A few of the kids started hanging out around entrance like ball hawks waiting for the next foul ball.

Kalena worked a scoreless fourth. In the bottom, Madi Bachman got a hustle double before Faith came up and powered a line drive home run to right. Make another tunnel! On the radio, Duke Keith shouted, “More cowbell!” as myself and other fans rang our bells. We were tied at 6.

Ella Cook started the top of the fifth giving the Tommies back the lead on the first pitch with a home run. It was crushed. After giving up a single, Kalena came out and Faith was brought back in. The Coach yelling at her and it worked. Faith got two looking strikeouts to end the inning. 7-6 St. Thomas. The Utah Valley coach came by to chat with Coach Rodolph before leaving with the team to warm up for tonight’s game.

The Aggies threatened in the bottom of the fifth. A single and a double chased out the Tommies’ starter. The St. Thomas DP, Cook, came in in relief. She walked the next batter to load the bases. Devin Elam on third tried to score on a wild pitch, but the ball rebounded too quickly off the wall and she was thrown out. Bella took a looking strikeout and a groundout ended the inning. The fans were upset.

Faith piled up two more strikeouts in the sixth, but a single and an error put two on for Cook, who blasted another home run. It was a 3-run shot to center and put the Tommies up 10-6. Cook was in the middle of it in the bottom of the inning. After a walk, Violet Redondo and Taylor both made bunt singles that Cook wasn’t able to come up with. She was then called for a pitch clock violation. A lady behind me had asked me about a pitch clock earlier. I was talking to her and almost missed Lauren driving in 2 runs with a single, though Taylor was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. 10-8 St. Thomas.

The wheels came off in the seventh. After a walk and a single, Faith was relieved by Taryn Bennett. Pinch hitter, Addison Coffey, greeted her with a 3-run homer. A single followed and then an error on the next batter. The error chased Coach Rodolph from the game. Violet threw out a runner at home afterward, but a double drove in another run. Devin then missed a flyball at the wall for another run. It’d be a 5-run inning for the Tommies. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, the final was a disappointing 15-8 loss for the Aggies.

I’ll hand out some Gameballs. For the Aggies, Lauren Garcia had a great game going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI’s. For the Tommies, Addison Coffey made the most of one at bat in the seventh with a 3-run homer. Ella Cook had an “Ohtani” game going 4 for 5 with 5 RBI’s and 2 home runs and she pitched 3 innings.

The sun finally came out for the sunset just peeking through the clouds on the horizon. I decided to take in the nightcap versus Utah Valley at home over the radio. There were some difficulties with the broadcast and I started listening to the Aggie Men’s Basketball game against UTEP. (I don’t want to talk about it right now or, frankly, ever.) I kept checking back for Softball and eventually the game came on.

Joining the game in progress, Devin hit the new scoreboard with the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. (It seems to be a target more than the old one ever was.) The Aggies would then load the bases. They’d score on a walked-in run, a single, and a hit by pitch. It was 4-0 Aggies. Aggie pitcher Zantelle Rodriguez unfortunately got wild in the fifth and the Wolverines tied it up.

Devin had an error in the sixth and Utah Valley took the lead, 6-4. She made up for it in the bottom of the seventh with a home run to start the inning. The Aggies put two on second and third. Bella put down a bunt that brought in Faith as the tying run. Faith’s short stature helped, as she slid in under the tag. Kendal Lunar walked it off with a winning hit. 7-6 Aggies.

Sort of sorry I missed the game, but I’m not sure I would have made it to the end. I was already cold before the sun went down. This Aggie team has been interesting so far. We’ll see what happens ***Sunday for the finale of the NM State Invitational.***