NM State Aggies vs Sam Houston State Bearkats Baseball 4-18-26

Let’s catch-up on Aggie Baseball.    Since their sweep of Delaware (4-4-26), the Aggies took a beating at Arizona, 13-3, and dropped 2 of 3 to WKU.    The Aggies won the final game, 10-7.    Jake Carvajal and Julio Ramos pitched two scoreless innings of relief.    Brandon Clizbe went 3 for 4 with 5 RBI’s and a home run.   

On Tuesday, the Aggies played the Lobos.    I didn’t take the day off for it.    I was sort of glad I didn’t because of how much work would have piled up in my absence.    Then again, it was a 6-1 win for the Aggies.    Pitching was a highlight tonight with JT Price, Hazen Wright (the winner), Carvajal, and Carson Timmons locking it down.    Offensively, Chris Daniels was 3 for 4, with 2 RBI’s and a home run, and Easton Rulli was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s.   

There was a great crowd of 982 and it was a quick game at two and half hours, which started at 4:00pm.    (So, it would have been a nice pleasant way to spend an early evening if I had gone.) The Aggies had beaten an undefeated UNM in March (3-8-26 was when I wrote about it).  The Lobos are still a good team at 22-13-1 (a tie?) and leading the Mountain West at 8-3-1 in conference (a tie? Really?).    Somehow, the Aggies have their number this season.

Friday night, the Aggies began their next conference series against Sam Houston State. Aggie pitching did not get off to a good start giving up 8 runs to start the game. After those first two innings, the relief corps did lock it down and Aggie hitting got to work. They closed up the score and got it to 8-7 in the ninth. The Aggies had tying run at second, but he was left stranded to end the game. Jonatan Clough had the big blow in the comeback with a 3-run homer. Brayden Barnes, Ramos, and Timmons each had a scoreless inning of relief.

That brings us to Saturday night. It was breezy, but sunny in the afternoon. I had no excuse not to go other than I really didn’t want to go to a night game. As soon as I got there, the wind picked up and got cold. Instantly, I was regretting my decision. At least, I was wearing a thermal top and had a light jacket with me.

At the stadium going up the stairs, I ran into broadcaster Adam Young. He was being mobbed by some other fans praising his game call. Good for him. I met up with Fan Michael. He was wearing an Aggie Baseball jersey he’d gotten at the Aggie gear sale that I missed. I missed out on a whole bunch of stuff there, but he did tell me that it wasn’t being given away cheap. His jersey was $35. Michael me that he’d talked to Coach Angier before the game. He told the Coach, “No playing from behind tonight. Catch-up is for French fries.”

Friday night’s attendance was a good 745. Saturday night it was 698. Maybe some other people were smarter about the weather conditions. SH brought quite a few fans with them. Other fans in the crowd included a guy in a cool El Paso Chihuahuas jersey, several kids in Cubs shirts, and girls in tank tops and shorts in spite of the cold. (Anything to attract the attention of the Baseball players.) The Anthem was delayed and then started suddenly, which caught everyone by surprise. Up on the scoreboard, some lights were noticeably out. We gotta get a new scoreboard.

Things added up on the scorecards mostly because of a lack of scoring and on-field weirdness. I made one mis-score that I had to white-out. Connor Wylde started for the Aggies. The wind made many flyballs in the game exciting. Camden Kaufman battled the wind on a popup on the infield for the second out. Jonatan Clough caught the final out as the ball curled away from him. In Cade Corcoran’s at bat, he fouled a ball hard off his foot that required some attention. A sympathetic SH fan shouted, “Walk it off!” He’d double and be joined on base with a walk, but they’d be left stranded.

In the bottom of the first, Steve Solorzano curled one flyball at pole foul. The crowd was shouting for it to go fair. Solo then fouled a shot directly into the visiting dugout. He finally flied out to Sam Houston’s relief. The Aggies would end up leaving two on base without scoring, as well.

Clough started off the second with another acrobatic catch. Wylde only yielded a walk in the frame. Sean Bazmore in right field for SH ran down a liner to start the bottom of the second. (Pretty much every flyball tonight was an adventure. I’m just listing the best plays.) After that catch, SH starter, Tyler Ryden, ran into trouble. After a single and a walk, Boston Vest singled in a run and Solo sac’d in a run from third. The Aggies loaded the bases with 2 outs, but left them stranded. Aggies up 2-0.

A leadoff walk began the top of the third and was sac’d over. The infield fly rule did come into effect on a popup to second. (No weirdness ensued like a ***recent Chihuahuas game on 4-17-26***.) On the final out, Vest was screened at short by the runner going by. Vest made a heads up running throw to get the runner out at third. The Aggies went down in order in the bottom. Ryan Franden at third made a great play on a liner.

In the top of the fourth, Wylde notched a couple of strikeouts. He gave up a single on a high bouncer to second. Kaufman got it, but overthrew first base, though the runner stayed put. I was asked by a fan why that wasn’t an error. The official scorer likely thought a good throw still wouldn’t have gotten the runner and since he didn’t advance on the overthrow, there was no error. (The threshold for an error is “ordinary effort.”) The Aggies only managed a walk in the bottom.

Hazen Wright came in for the top of the fifth. He threw 6 balls in a row, which prompted a visit from the Coach. Wright came back from 2 walks to get 2 strikeouts. Then, he gave up another walk to load the bases and Bazmore cashed in 2 runners with a double. Tommy Meluskey made a running grab on liner in center to end the inning. We were tied at 2.

The Aggies again only managed a walk in the bottom of the inning. Of more importance, I finally noticed in the stands that Nellie Reese was there. Her mom and dad, I’d find out later, were out-of-town on family business. With Nellie was her Volleyball teammate, a newly blonde, Tess Fuqua. It’s a good look. I’m rethinking my lack of commitment to Aggie Sports next season. I got a smile and a wave from Nellie on my way back from the bathroom. She’s really happy now not playing Volleyball and having a boyfriend. (I got a confused look from Tess when I waved at her.)

The wind and the cold had me going to the bathroom 4 times while I was at the stadium. I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hold it. There was a rare line at the bathroom between innings. I spoke to SH pitcher Ryden’s father there. He was cold and nervous about his son pitching. I told him it was 95-degrees here three weeks ago. That didn’t help.

For the sixth, the Bearkats singled and the Aggies went down in order. Much of the crowd was deserting with sun down and it getting colder. At least the players were obligingly playing quick. In the top of the seventh, Wright got 2 outs, but then a ball went under Kaufman’s glove at second. An error was initially charged, but changed immediately to a hit. Those fans weren’t there to ask me to explain that, which is good, because I wouldn’t have been able to. Wright picked the runner off anyway. The Aggies went down in order in the bottom with 2 strikeouts by a reliever just brought in.

In the top of the eighth, Wright was hit on the ankle on a comebacker. He fell down, but still threw out the runner. Wright walked the next batter. The crowd was incensed since it happened on a close pitch. Coach Angier went ahead and took Wright out for Dylan Weekly.

Weekly got the second out, but gave up a single next and a stolen base put both runners on scoring position. The SH coach called a conference with the runners and the hitter. This was almost unprecedented. I don’t know what clever strategy they were planning, but ultimately, a wild pitch brought the runner in from third. There was a play at the plate and the runner just slid under the tag. The crowd was mad about the call. I had a pretty good view of it. He looked safe. Another single brought in the other runner to give Sam Houston a 4-2 lead.

Clough led off the bottom of the eighth with a double. He was moved to third with 1 out and Coach Angier called a conference with the runner and the batter. Again, this doesn’t normally happen. Easton Rulli had an RBI fielder’s choice to bring in the run. (Was that the plan?) 4-3 SH.

The Bearkats began the top of the ninth with a single, but catcher Dane Woodcook made a good play on foul popup behind the plate and the next two batters went down. Woodcook singled to begin the bottom of the ninth and was sac’d over to second by Vest. Unfortunately, a lineout to first by Solo and a strikeout by Chris Daniels ended the game. Sam Houston wins, 4-3.

The final strike was on a check swing. Michael was furious. Apparently, Friday’s game had ended on a questionable call. Coach Angier briefly got into the umpire, but the ump pretty much walked away. I had a pretty good view. It looked like he swung.

Given the low-scoring game, all of my Gameballs are going to pitchers tonight. For Sam Houston, starter Tyler Ryden went 6 innings giving up 2 runs and reliever Connor Mondey pitched 3 and gave up 1 run. For the Aggies, starter Connor Wylde pitched 4 scoreless innings.

The game went 2 hours and 52 minutes. It wasn’t quick enough given the conditions, but it was interesting, if disappointing. (I’m not coming back to any more night game unless the weather conditions are perfect.) A low-hanging thin crescent red moon hung in the sky with Jupiter shining nearby. I went home and wished I hadn’t drunk all my hot chocolate a week ago. I skipped writing when I was home so I could play Command and Conquer: Zero Hour. I beat the final USA mission on the hard level. It was time well-spent. Oh, and ***tomorrow’s game*** starts at 10:00am.

Baseball Journal: Puppy Chow

4-8-26

Day Baseball today, unfortunately both games were on at the same time.    The Chihuahuas came on first with their game against the Isotopes in El Paso.    The pups were roughed up yesterday in their home opener, 8-4.    It wasn’t that close.    They went down early in today’s game and I switched over to the other game mostly and checked back in occasionally.    It was 10-0 Isotopes in the fourth. I felt good about my early ejection from the game.   

There was a bit of a comeback.    After an RBI fielder’s choice, Mason McCoy hit a 3-run homer to make it, 10-4, in the bottom of the fourth.    That was as close as it got.    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty started talking about calling a game in Wyoming game that was delayed for a huge snake.    It was removed by a coach with a sack for running on to the field and for not paying admission.    The Chihuahuas loaded the bases in the ninth, but lost 13-5.

Meanwhile, the Rangers were facing the Mariners in home game.    The Rangers won the first two games in the series, but with really low scores. In the first inning, Ranger starter, Mackenzie Gore, had a two-true outcome inning.    M’s players either walked or struck out.    Gore threw over 20 pitches.    It was still scoreless in the third, when Rob Refsydner robbed Josh Smith of a home run.    Broadcaster Matt Hicks awarded that the Whataburger Play of the Game, though it was against the Rangers.  

   

Last week, the Angels’, Jo Adell, stole 3 home run balls against the M’s in a 1-0 win.    The last one, he caught the ball, then fell over the low outfield wall into the crowd.    It was still a catch, because he caught it before he went over.

Gore struck out the side in the fourth and didn’t give up a hit until the fifth.    In the bottom of the fifth, the Rangers loaded the bases.    Connor Joe, called up from Tacoma (where he was playing against the Chihuahuas), threw home on a grounder, but threw high and 2 runs scored. Corey Seager sac’d in a run to make it, 3-0. The Rangers won by that score.    Gore got the win with 5 scoreless innings and 9 K’s.  Smith still had 2 hits in the game, even with the stolen homer.    Oddly this game ended before the Chihuahuas’ game finished, though it started a half hour later.   

4-10-26

The Chihuahuas had lost three in a row for their home opening series against the Isotopes and were down 5-0 in the fifth tonight.    The pups finally busted out in the bottom of that inning with a 12-batter, 7-run frame to take a 7-5 lead.    Mason McCoy doubled in 3 of those runs.   

The Isotopes came back in the seventh with back-to-back homers to tie it and took a 1-run lead in the eighth.    The Chihuahuas got two on in the bottom of that inning, but didn’t score.    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty had to make a change to his scorecard after a clarification in the official scoring was made.    Even the pros don’t always get the scoring right.    In the bottom of the ninth with two on, pinch hitter, Marcus Castanon, walked it off with a 3-run homer.    The dogs win their first home game, 10-8.

Driving home from work, I was listening to Fox Sports Radio. They were actually talking about baseball.    Of course, the host was just glazing the Dodgers.    (No.    It wasn’t Ben Maller.)    The host was saying that this Dodgers team was probably the greatest baseball team ever.    “Some might argue that some older teams were better, but they won segregated championships.    I don’t even count those.”    They’ll just give anybody a microphone, won’t they, as long as they prop up The Agenda?

4-11-2

ESPN Radio is committed to broadcasting baseball, even if ESPN on TV isn’t, and was broadcasting the Diamondbacks playing the Phillies this morning.    I missed the pregame and wasn’t quite sure who was playing.    Phillies starting pitcher, Taijuan Walker, got in immediate trouble in the first inning.    The crowd started booing instantly.    I should have been able to guess just from that that they were in Philadelphia.   

The broadcast was interesting.    There was some talk about the patterns on the field.    When putting light and dark patterns down, the groundskeeper has to make sure to not put grooves in the field that would influence ground balls.    Brandon Pfaadt, one of the Diamondbacks players, was wearing pink shoelaces.    It was a gender reveal for an expected baby to family members watching the game.   

In the third, Kyle Schwarber hit a 3-run homer and Bryce Harper followed with a solo shot to make it, 4-2.    In the eighth, the D-Backs scratched out a run to make it, 4-3.    The crowd collectively grumbled.    Really.    It came right over the crowd mics.    In the bottom, pidgins visited the booth.    This prompted a discussion about pidgins.    You never know what you’re going to get on baseball radio broadcast.    Jhoan Duran closed it out for the Phillies’ 4-3 win with a 100-mph strikeout.     

Later in the evening, the Chihuahuas lost, 4-0, to the Isotopes.    At least the crowd got fireworks afterward.    I was sorry I stuck with that game when there were two other games on, which I joined in progress.    The Rockies were at the Padres with the bases loaded with 2 out and the tying run at the plate for the Rox in the ninth.    A flyout ended it with a 9-5 Padres win.    I flipped over to the Rangers at the Dodgers with 2 on and the tying run at plate for the Rangers in the ninth.    Wait.    What?    A strikeout ended it anyway.    6-3 Dodgers win.

4-12-26

I was listening to the Chihuahuas versus the Isotopes while at Aggie Softball today.    I was having issues hearing the radio over the in-person game noise.    It was 6-0 Isotopes in the second inning.    According broadcaster Tim Hagerty, there was the first “fielder’s balk” ever at the ballpark.    I had to look that term up on the Internet, because it’s not in my rule book.    If a fielder is not in the field of play before a pitch, it’s a balk.    (I think.    I can’t find that rule in the book, either.)    However, it was called on Sung-Mun Song, who is a second baseman.    In the box score, there was an enigmatic “Shift violation” listed, which might be the offending play.

   

By the bottom of the seventh, the Chihuahuas had fought back to 8-5 Isotopes, after back-to-back home runs.    One went 457’.    The wind must have been blowing out.    Song then drove in a run.    Marcus Castanon drove in two more runs with Song diving headfirst across the plate to tie it at 8. Castanon would score on a wild pitch for a 9-8 lead.    It was a 6-run inning.

The Isotopes tied it in the ninth, though Song threw out the go-ahead run at home.    I went home after the Softball game to hear the rest of this one.    The top of the tenth started off with an Isotopes’ 2-run homer that went 440’.    It only got worse from there.    There was a run scored on an error on a sac bunt and a wind-aided 3-run homer.    I stopped keeping track at that point, but they scored 10 runs in the inning.    The Isotopes nearly batted around before the first out was recorded. The Chihuahuas scored 3 in the bottom, but the final was 19-12 Isotopes.    The pups dropped 5 of 6 in their opening homestand.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers were playing the Rangers on Mexican TV.    It was Jacob deGrom versus Roki Sasaki.    Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer in the game, which I heard about at the Softball game from a couple of fans chatting.    However, the Rangers didn’t allow scoring after that for most of the rest of the game.    The Rangers put up 2 in the third for the lead. They’d go on to win it, 5-2.   

I would have liked to have just watched all of it, but I’d told dad I’d come by and watch the end of the Masters with him.    (Also on TV at the same time, a new movie channel started broadcasting this weekend, Movie Sphere Gold.    They were showing Dredd, one of my favorite recent movies.)    I tried to listen to the baseball game on the radio while at dad’s apartment, but had even worse reception than I did at the ballpark.    I ended up watching Gameday for the bottom of the ninth.    

There was more baseball in the evening.    NBC was showing a Sunday night game with the Braves versus the INDIANS!    The game got out-of-hand about halfway through and the broadcast started focusing on nostalgia, though they wouldn’t even use the term “Indians” historically.

Jason Benetti led the broadcast with three color analysts and Bob Costas there.    CC Sabathia, sitting in a dugout, was keeping a scorecard.    He wouldn’t let the rest of the crew see it.    (If he had the kind of issues I had at Softball, I can understand why.)   

A couple of amusing things happened at the end of the game.    Ronald Acuna Jr. was grazed at the waist on a pitch.    It unbuckled his belt.    The game got so lopsided that catcher, Austin Hedges, pitched in the bottom of the eighth.    This was awesome!    He did get the final out.    This was his ninth MLB pitching appearance.    The Braves, keeping their great name in defiance of The Agenda, throttled the Cleveland Traitors, 13-1.   

NM State Aggies vs UTEP Miners Softball 4-12-26

Since their last home series against WKU, Aggie Softball dropped two of three to Jax State on the road. They lost the first game, 6-3. Faith Aragon took the loss pitching all 6 innings. Kendal Lunar and Lauren Johnson both homered in the game. The Aggies took the next game, 5-3. Faith got the win in that one and went 3 for 4. Kendal had a home run and her and Skye Johnson both had a pair of RBI’s. The rubber game was a 6-2 loss. Taryn Bennett took the loss. Faith pitched in relief. Lauren homered in the game.

I’d meant to take Friday off to see the rivalry game between the Aggies and the UTEP Miners and go to the Aggie Football equipment sale and Fan Fest. (I missed the Football guys taking penalty kicks against the Soccer girls. NCAA rules won’t let the football team actually scrimmage for the fans anymore.) Things were really busy at work and the forecast for that night was never good. The predicted rain did not materialize in Las Cruces, though it did in nearby El Paso, which delayed a Chihuahuas’ game.

There was, however, a haboob here to start the Softball game, indicating that a storm was on the way somewhere in the area. The girls played through it. It was an 8-3 win for the Aggies. Destan Burks had the big blow with a 3-run homer. Faith went the distance for the win.

I’d had a long week. On Saturday, I just wasn’t in the mood to go to an evening game. Helping a neighbor move in likely exhausted me a bit, as well. There was some threatening weather in the area, though it never actually rained. If it had been an earlier game, I might have gone. The Aggie Football equipment sale was still going on Saturday morning, but I just couldn’t get myself to go.

The game was another Aggie win, 3-0. Faith had another 7-inning effort and she doubled in a run. Destan and Kendal each had solo home runs. It was a very quick game at just over an hour and a half. Maybe they were worried about the weather, too. The sun had barely gone down when they’d finished. There was a great crowd of 795. They didn’t need me there.

Sunday morning, I was in a better mood, or at least complaining less. I left early for lunch at Whataburger. I wanted to use that free fry coupon. It was great, though I ordered a large drink and was shocked by the size of it. I thought I’d been ordering large drinks all this time. This thing was like 50% bigger than that.

When I got inside the stadium, Faith Aragon’s dad was there with some other fans holding court. He was saying, “We gotta win today.” I was listening to the Chihuahuas versus the Isotopes game on the radio I brought with me. Disappointingly, I could just barely hear it while I was inside the stadium. I was 45-minutes early and there was already a crowd inside. Attendance was listed at 563, but seemed bigger. The fans were more enthusiastic than usual. There was a sizable UTEP contingent.

It was cool and breezy and partly cloudy. It was fairly nice out. On field, the Miners were wearing Old-Timey looking loose, dark blue tops with high socks for their warm up. They switched to orange tops to play in. Mackenzie Jones was having fun and grooving in the Aggie horseshoe pregame ritual.

I think the scoreboard was on when I came in, but it was off for the entire game. I kind of hoped nothing weird would happen in the game for my scorecards. (That didn’t happen.) The ump should have been showing the count on every pitch and the PA should have been giving the score every inning. (Those things only happened occasionally.) A couple of fans asked me what inning we were in, since I was there with the scorecards.

Nobody should have been asking me about the game. I really screwed these up. I can’t even blame the scoreboard being off for my problems. I lost track of the lineup twice. I don’t know what happened. It’s so embarrassing.

It was a good sign in the top of the first, as Taryn Bennett had her good stuff working for a 1-2-3 inning. We had some delays between innings waiting on the TV coverage. Mondo with AggieVision, son of one of my co-workers, was on field and would signal to start play.

Ryann Presswood, with a full mane of lush long, shiny, blonde hair started for the Miners. Faith led off the bottom of the first with a sneaky bunt single. After two outs, Madi Bachman came up and hit her first pitch out of the park to center. This 2-run shot was done against the wind. 2-0 Aggies. That was all we saw of Presswood, as part of a steady stream of new Miner pitchers every inning.

In the top of the second, Taryn issued a walk to the second batter of the inning. Madi went out for a talk. Taryn seems to have a good attitude in the circle, but can be rattled. The next batter hit a blooper. The wind held the ball up and Sky Johnson in left field dove for it for the catch. The final out was a fielder’s choice. Destan Burks fed Tamara Carranza covering second. The ball was bobbled, but she held on. Tamara’s reward was getting her foot stepped on. She was hopping around after the play. In the bottom of the inning, the bottom of the Aggie order only managed a walk.

Behind me, there was a guy and a girl, I think a former player, talking about nothing but baseball and softball for the whole game. It was super refreshing. In the top of the third, Taryn deflected a high bouncer back at her trying to grab it. Behind her, Destan stayed with the ball and got the out. For better or worse, Taryn is always thinking with her glove on field, but she’s handy pitching, too. A pair of strikeouts ended the inning.

Some guys that I presume were Football players came in to watch. Destan had been moved up in lineup to second thanks to performance over the weekend. On the first pitch of the bottom of the third, Destan hit a sky high home run to left with the wind swirling. After a walk to Kendal, Madi had a sky-high hit to center. The wind knocked it straight down. The centerfielder had started back and then had to run back in. Two other fielders converged, but the ball fell in between all of them. Kendal was shot by a sniper rounding third on the play and had to go back, otherwise she might have scored.

Arianna Flores got a looking strikeout for the Miners the first out of the inning, but was relieved right after. In the break, a huge yellow butterfly floated around watching the game. Security attempted to apprehend the butterfly for not paying admission, but she flew off. Tamara came up and drove in the two baserunners with a double. Johnna Aragon then hit a liner that hit third base and deflected away from the defender. I had it as a tough error, but it was scored a hit.

Mackenzie came in to pinch run for Johanna and promptly stole second. Flores accidentally deflected the throw from the catcher trying to get her and Tamara scored on the error. The Aggies were now up, 6-0.

To the top of the fourth, Taryn got the first two batters, but a grounder took a bad hop on Tamara at short for an error. A worse error happened on my scorecard, as I noticed that I was out-of-order on the lineup. Taryn then gave up a single, but knuckled down and got the final out. In the bottom, Destan doubled and Madi drove her in on a fielder’s choice. 7-0 Aggies.

Madi was delayed getting out on field in the top of the fifth, since she was on the basepads. The Aggies didn’t run out a backup catcher to warm up Taryn. (Maybe they don’t have another player available.) Instead, Taryn got some additional instruction by the dugout from Madi’s sister, pitching coach, Paige Bachman. The Miners got a leadoff single, as Tamara nearly great catch on the soft liner, but couldn’t hold on to it. Tamara did get two other popups in the inning. And my scorecard lineup is screwed up again! I can’t believe it!

A food vendor came in and handed out a couple of leftover hot dogs to Football guys. (They’re obliviously underfed.) A couple of little girls were running around up front in different Spider-Man t-shirts. Is he their favorite superhero? And it was real Spider-Man, not that fake one, they keep pushing in the animated movies. The girls are being raised right.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Aggies loaded the bases on a couple of walks and a single with one out. Faith, with Coach Rodolph looking on and shouting encouragement, came up and tried another bunt, but it dribbled in front of plate. The catcher got it and lunged out to tag the runner from third. However, it was only a temporary reprieve for UTEP. Destan came up and singled up the middle past two defenders reaching for the ball. Johnna scored to make it 8-0 Aggies for a run rule win.

It’s a sweep! (And for my scorekeeping ego, thank goodness it’s over.) The game only went for 1 hour and 24 minutes. I was still listening to the Chihuahuas and decided to go home to finish the ***rest of it.*** Outside, there wasn’t a bus. I wondered how the Miners got here, but then I noticed two little shuttle busses in the parking lot.

Today’s Gameballs are all for the Aggies. (Sorry, UTEP. You ladies did not have a good game.) The first one goes to Taryn Bennett for the 5-inning shutout. That was great to see from her. It was the kind of performance I knew she was capable of. Tamara Carranza had 2 RBI’s on a double and Johnna Aragon went 2 for 3. Madi Bachman had a great game going 2 for 3 with 3 RBI’s and a 2-run homer. Destan Burks was also great going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s and a home run.

This would have been a good series to see all of for an Aggie fan. It’s unfortunate, I wasn’t able to. I’ll consider finally going to night game ***next Saturday*** with Aggie Baseball, as I’m running out of excuses.

Well deserved honors for Destan Burks.

Baseball Journal: Opening Weeks

 

I have not committed to journaling Baseball this year, but we’ll see how it goes.    I do feel compelled to say something about Opening Day.    Technically, that was the day before with the Yankees blanking the Giants.    (My pick to make it into the NLCS is looking great.)    That game was on Netflix, so that hardly counts as a real Opening Day.    Meanwhile, here on Saturday morning (when I’m writing this), I’ve been watching professional Women’s Volleyball and Women’s Soccer.    Also on were women’s professional hockey and the Women’s NCAA Basketball tournament.    I’m getting a clear view of the future.    Women’s sports on over-the-air TV and all of the men’s sports will require a subscription.

3-26-26

For Opening day, I was in the shower getting ready to listen to the Texas Rangers and the Phillies on the radio.    My dad, who has an uncanny knack for calling while I’m in the shower, called to tell me there was a baseball game on TV.    This was a surprise.    NBC, I guess, has taken over for ESPN on national TV broadcasts.   

The Mets and the Pirates were on and I caught up with the game in about the third inning with the Mets up.    I’d missed the main drama of the game with Pirates’ ace, Paul Skenes, knocked out in first inning after giving up 5 runs.    Oneil Cruz, converted from shortstop, had misplayed two balls in centerfield, by way of some explanation.    Cruz did homer in an at bat and, new arrival to the team, Brandon Lowe, homered twice in his first two at bats.   

There was an odd section in the outfield in Citi Field with everyone wearing red tops.    I missed whatever explanation there was for that.    In the fifth, Nick Gonzales, former Aggie star, singled and Henry Davis doubled him in to make it, 6-4 Mets.    In the sixth, Carson Benge, making his MLB debut for the Mets, homered.    He got a curtain call.    In the ninth, Nick doubled in 2 runs, but the Mets prevailed, 11-7.    So much for the expected pitcher’s duel with Skenes and Freddy Peralta.

NBC did a great job on the broadcast with Matt Vasgersian heading the crew.    It warmed my heart to get a good baseball broadcast during the day.    It was like the good old days with NBC’s Game of the Week on Saturday mornings.   

I got to listen to maybe half of the Rangers and Phillies on the radio, before I went to work, though it wasn’t a great signal.    A fife and drum corps came out to play for the player introductions.    Harry Kalas’ son sang the Anthem.    That was a nice continuation from the long-time Philadelphia announcer.    In that mold, Rangers’ starter, Nathan Evoldi, faced Justin Crawford.    Years ago, Evoldi had pitched to Justin’s father, Carl Crawford.    Kyle Schwarber hit a 2-run homer in first. The Rangers were nearly blanked, as they were much of last season, but scored 3 in the ninth to make it respectable in a 5-3 loss.      

I called my Aunt Judy to wish her a happy Opening Day.    She called me back and wasn’t having a happy Opening Day.    She’d paid for a subscription to get her beloved Cardinals and it didn’t work, so she missed it.    Hopefully, this will get sorted out for her quickly.

NBC/Peacock has taken over for ESPN for national, weekly baseball broadcasts.    They’re committed.    In addition to the afternoon game, they did a night game between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks.    Dad watched that one.    ESPN Radio is still doing baseball broadcasts, so I was able to listen to it while at work.    I’ll say this much for Los Angles fans, you could hear all the 56k there at the game.    It was an 8-2 win for the Dodgers.    The broadcast featured constant glazing of the team, which got kind of tiresome.

In other Opening Day news, Jacob Misiorowski had 11 strikeouts in a Brewers’ win and there were 20 k’s total, but it was against the White Sox, so don’t get too excited.    Rookie Kevin McGonigle had 4 hits in the Tigers’ win over the Padres.    Maybe the Tigers did upgrade their offense for this season.

3-27-26

The El Paso Chihuahuas had their Opening Day late tonight against the Rivercats in Sacramento.    There was a Trumpet Anthem and a flyover.    It sounded like a big enthusiastic crowd there.    The Pups got their offense going in fifth and took a 6-1 lead, as they batted around.    Sacramento loaded the bases in the eighth thanks to a successful pitch challenge.    The crowd went wild and they scored twice, but ultimately lost, 9-3, to the Chihuahuas.    Those people seem pretty happy with their baseball.    I wonder if there’s a “Live at the Ballpark” ticket package with season tickets for the Rivercats and the A’s.

3-28-26

The Rangers game did not come on the radio this afternoon.    I’m not happy with their El Paso radio affiliate.    After I got back from Aggie Softball, I listened to the late night Chihuahuas game.    I’m mentioning it for this, there was a near immaculate inning in the ninth for the Rivercats.    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty got pretty excited.    The Sacramento pitcher got 8-straight strikes, but just missed on the ninth pitch.    It was tied at 3 and went to the tenth.    The pups scored there, but the Rivercats scored 2 in the bottom of frame to win it, 5-4.

I missed all of the baseball on Sunday being back at Aggie Softball and watching the NCAA Tournament with my dad.    The day felt incomplete.

4-3-26

Still no MLB.TV Free Games this season.    However, we did have today’s the Rangers’ home opener on the radio.    They had an hour-long pregame.    Iconic stadium PA, Chuck Morgan, earned his pay before the game with 10 minutes of team intros.    Former El Paso Diablo and El Paso Chihuahua manager, Rod Barajas, and Travis Jankowski from the Rangers’ 2023 World Series team, were both on the coaching staff.    The Rangers were playing the Reds and Mackenzie Gore was starting for the Rangers.

Dad had called me on Monday to tell me that the Diamondbacks were playing the Tigers that night for Arizona’s home opener.    I figured somebody might be showing the Rockies’ Opening Day today, as well.    It was and they were playing the Phillies.    Unfortunately, this was on at the same time as the Rangers’ game, so I put this game on mute with closed captions.   

It was a bright sunny day in Denver, not quite a full house, but a great crowd.    An impressive “CR” was mowed into the outfield grass.    Rockies’ catcher, Hunter Goodman, received his Silver Slugger award before the game.

The announcers were talking about ABS challenges.    Catchers were having the best success.    Pitchers were having the worst and even not allowed to challenge by some teams.    In a Chihuahuas game last night, pup knuckle ball pitcher Matt Waldron did make a successful challenge.  The other pitchers on the team were not allowed to challenge, but as a Major Leaguer, they let him.    An even more unlikely challenge was that Gabe Mosser, the opposing pitcher, was also a knuckler baller.    This made MLB news.

The Rockies’ starter, Michael Lorenzen, had a rough first giving up 6 runs, including a 3-run homer by Brandon Marsh.    In Arlington, in Gore’s second inning, he gave up a 2-run homer to Spencer Steer, though the Rangers tied it in the bottom via a Danny Jansen 2-RBI double.    Back in Denver, Bryce Harper, who’d been slumping, hit a 2-run homer to make it, 8-0 Phillies.

By the fourth inning in both games, I had to leave for work.    Before going, I got to see the Rockies get a run on a fielder’s choice.    Bryson Stott at second made a brilliant leap and glove toss of the ball to get the out on the play.    It was 10-1 Phillies, which would be the final.    In Texas, Elly de la Cruz hit a line drive home run in the sixth to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.    Wyatt Langford doubled in a run to tie it in seventh, however another 2-run homer late by the Reds ended it, 5-3 Reds.

The big news in the MLB today was the debut of Konnor Griffin with the Pirates.    He doubled in a run in his first at bat, which contributed to a 5-4 win.    The bad news was that Griffin bumped Aggie great Nick Gonzales out of the lineup.    Just to make it worse, they were playing the Orioles and Kyle Bradish was losing pitcher, another Aggie star.

Another bit of big news was a couple of minor leaguers getting huge contracts.    This figured into the night game between the Chihuahuas versus the Rainiers.    Colt Emerson was playing for Tacoma and had received the largest contract ever for a player, who hadn’t yet made it to the MLB.    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty kept mentioning this for every Emerson at bat.    No pressure.

It was freezing weather there in Tacoma.    Jose Miranda gave the little dogs a lead in the first inning with a grand slam.    Patrick Wisdom, the Chihuahuas’ old nemesis from a previous postseason, tied it with a 3-run homer.    In the seventh, a Chihuahuas’ runner was thrown out at the plate, but the team still took a 7-4 lead.  Jase Bowen hit a 2-run triple in the eighth for a 10-4 lead.    With that hit, Bowen hit for the cycle tonight.    It would be a 10-5 win for the Chihuahuas.

4-4-26

After a morning game with Aggie Baseball, there was more baseball that night.    The Rangers lost 2-0 to the Reds.    The radio signal cut out on the final batter.    I was surprised it held out that long in the evening.   

The Chihuahuas were playing two 7-inning games tonight to make up for a rainout earlier in the week.    Game 1 of the double header was a 5-2 Chihuahuas win in 8 innings.    They scored 4 times in the extra inning, helped out by a couple of errors on the same player on the same play.    The Rainiers did bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom.

During the break between games, I flipped over to the end of the Rockies and Phillies’ game.    There were 39k at Coors Field.    There was a different announcer working with Jack Corrigan, Jesse Thomas.    He sounded young.    It was 2-1 Phillies in the ninth.    The Rockies had given up the DH for the inning, but that didn’t figure into the final decision.    Jhoan Duran, with the most alliterative name in the MLB, got the save for the Phillies.   

On TV, there was soccer.    I happened upon the El Paso Locomotive getting a 3-2 win over Las Vegas.    LV protested the ending saying that they were owed a corner.    Elsewhere, the NWSL was on and Denver played another nil-nil tie with Seattle.    These ladies need to score.

In the Chihuahuas’ Game 2, the pups nursed a 2-run homer in the first until the sixth, where Tacoma scored on a solo home run.    In the bottom of the seventh, there were two outs, a runner on first, and Connor Joe up to bat.    A strikeout ended it.    It was a 2-1 win and a double header sweep for the Chihuahuas.    The next day, Tim Hagerty mentioned getting a foul ball in the broadcast booth in one of these games, but I didn’t hear it happen.

4-5-26

One of the Mexican stations was advertising that they’d be showing MLB games this season.    This afternoon’s game featured the Mets at the Giants.    It was an Old School Baseball flashback today.    Both managers argued with the umps for an extended period of time.    The Mets’ manager came out to argue a check swing strike on Marcus Semien.    (He was wrong. It was a strike.)    The Giants’ manager, who came directly from the college ranks, argued about a runner being out of the baseline going to first and I think he was ejected.    Maybe the college safety bag idea isn’t so nutty after all.