Continued from
Part 2
5-27-18
This finale game
between the Aggies and the Hornets (the “If necessary” game as per
the schedule) started on a bad note for me.
Either, I wrote down the wrong start time or Adam Young didn't account correctly for the time difference. It was late (after 1:00am) when the time was
announced. Who knows? I was kind of glad the start of the game
didn't overlap with the end of the Indy
500 anyway. The entire crowd in
Mesa, Arizona was shunning the lower deck of the stadium to be under the shade
of the upper deck to avoid the heat.
Watching video of the game later on the news, it looked like the place
was deserted.
The game started
badly for the Aggies too. Normally
sure-handed shortstop Joey Ortiz committed
an error, which let on a runner who came around to score. 1-0 Hornets.
Kyle Bradish was starting for
the Aggies on three-days rest, but looked okay otherwise as he was inducing
groundballs. The Hornet's pitcher was
working on two-days rest. It was
iron-man baseball today.
Joey had another
misplay in the second. I wonder if there
were nerves or a lack of sleep taking a toll.
The Aggies loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with one
out. (They were the home team today.) Caleb
Henderson then hit into a double play.
In the fourth (with a new Hornet pitcher in), this situation basically
repeated itself, but this time Trey Stine managed to sacrifice a run in. 1 all.
In the fifth,
Aggie catcher Braden Williams threw
out a runner trying to take second. Day
game after a very long night game and Braden was still sharp. In the bottom, Joey beat out an infield
hit. The Hornets' coach complained and
the umpires gathered and overturned the call without a review. Yes, I found that odd, too. However, Henderson singled and got moved over
to third. An error by the Hornets' third
baseman (ruled a hit) on a Tristen
Carranza grounder scored him. 2-1
Aggies.
Tristen came up
big again in the sixth as he made a fence-scaling catch and nearly doubled off
a runner at first. (I wish I'd gotten to
see that.) This was Bradish's last
inning. He stranded two runners. In the bottom with runners on the corners,
Joey knocked in Braden to make it 3-1 Aggies.
Jonathan Groff, on two-days rest, came in and worked
a scoreless seventh. In the bottom, home
run, Logan Ehnes! He did it on the first pitch. Why couldn't have somebody done that in the
ninth yesterday? Hohokam Park is not hitter-friendly. Adam had thought that the Hornets were probably
out of fresh, reliable pitching last inning.
Austin Ragsdale came in. Yeah, the guy who threw seven innings
yesterday! There were two on with two
out. Ragsdale gave up a walk, but
finished off the inning with a strikeout.
4-1 Aggies.
Let's make a
gut-check here in the eighth. The
Hornets loaded the bases on three hits with nobody out. A double play got two outs, but a run scored,
4-2. Groff gave up another hit, which
brought in another run, 4-3. Another
hit. With two on, Chance Hroch came in and finished the inning. The Aggies still had a one-run lead. Ragsdale worked a quick bottom to send it to
the ninth.
Not to be
out-done in the “squeezing every last once of effort from your pitchers”
category, Coach Green put in Brock Whittlesey, who'd also gone seven
innings yesterday. He came in kicking
and screaming. (Just kidding.) Before the game, the coach did say he had a “rubber
arm.” Batter #1: foul out. Batter #2: ground out. Batter #3: Joey's third error of the
game. (You didn't think it was going to
be that easy, did you?) Batter #4: Tristen squeezed a fly in left
field. Three outs. Aggies
win 4-3 and the WAC Championship.
I felt like
crying and getting sick at the same time.
After yesterday's marathon stomach-twister, this was three hours in a
hydraulic press on top of it. The Aggies
just won their first WAC championship in the baseball. The players dogpiled on the mound as the
crowd erupted. The NM State flag was
unfurled and waved.
Kyle Bradish got the win. Brock
Whittlesey got the save. Both, along
with Jonathan Groff, will be icing
their arms for the next two days. Those three Aggie pitchers were named to the All-Tournament team, along with Marcus Still. Tristen
Carranza was the tournament MVP. It was an interesting choice, but no
arguments.
This story isn't
over yet. The Aggies are now going to NCAA Tournament!
5-28-18
So it was destiny
that the Aggies would play the Texas Tech Red Raiders again this
season. (Their scheduled third matchup
of the season was canceled.)
Unfortunately, they won't be playing them here for the NCAA Tournament. On local TV news, the video showed the guys
politely applauding as their bracket opponent was announced. Well, that was subdued. The Aggies lost both meetings with the Red
Raiders this season, but I don't think the Aggies threw Kyle Bradish either time.
This will hopefully be interesting.
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