NM State Aggies vs La Salle Explorers Baseball Game 2, 3-9-19

Continued from Game 1.

Game 2

Ron and I went to What-a-burger during the intermission.  I’d been wanting one of their Barbeque Chicken Strip sandwiches for months.  It was absolutely delicious, but shoveling it down my throat while listening to the first inning over the radio wasn’t the best way to have enjoyed it.  There was a smaller crowd inside than Game 1 when we made it in, but it was actually still pretty good given Aggie Men’s Basketball would be starting in a couple of hours.  One noticeable absence was marketing intern Emerson.  The game was a lot less sexy without her. 

In spite of coming to party late, I more-or-less managed to complete both scorecards.  That said, it was late, I was mildly indigested from eating too quickly, and it got predictably colder as it became night.  My notes for the game were sparse, so this may be a very functional, rather than colorful, recap.

It was still reasonably pleasant.  The night weather report for Philly, where La Salle is located, was 34 degrees and snowing.  While we were listening in Ron’s car, the Explorers took a 1-0 lead off a single, a stolen base, and a fielder’s choice.  Tristen Carranza would tie it with a leadoff home run in the second. 

Aggie starter, Chris Jefferson loaded the bases in the third after getting two outs.  He got a check swing strikeout to end it.  Logan Bottrell singled in the bottom of the third.  If we go back to Game 1, he was now 7 for 7!  The Aggies loaded the bases that inning, but didn’t score.  That was one carryover we didn’t need from the last game. 

The Explorers retook the lead with a run in the fourth, 2-1.  Some good Aggie defense kept it from being worse.  Jefferson made a tremendous throw on an infield hit from the third base line to get the runner at first.  Botts nearly got the scoring run at the plate from centerfield.  Nick Gonzales made a deep, over-the-shoulder catch at second to end the inning.  In the bottom, catcher Jason Bush got a big single to drive in two runs for the Aggies to retake the lead 3-2.

A pair of walks got Jefferson in trouble in the fifth.  One was cashed in to tie the score again.  In the bottom, Nick beat out an infield single and took second when the throw got away from the first baseman.  Carranza came up behind him and jammed a two-run shot to the opposite field.  The wind carried the ball just inside the right field foul pole.  With his second homer of the game, TC now matched Nick for the national lead in home runs at 11.  The next Explorer reliever fired his first warmup pitch two feet over his catcher’s head, so there were no more homers for the inning.

Coach Green had put Eric Mingus in as a pinch runner in the seventh.  For the eighth, he went to third and Caleb Henderson moved to first, their usual positions.  Matt Munden had a worked a quick seventh for the Aggies.  Freshman Justin Schubert came in for an efficient eighth.  The Aggies added a run on a Joey Ortiz single in the bottom.  During that inning, the ump warned Explorer reliever, Chuck Kelley, about something.  Adam Young on the radio, didn’t know what about.  Explorer Peyton Sorrels made a good, falling down catch at second to end the inning.

Mingus made a great charge, catch, and throw to get the first batter of the ninth.  At that point, my radio died.  I’d run dry two radios over the course of this double header.  Bush missed a foul popup behind the plate, but there was no damage from it, as Schubert closed the game out.

Aggies win 7-3!  That was another great game.  Your stat of the match was 10.  That was the number of Aggie runners left on base.  Between these two games, the Aggies left a lot on the table today.  Tristen Carranza was our hitting star.  He went 3 for 5, but his second home run of the game was the backbreaker.  I thought Justin Schubert looked good in his two innings of relief as well.

During the game, the halftime score at Aggie Men’s Basketball was announced.  They were killing CBU by 20 points.  Gee, you think the guys remembered their only conference loss this season?  Ron and I continued to listen to the game while we went to Caliches for custard.  The final was 75-63.  In the postgame, Coach Jans admitted he was concentrating more at the end of the game on how to get his seniors off the court to let the crowd applaud them individually, than on keeping up the 20-point lead.  The actual biggest story of the game was that a fan made a $5,000 half-court shot!  Clearly he took some lessons from Johnny McCants, the team’s half-court shot specialist. 

At the checkout window of Caliches, I ordered a key lime, and this time Ron followed my lead.  He took one bite and looked at me, “Dude!  This is delicious!  I should have ordered one of these last week!”  He even licked the cup when he was done.  I think me, Ron, and Aggie Sports would call this a very successful day.