NM State Aggies vs UTRGV Vaqueros Baseball 5-4-19

***Insert picture here of new Aggie Star Wars t-shirt that I didn’t get at the ballgame.  Oops.***

When you’re sitting at your team’s game and you’re actually hoping they get run ruled to end the game quicker, you know it’s been a bad day at the ballpark.  Well, the worse day at the ballpark still beats the best day at the office (except for paydays).  Yeah, I didn’t even get the giveaway shirt just to make me even more salty.  This report is going to be late because I am worn down from covering Aggie sports this school year, and I wrote down a bunch of notes that I don’t want to type out on a game that functionally ended in the top of the first inning. 

Bad news: the Aggies lost to the Vaqueros on Saturday, 21-11.  No, they weren’t playing football.  The Aggies were run ruled on their home field by a conference opponent.  They fell behind UTRGV again in the standings after they’d managed to tie them with a great win on Friday, 17-8.  I have seen a worse loss in person (vs Texas Tech, 15-4, 4-4-17), but if this game had gone the whole nine, who knows?

The good news is that the Aggies came back from this loss on Sunday and absolutely ruled.  (Bad news: I didn’t see it.  I was with Ron at a Chihuahuas game.  Good news: it was a great game.  I’ll recap it later.)  After a ruinous performance by Aggie pitching on Saturday, unbeaten Chance Hroch said, “Hold my beer,” and pitched a complete seven-inning run rule 10-0 shutout.  More unbelievably, the victory took under two-and-half hours.  Saturday’s game was just over four hours, but felt longer.  Hey, even better, Aggie Softball swept their final series to secure a #2 seed at the tournament.

So, with all these spoilers up front, let’s get down to it.  Ron and I were greeted at Presley Askew Field by a football flying out of the visitor’s dugout.  I did say this wasn’t a football game, right?  UTRGV was playing catch before the game, including even with a fan in the stands.  They were wearing orange tops and gray pants and looked like they were wearing pajamas.  If it had a high collar, it would at least look like an old-timey uniform.  Strangely, this would prove to not be the worst uniform I’d see this weekend.  That would happen at the Chihuahuas game.     

“May the Fourth Be With You.”  Groan.  There was a time when everybody loved Star Wars.  Anybody still loving Star Wars is basically loving the memory, not anything that’s been produced since after Return of the Jedi came out.  The franchise survived The Holiday Special and Jar Jar Binks, it’ll somehow survive Disney.  (I saw an inspirational video once by the guy who played Jar Jar.  He almost committed suicide because of the hate.)   Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca, died right before the fourth, so there was some sadness with this years’ remembrance.  All that said, I was wearing my Aggie Empire shirt with the Stormtrooper on it, and I was looking for the advertised Star Wars t-shirt giveaway.

Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper were at the entrance.  Leia, with the honey buns hairstyle no less, joined them.  There weren’t any t-shirts given away there.  I was afraid of this.  They were only going to be tossed to the crowd after Aggie strikeouts.  We’ll revisit this later.  Leia and Darth would be fighting with lightsabers in the Aggie dugout before the game, but they weren’t throwing out the first pitch.  That went to Aggie alum and El Paso weather forecaster, Monica Cortez.  She was happy as heck to be there (and way shorter than she looks on TV).  Darth did harass the umps, though.

It was a great day for a game.  It was warm and sunny with a breeze.  A great crowd came out for the game.  There were lots of pretty young blondes (player girlfriends).  A trio of glamorous volleyball players came in.  UTRGV did bring some fans.  Unfortunately, they brought their own version of Tom.  Amusingly, they actually sat next to each other for a short time, before Tom tired of the company and moved, and then left altogether.  This guy was lightly haranguing the opposing players directly though, which I found to be a faux pas.  Frat boys doing it is one thing, but presumably a dad of one of the players doing it was unseemly.  He was keeping a scorecard like me, but was sitting there in bare feet doing it.   

The game did not start off well for the Aggies or the fans.  It took a half hour to play out the top of the first.  Justin Dehn put the first six batters on base.  The second batter, Christian Sepulveda, hit a no doubt homer to left, but not without controversy.  PA Alexia, radio broadcaster Adam Young, and myself disagreed on how to pronounce his last name.

Dehn struck out the seventh batter, which activated the t-shirt giveaway.  Emerson came out to various Star Wars sound effects and tossed them.  They looked pretty good with “Pew Pew” written on the front of it.  I decided I wouldn’t signal for one unless nobody else was interested, which obviously wasn’t going to happen with the large crowd.  A kid down below me got one.  The Vaquero dad asked to see it and admired it.  That was Dehn’s only out.  Aldo Fernandez had to come in and finish the inning.  7-0 UTRGV. 

Aldo finished the inning with a K.  Emerson and Darth came out to toss more shirts between innings.  Darth seemed a bit apathetic.  Speaking of this, I’d read that there was going to be a Darth Vader impersonation contest, but it never happened.  I’d been working on mine.  I was disappointed. 

Conner Dotson hadn’t given up a home run this season for the Vaqueros.  That almost came to an end in the bottom of the first when Nick Gonzales solidly hit the left field wall, a couple of feet from clearing the fence.  Tristen Carranza came up next.  A guy fan in the stands called him “Trizzy.”  I guess that really is his nickname.  I’m going to stay with TC, because it’s cooler.  He grounded out, though he did show up the ump earlier in the at bat by trying to take first on a close pitch for a walk.        

Ron was still sitting with me to this point.  After two more runs scored in the second, I told him, “Time to put in the pitching machine.”  Vaquero Anthony Gomez was hit by a pitch, but swung at it and it was called a strike.  He got a single anyway.  The Aggies scored in the bottom on an error and a single by Tristan Peterson, so there wouldn’t be a shutout.  9-1 UTRGV. 

Adam reported that the team did a walk for ALS this morning.  Were they tired?  Chris Jefferson came in and took about ten minutes to hit one batter and issue a walk.  Pitching Coach Anthony Clagget came out and gave him a talk, but three runs scored afterward anyway.  Adam was giving out information Aggie players in the minors by this point.  Eric Mingus made a diving catch on a foul to finally end the inning.  12-1 UTRGV.

For the window contest, a kid won a lightsaber.  That was a pretty good prize.  Pistol Pete came by.  He was out of uniform, but that curly mustache was hard to miss.  The other Pete was at the game too, still recognizable without the six-shooters.  The Aggies came back in the bottom of the third as Dotson started losing control.  He walked five and forced in two runs without a hit.  Boy, five walks were just what this game needed to move it along.  This time TC turned around and looked at the ump for his call before taking his walk.  UTRGV finally had to put in another pitcher, Max Balderrama, to end the inning, 12-3.  We were two hours in and only three innings done.

Finally, a quick inning in the fourth as a caught stealing and a double play ended the top of the inning.  I’d question running with a nine-run lead, but not against this Aggie offense.  Catcher Jason Bush apparently had the best Aggie arm today with that putout.  The bottom went quick too with another double play.  I think Jason’s pretty blonde girlfriend was sitting in front of me.  She’d cheer for him special when he came to bat.  She stayed to the end of the game.  That’s some real loyalty here.

I’d noticed a pretty woman come in with an unfortunate walking disability.  She was using a walker and another guy helping her and two other guys were with them.  They were sitting up front, but moved in behind me later (perhaps tired of the Vaqueros fan dad).  She tapped me during the inning to ask if I was working for the team.  I get that a lot.  She thought that the Aggies were doing well “this quarter.”  I was kind of speechless, but did note that she was younger than I thought and I complimented her nice nails.  I wanted to talk to her more, even if I knew I’d probably end up having to explain the infield fly rule, but I wasn’t quite sure what her relationship was with the three guys.  It didn’t seem to be marriage and kids like I’d initially thought.  They all left between innings, and me and her waved goodbye.  Maybe we’ll meet again.      

It seemed like one of the kids for the I Scream contest got stage fright.  Both of the kids got prizes and a round of applause.  The Vaqueros added on three more runs in the fifth.  One came in on a sacrifice and another on a two-run homer.  Nick was playing hard, diving to try to stop a single.  He then came up second in the bottom with Joey Ortiz on and jacked one into the scoreboard in left center.  After Logan Ehnes singled and stole second, Peterson hit the second two-run homer of the inning.  The right fielder tried to climb the wall to get it.  Balderrama hadn’t given up a home run either this season.  12-7 UTRGV.

The Vaquero dad was yelling “Swing!” during the inning and finally got on my nerves to where I was finally yelling on plays.  He might have been motivating the batters, because they were swinging well.  Emerson threw out shirts after the home runs.  I wasn’t sure if they were the Star Wars shirts or not.  I was standing to applaud one of the home runs and she was standing in front of me and I didn’t signal for a shirt.  She seemed a little miffed and had to throw it to someone higher up.  Sorry, I just didn’t want to deprive anyone more enthusiastic about a giveaway shirt than I was.

Justin Schubert started the sixth for the Aggies.  He started off with a looking strikeout.  Alexia called for a t-shirt toss, but no one came down to do it.  Emerson may have been catching her breath.  Going up and down those grandstand steps from the pressbox would be a good workout.  Peterson made a good play on a high bouncer to get an out at first. 

Emerson, I think, was back down in front for the Pocket contest.  Whoever it was was in a Stormtrooper mask and giving away lightsabers.  “Is anyone wearing a Star Wars t-shirt!”  Obviously, these toys should be going to any kids in the crowd, but I was getting up anyway.  I noticed one other young woman in the crowd who was wearing a Star Wars t-shirt, and she was already standing next to Emerson.  So much for that.  At least the co-ed seemed happy with it, very happy.  You know, unextended, those toy lightsabers looked a lot like neon dil . . . err . . . ahem.      

Ron came back out of breath from chasing fouls for a couple of innings.  It’d gotten hot and he’d had enough.  I was happy he brought me a bottle of water.  Top of the seventh, Schubert had an awkward landing coming off the mound.  Coach Green came out and asked how he was doing and apparently gave the wrong answer and had to come out.  Chris Barraza came in.  He let in two more runs to make it 17-8.  He did get a strikeout.  Wow, did Emerson look hot . . . because she’d worked up a sweat throwing out all those shirts during the game.  Hey, it could have been worse.  There could have been a lot more than 6 K’s and 2 homers.

The Aggies rallied again in the bottom of the seventh.  They loaded the bases and UTRGV brought in their closer, Ryan Jackson.  He surrendered a bases clearing double to make it 17-11.  Jackson ended the inning by striking out Logan Bottrell.  Botts spun around like a top swinging at the final strike.

There was some sort of announcement about the El Paso Chihuahuas being at the final Aggie home series?  I’ll be on the lookout for that.  Barraza didn’t make it through the eighth.  Matt Munden came in and gave up a three-run homer.  The crowd deserted at that point, even the Vaquero dad (thankfully).  We got some comedy as a little boy dramatically called out a foul ball.  He also did the Worm between innings to the PA music.  Me and Jason Bush’s girlfriend thought it was funny.  Meanwhile, Jason had a rough inning blocking balls in the dirt (or whatever that artificial stuff is). 

The Vaqueros scored another run to set up a run rule with a ten-run lead.  The Aggies didn’t score in the bottom of the eighth and it was finally over.  21-11 UTRGV wins.  Let us never speak of this game again.

Should I hand out some gameballs for this?  Yes.  Coleman Grubbs for the Vaqueros went 4 for 5 with 5 RBI’s and a home run.  But, I doubt he would have done as well against the pitching machine.  The Aggies did show some real fight coming back after that first inning.  After going down five in Friday’s game, they knew they could do it.  Tristan Peterson had the best day going 2 for 3 with 4 RBI’s and a homer.  The only problem was the pitching; they just couldn’t stop UTRGV from scoring. 

At least you already know that the Aggies came back magnificently on Sunday.  I’m sorry I wasn’t there for it, but I had a date with the Margaritas (explanation forthcoming).