NM State Aggies vs UTRGV Vaqueros Baseball 3-25-23

When last we left Aggie Baseball, they were 0-10.  This blossomed to 0-13, as expected against GCU.  Finally, against NAIA team OUAZ (Ottawa University Arizona), the team broke out and won to the tune of 23-2.  (And the game took under three hours to play.  Everyone thought there was a run rule in place for the game, but they did play out all nine innings.)  The Aggies then went 1 and 2 against Utah Tech.  Earlier this week, the team beat the Lobos in Albuquerque 2-0 in a clutch nail-biter.  Friday, they came from behind to beat the Vaqueros, 9-5. 

 

I was glad I called Ron Friday afternoon and he told me about the games this weekend.  I didn’t know about them.  I’d totally missed putting this series on my calendar.  Oops.  I adjusted my weekend plans to go to the game with him.  Also on Friday, NM State announced that they’d poached Sam Houston State coach, Jason Hooten, for their Men’s Basketball team.  Both programs will be in the new Conference-USA next season. 

 

Today was a brilliant day for baseball.  It was bright and sunny with only a light, cold breeze.  I was warned from listening to last night’s radio call and from Ron, who was there, that would be a lot of UTRGV fans in the crowd.  They had five players from El Paso on the team and one from Las Cruces.  That one was Zerek Saenz.  Yes, that’s the former Aggie from last year that was likely chased off the team by Coach Kirby for having a bad start to his season, after having a stellar season the previous year.  I’d estimate 40% of today’s 862 in attendance were wearing orange.  And they were loud.

 

Inside, I picked up a corn-in-a-cup and a Brisk tea.  What I did not pick up was a program.  There weren't any.  I made some good guesses on spelling and only missed a couple of late game subs.  Inside, fan Michael informed me that Logan Galina was out with a broken pinky finger.  I greeted broadcaster, Adam Young, and congratulated him on having a baby on the way.  

 

Behind the seats where we were sitting, I noticed a kid’s mitt.  Ron took it up to the press box thinking it might have been left last night.  A lady from a nearby section walked by a bit later, searching around.  Ron asked if she was looking for a mitt.  She was, and he directed her to the press box.  She came back and said her son needed it for a couple of games this evening.  The kid was in uniform and kept his mitt on for the rest of the game.        

 

Fashion-wise in the crowd, I counted three USA WBC hats, along with two Mexico and one Puerto Rico.  There was also a UTRGV fan with an orange San Francisco Giants City Connect hat.  Several of their fans were wearing orange from other teams, but mostly they were wearing a wide variety of Vaquero merch.  A couple of kids in the crowd were adorably wearing their sleepers.  (It was cute, but a little weird, especially for a day game.)  My favorite item though was a lady wearing a classic Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bud red jacket.  Retro cool.     

Pablo Cortes started for the Aggies.  Kevin Jimenez helped him out in the first with a great running catch and throw on a slow grounder to second.  Romeo Ballesteros at short connected with KJ on a sharp force out to end the inning.  When Kevin came up in the bottom, he got a big boo from the UTRGV fans.  I don’t think it was anything to do with last night.  I don’t know.  They erupted when he grounded into an inning-ending double play. 

Home plate ump, Dominic Toledo, did have a rough inning with inconsistent calls.  One pitch went for a ball.  Another pitch in the same place went for a strike.  It was a bad way to start off a game in front of a 50/50 highly partisan crowd.  For the rest of the game, his calls were being questioned (including by myself).  If you’re an ump, don’t screw up early.  

Cortes was a bit wild in the second with a hit batter, a walk, and a wild pitch.  This resulted in a run-scoring single.  1-0 Vaqueros.  Keith Jones II worked a walk in the bottom, but was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning. 

 

In the third, Nolan Funke from third made a nice catch of a foul by the Aggie dugout.  It’s noteworthy because of the large amount of foul area at Presley Askew Field.  Next batter, Mitch Namie in center made a great dive for a ball and nearly an even better acting job in showing ball in his mitt, but it was a trap and a double.  6’ 5” Montclair Cain with long curly blond hair came to the plate.  No MLB shift rules for College ball, as shortstop Romeo Ballesteros came to play second, while KJ played short right.  Cain singled anyway and brought in another run.  2-0 Vaqueros.  In the bottom, Preston Godfrey hit a laser out of the park to right field.  The Aggie fans in the crowd finally had something to cheer about.  2-1 Vaqueros.

 

Cortes led off with a walk in the fourth.  He then advanced the runner to third with a two-base throwing error on a pickoff attempt.  The Vaqueros cashed the runner in with a ground out.  3-1 Vaqueros.  The next play seemed to be a tailor-made double play, but after getting the out at second, Romeo declined to throw the ball to first.  Adam on the radio call was baffled.  “Did he forget the number of outs?”  Coach Zuniga was also confused and had a meeting with the infield right after.  Meanwhile on the next batter, the crowd was “helping” the home plate ump.  “Helen Keller thought that was strike!” yelled one fan,

 

In the bottom of the fourth, Cain made a good catch of a foul by his dugout.  Again, lots of space to cover.  To the top of the fifth, Christian Perez, filling in at first, made a good jump on a grounder to end that inning.  In the bottom, Brandon Pimentel for UTRGV made about the same play to start the inning.  Catcher Nick Gore came up next and smashed a bomb to center.  That one wasn’t going to be playable.  3-2 Vaqueros. 

 

Jacob Sanchez led off the sixth with home run to keep UTRGV up 4-2.  KJ then had a running catch and jump throw for an out and another addition to his highlight reel.  Unfortunately, he hit into a double play in the bottom.  A low liner to right field that looked like a sure single, stayed up long enough for Cain to catch it and double Cal Villareal off first.  He was rounding second at the time.  Maybe he forgot the number of outs, too.

 

Cortes gave way for the rest of the game to a parade of relievers.  Aaron Treloar worked a quick seventh.  Angelo Cabral, UTRGV’s starter, got the first two outs in the bottom.  After giving up a double to KJII, he was replaced by Alex Verdugo.  I thought he was with the Red Sox?  And was an outfielder?  Verdugo gave up a double to Gore, who drove in the runner to make it 4-3.

 

Will Sierra came in for the top of the eighth for the Aggies and was helped out with a double play.  No problems triggering it this time for Romeo.  So far, so good with Aggie relievers.  Namie nearly fouled a ball off a bird in flight, but the Aggies otherwise went down quickly in the bottom. 

 

To this point, it had been a very crisp, reasonably well-played, tense, close game.  Karl Koerper had pinch hit for Romeo in the eighth.  This resulted in complete defensive reshuffle for the Aggies in the ninth with four players changing position.  The first batter of the inning hit first base with a grounder that went over Namie’s head, who was now playing that base.  That went for a double.  It went downhill from there to the tune of four runs, three pitchers, and 10 batters.  8-3 Vaqueros. 

 

The large contingent of UTRGV fans went crazy as the runs poured in.  There was a “Let’s go Brandon!” chant for Pimentel, who walked on a pitch clock violation.  Exiting pitchers were serenaded out.  With a little self-awareness, one fan yelled out, “We’re just here to have fun!  It’s all about the friendship!”  It was hard to get angry at them. 

    

The Aggies did mount a comeback attempt in the final frame.  Funke doubled.  The UTRGV coach argued he missed first on an appeal, but the umps met and ruled Funke safe.  KJII drove him in with a double.  Gore was hit by a pitch next, but both runners were left stranded to end the game.  8-4 Vaqueros final.

 

There was no fight song played at the end of the game.  It was a very tidy affair in two hours and 36 minutes.  A large crowd of UTRGV fans milled around the entrance waiting for their team.  Ron and I ran into Zerek Saenz with his family before we left.  We both said, “Hello,” and congratulated him on his team’s win.  He seemed pleased that a couple of Aggie fans hadn’t forgotten him and weren’t holding a grudge. 

 

We’ll hand out some Gameballs.  Both starters, Vaquero Angelo Cabral and Aggie Pablo Cortes, pitched well enough to win with similar stats.  Alex Verdugo for UTRGV was the difference in his relief effort.  The two catchers were the offensive high performers.  UTRGV’s RJ Ochoa and the Aggies’ Nick Gore had the same line, 2 for 3 with 2 RBI’s. 

 

Ron’s suggestion for dinner was Raising Cane’s.  Last night, the team had scored enough runs to activate the Challenge for a free dinner with a purchased dinner.  I was a little skeptical they’d honor that, but they did.  After, we went to Sonic for Blasts.  For I think the second time in a row, their ice cream machine was broken.  Are the guys from McDonald’s handling their machines?  It’s a conspiracy!  Well, a disappointing ending, but an otherwise entertaining game today.  If the Aggies were going to lose, at least they didn’t take a long time to do it.