NM State Aggies vs OUAZ Spirit Baseball 4-25-23

I admit I was looking for excuses to not go to today’s weekday matinee.  Aggie Baseball did well on their last home stand, but had been crushed by the Lobos and swept on the road against Tarleton.  (And neither of those two teams are good.)  There was also a forecast of high winds.  Ron would be there, but would have to leave, possibly before the end, so I’d be driving myself over.  And, it was Kid’s Day.  There would be a large number school kids at the game.  We’d gone to a Women’s Basketball Kid’s Day once.  It was kind of fun, but I thought it might be a hassle.

 

Well, the weather was great.  I woke up early (thanks to somebody with a leaf blower at 7:00am) and I was ready to go on time.  I was dressed in a work outfit, since I decided I’d go to work early after the game.  I was in a crimson-ish polo shirt.  I called Ron before leaving, just looking for an excuse.  I could hear the kids yelling over the phone.  He told me that the kids were standing in line with posters, getting player autographs, and they were putting eye black stickers on the kids.  Okay, I’ll go.

 

There were a couple of rows of school busses outside the stadium when I arrived.  I could hear kid chants of “Let’s go Aggies!” from the parking lot.  There was still a long line of kids inside getting eye black and Aggie temporary tattoos applied by staff members.  I’d missed out on the roster poster and autographs.  I’d kind of expected that and probably wouldn’t have tried standing in line with a couple of hundred kids anyway. 

 

In the grandstand, the kids had taken over the center section and much of the rest of the stadium.  Fan Michael almost didn’t recognize me when I walked over and said, “Hi.”  He had his usual seat, but was surrounded by kids.  Ron told me he was up by the press box.  I’d never found him otherwise.  We found out later that the section near the Aggie dugout was left for regular fans. 

 

Up near the top of the grandstand, we were getting some hot sun, but were out of the breeze.  (I was doused in sunblock.  I’d wash it off after I got to work.)  We were soon completely surrounded by kids.  They were welcomed by the PA as students of the East Picacho Elementary, 530 strong.  There were a bunch of teachers and chaperones, as well, and some regular fans, too.  Attendance was listed at 1,005, which is overflow capacity. 

 

Ron chatted a couple of times with a kid next to him.  Ron had given me some eye black stickers (he didn’t know what they were) a couple of weeks ago that he’d picked up.  I still had them on their little sheet, so I handed it off to a kid that wasn’t wearing any.  He put them on.  That was the limits of our interactions with the children. 

 

Adam Young was doing radio for this game, though he ended up doing play-by-play of what was going on with kids for most of it.  Most of the kids nearby thought he was the PA.  They were confused that his talking wasn’t corresponding with what was coming from the loudspeakers.              

 

Before the game, the school principal threw out the first pitch.  He did get cheered by the kids.  There was an animated discussion between the coaches and umpires at home plate afterward.  No idea.  During the Aggie player intros, a bunch of the kids held up crayon drawings supporting the team. 

Oh yeah, there was a game, too.  NAIA school (no, I don’t know what that means other than not Division I), OUAZ, was back.  The Aggies had beaten them in March, 22-3, for their first win of the season (after 13 losses).  The Spirit players were dressed in dark grays with red numbers and orange hats.  Bold (and kind of weird).  This was their final regular season game of the season.  They had a kid in their dugout.  I wonder what he thought about all the kids in the stands.  Fans in attendance and the press box for the last meeting thought there was a run rule in effect.  There wasn’t.  This time, we were told up front this would go 9.

 

Aggie staff members began distributing soda and hot dogs to the kids around the crowd.  There was a souvenir foam ball toss to the crowd before the start.  The game began with a continuous roar and chanting and mostly continued throughout, except for a brief point where most of the kids were eating.  Haydon Johns started for the Aggies with a 1-2-3 first.

 

A deafening “Go Aggies” cheer began the bottom of the first.  Fan Tom was here in his usual seat.  We couldn’t hear him at all.  Ron and I agreed this was a good thing.  Evan Massie started for the Spirit.  He towered upon the mound at 6’7”.  The Aggies loaded the bases via a single, a walk, and a hit batter, but came up dry.

 Hayden gave up a double in the top of the second, but his defense behind him was good.  Cal Villareal made a good sliding catch on the first out.  Christian Perez made a good snatch on a liner at third.  Brant Voth made a surprise start at catcher today.  On a high popup behind the plate that was unplayable, he shaded his eyes with his glove and searched the sky for it.  I’m not sure if he really didn’t see it or if he was just goofing (perhaps the later).  Keith Jones II made a great athletic leaping catch in right for the final out.

 

Big containers of popcorn were delivered to the kids in the bottom of the second.  Adam would be giving play-by-play of the kids throwing and teasing each other with it.  There was a hot chick in a tank top, yoga pants, and two sleeves of tattoos working at the game.  I wasn’t sure if she was staff, a chaperone, or a teacher.  She was wearing glasses, sort of like a teacher. 

 

Damone Hale started the frame with a walk.  He was picked off leaning, but the first baseman threw the ball into centerfield trying to get him at second.  Hale made it to third.  Cal cashed him in with grounder.  (Note to the official scorer: that run was unearned.)  Voth walked next and advanced on a wild pitch.  Mitch Namie drove him in with a single.  Kevin Jimenez singled him in.  Nolan Funke then hammered a two-run homer to right.  5-0 Aggies.

 

There was a bag (?) giveaway between innings.  Whatever!  The kids screamed at the top of their lungs.  Hayden started the top of the third with a walk, a single, and another walk.  Cade Swenson came in in relief.  Logan Galina at first made a great play on a grounder to get throw out a runner home.  However, there was no defense against Sergio Alfaro up next.  With an easy swing, he put one out to right for a grand slam.  Suddenly, it’s 5-4 Aggies.

 

In the bottom, the PA called for a dancing contest and the Macarena was played.  Ushers handed out random souvenirs to the kids dancing, including an Aggie lunchbox.  With two outs in the inning, Cal hit a grounder right to short.  The ball hit the fielder on his glove, who dropped it.  Cal made it to first and it was scored as . . . a hit?  (Is Cal’s dad the official scorer?)  That was the only damage in the inning.

 

The good-looking black and white baseball hats were handed out to the crowd in the top of the fourth.  Insanity and pandemonium ensued.  It got worse in the bottom.  I told Ron earlier, I’d leave if they played Baby Shark.  They not only played it, someone wearing a shark costume came down the aisle to lead the singing.  I got up to leave, but was completely hemmed in and couldn’t.  Adam was hanging out of press box making a video of it.  I am betrayed!  He came back on and said he was surprised it took this long to happen.  Credit to whoever was in the costume, they were working it.         

 

The game seemed somewhat irrelevant by comparison to the kids and the entertainment.  Swenson had a quick inning in the fourth.  The Aggies got two on in the bottom.  The kids started stomping on the bleachers for the rally (see, they were watching), but the Aggies weren’t able to convert. 

 

To the top of the fifth and more hats were tossed!  More screaming!  Alan Aguero came in to pitch for the Aggies.  He gave up a single to start.  Logan made a bad decision on a grounder down the first base line by running to the bag, instead of just tagging the runner.  He got the out, though.  (Defensively, even when Logan makes mistakes, he gets outs.)  Next, he made a great play on another grounder for another unassisted out.  Those two outs did advance the runner on first and was driven in on a single.  The final batter was called out for interfering with Voth trying to throw to second on a stolen base attempt. 

 

We were now tied at 5 to an NAIA team.  I noticed AD Mario Moccia in the crowd.  If I could have talked him at the time, I might have said, “If we lose here, can you announce a baseball team scandal and cancel the rest of the season?”  Oh, and here comes the other song I was expecting, Let It Go.  I knew it.  The kids were all singing along.  I’m totally regretting coming.  Also, the kids were starting to be slowly cycled out the park.  They were looking kind of sad to have to leave. 

 

For the Aggie team though, it was time to get down to business.  The Spirit began putting in relievers in the fifth.  Perez greeted the first with a double.  This was followed by a walk and a single to load the bases.  KJII hit a grounder into the infield.  There was a bad throw to the plate and Perez scored.  Mitch walked next to bring in another run. 

 

The Spirit changed pitchers.  KJ came up and answered the bell with his own grand slam home run to right.  The wind was definitely blowing that way.  It looked like he was even choking up on the bat.  After a single, two strikeouts ended the inning.  Logan had one of those.  The kids were chanting “Go #10!”  I wonder if he was signing earlier.  11-5 Aggies. 

 

The PA thanked the kids for coming and made sure to say that the team would be playing this weekend.  (Maybe they should have handed out schedules.)  A teacher sitting by us said, “Thanks for putting up with the kids.”  No problem.  (But no more Baby Shark.)  It was a completely different game at this point.  Ron and I were alone in our section.  We moved over a couple of seats to get in the shade.  The wind would kick up piles of popcorn around the stands.  A couple of kids and teachers went through the rows picking up items left behind. 

 

The wind had picked up on field.   In the sixth, the Aggies put Aaron Treloar in.  The wind took a lead off fly ball and turned it into a double.  On the next batter, a foul popup was carried away from three fielders chasing the ball.  The batter was Takaaki Tsuji.  The umpire called him out on strikes emphatically.  Tsuji continued to stand at the plate.  The ump finally had to tell him he was out before he left. 

 

Aaron gave up two more singles and surrendered a run.  Hayden Walker came in.  Perez caught a liner at third and doubled off the runner at first to end the inning.  11-6 Aggies.  In the bottom, Cal singled, but that was the only offense.  In the top of the seventh, Walker gave up a couple of hits, but struck out three in a row to end the inning.

 

Michael came up to visit with all the kids gone.  I brought up a Chihuahuas kids game I listened to once where the kids had to leave late in a possible no-hitter.  The bottom of the seventh was 1-2-3, but more serious than that.  A ball ricocheted off the catcher’s mitt into KJ’s ribs.  He was stunned for a moment and the staff came out to look at him.  Kevin continued the at bat and swung at the next pitch and immediately took himself out of the game.  He must have been hurt pretty bad.  We’ll see how bad this weekend. 

 

Romeo Ballesteros finished KJ’s AB.  Ron didn’t recognize him at first.  I’m like, “How could you not with that flow he’s got going?  He’s got the long, dark, curly hair.  Hayden Johns is the one with the long, blonde, curly hair.”  I think this point, I realized the crowd mic stuck out of the press box was basically picking up what we were saying.  It had to be very quiet and it was muted, but I could hear it over the radio here and there.  Thankfully, I think that was the most embarrassing thing said.  It could have been worse.   

 

Kade Benevidez pitched the top of the eighth.  After a walk, Voth made a good throw to nab the runner trying to base steal to end the inning.  In the bottom, Perez doubled and advanced on a wild pitch to be brought in by Cal on a sac fly.  12-6 Aggies.  More troubling during the inning again, Hale was popped on the hand hard enough to get a reaction out of everyone left in the crowd.  The ball bounced off him all the way the netting.  Hale shook it off and took first. 

 

Oh, there were several subs on both sides in the last couple of innings.  Will Sierra closed it out in the ninth.  He gave up a walk, but Romeo and his great hair turned a double play to end the game.  Aggies win 12-6!

 

Gameballs!  One to the kids for making this fun.  One to Adam Young for calling the game and the kids’ activities.  That’s professional skill.  As for the OUAZ players, Sergio Alfaro went 3 for 5 with 5 RBI’s and a freaking grand slam.  Look for him to be playing in D1 next year.  Spirit pitcher, Creighton Silvian, who I didn’t mention in the recap, pitched 2 scoreless innings. 

 

For the Aggies, Kevin Jimenez went 3 for 5 with 5 RBI’s and a freaking grand slam.  Wait, what?  Apparently, there was a competition going on.  Get well soon, Kev.  (And ice that hand, Damone Hale.)  Cal Villareal went 3 for 4 (maybe?), but he definitely drove in 2 runs.  Hopefully, this gets him going offensively.  Lastly, I thought Hayden Walker did well in relief, though the other Hayden has him beat in hair quality.

 

A Dominos delivery driver pulled up as we were walking out.  Somebody ordered lunch.  Speaking of that, while Ron left for his appointment, I took off for Whataburger to use a game coupon.  Frankly, it wasn’t the greatest burger (stale buns) and the music there was strangely mostly terrible, but I was plenty hungry enough to enjoy it.  From there, it was straight to work.  This was a fun diversion during the week.  I can’t believe I didn’t want to go.