The Thursday night game was dispiriting
and cold enough that I actually canceled my day off on Friday. (It was just as well. I had plenty of work to catch up on.) Aggie
Softball and Baseball were
playing at the same time. Ron also had a
training session for his CDL test and wouldn’t be able to go when Softball
started at 4:00. I decided I didn’t want
to go by myself, especially since a cold wind was going earlier in the day.
I listened to Baseball over the radio at work and followed
the Softball on Gameday. Missing
Baseball was probably not a bad idea.
They lost 8-5. It wasn’t that close. The Aggies scored all of their runs in the
last inning. Ron did go to that game and
told me that the wind wasn’t a factor and it was pleasant out.
Ron later told me a story he’d gotten from fan Michael
Friday night. Gunner Antillon had been involved in a vehicle rollover earlier in
the week, before he was hit in the face at a game last month. That hit turned out to be a blessing. They found he had brain bleed from the wreck
at the hospital and were able to treat it.
Softball, on the other hand, we were both sorry we
missed. They played Sam Houston in a double header.
In Game 1, the Aggies were down 6-4 in the fifth and came back with a
5-run inning to win it, 9-6. In Game 2, starter Emily Dix came out in the first inning after giving up 4 runs with
no outs. Aydenne Brown relieved for a full 7 innings. Once again, the Aggies were down 8-5 and had
a 5-run inning in the sixth to win it, 10-8. It was an impressive pair of comeback wins.
Saturday morning, Ron was taking his CDL test and wouldn’t
be available to go to the Baseball game against CBU at 11:30, but would probably be done before the Softball game at
1:00. I decided, based on Friday night’s
results that I’d listen to Baseball on the radio and wait for Ron, so we could
go to Softball together.
I was somewhat regretting my decision immediately. Adam
Young on the radio call reported that the Easter Bunny threw out the first pitch. (I wonder if it’s still Sports Marketing
babe, Emerson, in the suit.) There would
be an Easter Egg hunt after the game.
Darn it! Even more so, the game was
pretty good and going back-and-forth. It
would be tied 6-6 in the fourth by the time we arrived for Softball. The Lancers threw out a go-ahead Aggie runner
at home to end the inning.
While I was waiting for Ron, I had a fight with my ear
buds. They lost and I had to hastily
find another pair. (It’s the damn
eternally tangled cord thing that’s pissing me off.) While driving over, a roadrunner crossed our
path as it darted across an intersection.
I don’t know if that’s good luck or bad luck. Ron had passed his driving test. He was eating out of a bowl while driving
with me, occasionally letting go of wheel and going into the other lane. I don’t think he was doing that during the
test.
Upon entering the Softball stadium, Ron went to the
bathroom. I was waiting at the courtesy
table when the Anthem started. I took
off my hat and stood at attention. When
I turned around, I suddenly realized there was a crowd behind me doing the
same. Was I a good influence?
The grandstand seemed a bit uncrowded (over 400). I was surprised given the large crowds earlier in the season. Families with kids might have been next door at Baseball, but there were some little girl softball players here. They were wearing the eye black that was given being given out up front.
At the Baseball game (boy, did I make a wrong choice), the
Aggies loaded the bases and scored twice on a wild pitch and a sac fly,
8-6. At Softball, Jordin King started for the Aggies.
I wasn’t in a position to see if she took a knee again for the
Anthem. I did watch her usual somewhat
erratic pitching. Eight batters came up
in the first. She walked three, gave up
2 singles, and 2 runs scored. 2-0 SH.
SH was decked in white and bright orange. Daryn
Grams looked really small and cute out in the circle for them, but she’s
actually listed at 5’8”. In the bottom
of the first, Daryn looked a bit shaky with a walk and a single. Jillian
Taylor drove the runners in with a triple into the right field corner. Jessica
Carreon brought her in with an infield hit.
I thought it was an error on Daryn for a bad throw to first, but it was
scored a hit. 3-2 Aggies. Now, I was feeling a little better about my
choice.
Little kids were finding Easter Eggs hidden in the
stands. I don’t know what was in
them. A boy came in from Little League
wearing an impressive Las Cruces Rays uniform.
Volleyballer Ryleigh Whitekettle
came in to support her friend, Jordin.
She was casually elegant with a just-out-of-shower look. She left after a couple innings after Jordin
was taken out. We missed her. Xitlaly
Hernandez came in representing the Soccer
team. She’s everywhere.
The “good” Jordin showed up for the second inning with
three fly ball outs. However, she also
plunked a batter on top of her helmet.
It wasn’t a hard pitch as it just got away from Jordin. The Aggies went down in order in the bottom. Jordin issued a walk and hit another batter
in the third. Catcher Kendal Lunar had a passed ball. For once, I correctly identified the
difference between that and a wild pitch.
In the sixth inning of the baseball game, Mathew Maloney came in with two
on. He gave up a double, which scored a
run, but struck out two to end the inning.
8-7 Aggies. In the eighth,
Maloney finished his third inning of relief with a strikeout. He came off the field pumping his fist and
screaming, as he went back to the dugout.
Back to softball, SH shortstop, Elia Hebel, made a great diving catch behind third base to start
the bottom of the third. This was
followed by a walk and a single, but the Aggie runners were left stranded. In the fourth, Jordin gave up a single and a
walk and was relieved by Felicia de la
Torre. After a single loaded the
bases, Hebel drove them all in with a double.
She was knocked in with a single later.
6-3 Sam Houston.
Baseball was in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded, Kevin Jimenez scored on a wild pitch. This was followed by Mitch Namie driving in 2 with a single. Hunter
Antillon finished off the scoring with his first college home run, which
scored 2 more. Aggies up 13-7, which would be the final
score. And I officially felt like a
dummy.
For Aggie Softball in the bottom of the fourth, they got
two on, but left them stranded. To the
top of the fifth, Jillian did it again! She made another awesome diving catch in
center. This time the cameraman was
watching her and legendary broadcaster,
Jack Nixon, called the play. (And I
can’t figure out how to link to the tweet.)
It just didn’t seemed possible Jill could get to that ball.
Kayla
Brown worked a walk to start the bottom of the fifth. Hebel then made a play on a liner. She next ended the inning by starting a nice
DP. Just to rub it in, the PA announced
at the end of the inning that the baseball team was winning next door. A few minutes later, you could still see the
baseball team running around the field.
They may have been hiding Easter Eggs for the hunt after the game. A bunch of kids then rushed the field to
collect them.
A striking, tall, and powerfully-built black girl was
escorted into the stands and up to the press box, along with another
athletic-looking girl. The group then
left about 10 minutes later. Ron and I
hoped that handsome young woman was a new recruit for the basketball team.
Felicia only allowed a single in the top of the
sixth. She was doing her job trying to
keep it close. Jessica dropped a perfect
bunt to lead off the bottom. Though the
ball stopped about a foot from home plate, Jess hustled it out for a single.* She tried to steal second on a bobbled ball
by the catcher. The ump called her out,
though it looked like Jess had beaten the tag.
Gabby Aragon hit a sure home
run to center, but the wind knocked it down for the final out of the inning.
(* I give up. I
have a note about another bunt, but didn’t write down the player or the inning,
and I can’t figure out when it happened.
A player was asked to bunt and after the first attempt, Coach Rodolph called time. She then had to give a quick lesson in how to
do it. I don’t even remember what the
result was. All I could think at the
time was, This is a heck of a time to have
to be teaching this.)
Jordin came up into the stands to go up to the press box
to collect retrieved foul balls. She
looked dejected. Don’t they have
freshman on the team on the team to do stuff like this? The Bearkats scratched out a run in the
seventh with a single, a stolen base, and two ground outs. 7-3 Sam Houston. In the bottom, we were hoping for a third
comeback win. The Aggie dugout was singing. Riley
Carley hit a line drive homer to center, but that was all of the
rally. Bearkats win 7-4, as a cloud came over the field for the final out.
We’ll hand out the Gameballs. Daryn
Grams went all 7 for the Bearkats to get the win. Elia
Hebel did it on defense and went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s off her fourth inning
double. For the Aggies, I’ll give one to
Jessica Carreon for going 2 for 3
with an RBI. Jillian Taylor gets another for driving in 2 runs with a triple and
for yet another highlight reel catch. I
get a raspberry for making poor choices.
We ran into Jack Nixon as we were leaving the game. Neither of us knew he was calling the game at
the time. Still nervous about meeting
him, I just timidly waved and said, “Hi, Jack.”
A Sam Houston fan came by with a couple of barking dogs. Jack went over to pet them and said, “They’re
just celebrating a Bearkat victory.”
Speaking of celebrating, I took Ron to Cracker Barrel for passing his CDL test. We’d been there before and I knew he wanted some more of their chicken strips. It seems almost impossible, but the meal actually filled him. On the way over, a squirrel darted out in front of us, like that roadrunner. If there was a deeper meaning to this, I don’t know what it was.
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