NM State Aggies vs SU Redhawks Baseball 5-7-23

 

I don't have a good pic of this years' poster.  This was the best image available.

This game was costing me.  I walked out on a good MLB early game between the Orioles and the Braves I was watching on TV to go to the ballpark.  By going to this Aggie Baseball game against the Seattle U Redhawks, I’d also be missing the Miami F1 Grand Prix, seeing Nick Gonzales play in a Triple-A game, an El Paso Chihuahuas game on the radio, and a Texas Rangers game, also on the radio.  (Although, I did actually catch the end of that game when I got home.)  Don’t say I’m not making sacrifices for the team.

 

Actually, if they hadn’t won yesterday, I might have reconsidered going.  It was a lovely day, though.  After this weekend, I was only planning on going to one more game in the team’s final series.  I drove past the Softball Complex on the way in.  It looked so lonely and deserted with the Softball season over.

 

At the baseball stadium gate, a security guard asked me where the big guy was.  I told him Ron had started his new trucking job and wouldn’t be able to come.  I missed him, too.  It was hot enough that I picked up a Brisk tea at the Concessions for the game.  I rolled my eyes and bought a $1 hot dog to go with it.  It wasn’t totally stale, so I’ll count that as a win.

 

I went over and sat with Fan Michael.  I was glad for the company.  He greeted several people at the park, including a couple of SU parents with the mom wearing a team jersey.  It was a decent crowd today with lots of pretty girls.  The crowd was once again noisy.  That was at least partly because Superfan Tom was there.  If you’re a regular, at some point you have to learn how to tune him out.

 

Like yesterday, the Aggies were living dangerously again.  Some players in the dugout heckled the umpires when they came on the field.  This was mostly because of the events of Friday’s game.  This is incomprehensible behavior, but they got away with it.  The umpires didn’t hurt them today and even helped a bit. 

Tyler Hoeft started for the Aggies.  I don’t think the Aggies have three true starters to run out on a weekend and are using whoever has displayed some length.  After a single, Kevin Jimenez made a nice dive on a grounder to start a double play to end the top of the first.

 

Keith Jones II led off the bottom of the first with a single.  Mitch Namie initially showed bunt, but then hit a seeing-eye single that split the infield defenders.  The centerfielder bobbled the ball and KJII turned on the jets and scored.  Namie got advanced to third on a grounder.  Christian Perez then hit a liner to right field.  Namie tagged and forced a throw that went way off.  He scored and the Aggies were up 2-0.

 

That was a good start, but the Redhawks punched back in the second.  After a single with one out, Cal Villarreal dove for a ball hit to center and just missed it.  A run scored there on the double and another scored on another single.  We were tied at 2.

 

Michael mentioned seeing Aggie Sports Marketing goddess Emerson the other day at the Football stadium.  She didn’t like him much, since Michael had been friends with her ex, ballplayer Logan Ehnes.  Emerson’s replacement at the ballpark, the Hot Pan-Am Girl was tossing out fanny packs between innings.  I said, “With that hair of hers, she looks like she should be in a shampoo commercial.”  Michael said, “I’ll bet you want the fanny and not the pack.”  That was all I saw of her, since there weren’t any more giveaways.

 

In the bottom of the second, catcher Hunter Antillon singled in the bottom of the second and advanced on a wild pitch, but was left stranded.  In the top of the third, there was a walk.  Hunter threw him out when he tried to steal second.  The runner, Hudson Shupe, had trouble finding the bag after sliding.  I heard the dugout calling Hunter, “Shark!”

 

In the bottom of the third, it gets weird.  After another leadoff single by KJII, KJ hit a very low liner to second.  The shortstop apparently caught the ball and then stepped on second to double off the runner to end the inning.  Coach Zuniga went out and protested that the liner had actually been caught on a bounce. 

 

The ump conferred.  They called the Redhawks back on to the field, put KJII at third, and put KJ at first.  Oh, boy.  This did not go over well with the Redhawks.  Adam Young on the radio call, in all fairness, thought they had a good case, because the ump at second had seemingly ruled an out on the catch.  The shortstop didn’t bother throwing to first, which he would have done on a bounce.         

 

Redhawk pitcher, Blake Smith, started getting hot.  To protect him, SU pitching coach and former big leaguer, Carter Capps, stormed out of the dugout with bad intent.  He is rather imposing-looking.  The ump immediately tossed him.  Assistant AD Herb Taylor was sitting next to me.  He had to get up right then to escort Capps out. 

 

To do the bookkeeping here, this was initially scored a hit.  I had it scored as a mental error (which it wasn’t really, it was the ump’s fault) and therefore a fielder’s choice.  Former MLB umpire Tony Randazzo either called in or was consulted later.  (He’s a local here in the Las Cruces and his daughter works for the Aggies.)  He said it had to be scored as an error on the shortstop.  I looked up the very specific rule that was cited and he was right, of course.  That’s a tough error.

 

Back to play, the Aggies said, “Thanks.  We’ll take it from here.”  Christian doubled in KJII.  Preston Godfrey then doubled in KJ and Christian.  The Aggies were now up 5-2, thanks to 3 gift runs.  (“Ball don’t lie.”)  When the final out was recorded, the SU dugout was ominously fired up afterward, though they did no damage in the top of the fourth.

 

Hunter led off the bottom of the fourth with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch.  (I had it as a passed ball.  I had three passed balls in the game, but they were all ruled wild pitches.)  Romeo Ballesteros doubled him in.  Shupe made a nice jump on a hit by Keith, but didn’t come up with it. 

 

Christian was hit on the leg to load the bases.  He made no effort to conceal the pain and went to the ground.  He did get back up and stayed in.  Christian didn’t look like he could run initially.  The Aggie bench is so depleted, the coach probably wasn’t going to take him out if he could still go.  DH Cameron Dayton came in to pitch and struck out the final batter.  It was a missed opportunity.  6-2 Aggies.     

 

Mr. Taylor was asked about Tom’s cheering.  “He drives me nuts.  People can still hear him when they get home.”  I was sitting far enough away that it wasn’t bothering me.  There was a guy in the crowd wearing new a Dansby Swanson Cubs Wrigleyville jersey.  Very nice.

 

Hoeft started losing command in the fifth.  He hit the first batter.  It wasn’t retaliation, not on a full count.  He got a strikeout, but walked the next batter.  Hunter tried asking for an appeal on a check swing, but the first base ump made no call and ignored him.  He’d done that earlier in the game.  I wonder if this was the ump that the Aggies were mad at from Friday’s bad call.

 

Sakemi Sato was brought in.  I’d seen him come in successfully on some previous occasions, but this wasn’t one of them.  He gave up a hit, which loaded the bases with one out.  The SU dugout started getting very loud.  Sato then walked in a run.  Matt Boissoneault then singled.  Two runners came in at the same time, closely following one another.  It looked like Godfrey threw out the second runner, but he was ruled safe.  Perhaps Hunter was blocking the plate.

 

You could sense what was going to happen next.  Derek Gellos jacked out a three-run homer.  The SU dugout went insane.  The SU mom in the couple I’d seen earlier was screaming right along with them.  Sato came out having faced four batters without getting an out.  Alan Aguero came in and finished the inning.  The Redhawks were now up 8-6. 

 

Cal started the bottom of the fifth with a looking strikeout.  He complained as he retreated to the dugout.  The ump came close to tossing him.  Hunter worked a walk later.  Romeo hit a liner to third.  It was dropped by Gellos, but he still managed to throw him out.  Romeo might have made it, but he wasn’t running out of the box. 

 

The Redhawk dugout was laughing after the inning.  I got personally got set off at this point, in spite of my otherwise congenially competitive attitude.  I’ve memorably gotten angry a couple of times at games at the opposing team.  I desperately tried to restrain myself.  I had to write on my notes, It’s just a game. 

 

SU went down in order in the sixth.  I was wondering where the Softball girls were.    On cue, I suddenly noticed Kendal Lunar and a couple of other players wearing cutoffs in the crowd.  In the bottom, KJII led off another hit, his fourth of the game, but was left stranded. 

 

Shupe walked to begin the seventh inning and Aaron Treloar came in for Aguero. Hunter suddenly started having an issue catching.  There was a wild pitch that I had as passed ball that advanced the runner.  A follow up single got Shupe to third and he scored on another wild pitch that I again had as a passed ball.  The ump stopped play and gave Hunter a moment.  It was like he was having trouble seeing.  9-6 Redhawks.

 

Preston worked a walk in the bottom.  Cal popped up on the infield next.  Gellos and shortstop, Trevor Antonson, nearly collided before Antonson made an acrobatic catch on it.  Boissoneault in right then made a nice catch at the wall.  Finally, Gellos made a dive catch to end the inning.  It’s hard to rally in the face of some good defense.

 

Treloar worked a 1-2-3 top of the eighth.  In the bottom, with a new SU pitcher, Mason Hoover, Gellos slipped fielding another hit from Romeo, but still got him.  Romeo did run it out this time.  KJII nearly went 5 for 5.  Kaden Alberghini in left made a sliding basket catch to rob him and end the inning. 

 

Matt Maloney worked a two strikeout top of the ninth.  I noticed the SU bus driver had come in and was watching over by their dugout.  In the bottom of the ninth, KJ gave the Aggies their third straight inning with a leadoff runner with a hit.  (11 left on base for the Aggies today.)  Hoover closed it out with three fly outs.  Seattle U wins 9-6.

 

I was expecting an explosion from the SU dugout, but they were strangely subdued.  I wonder if their coach had said something to them.  I saw the SU parents were happily chatting with some Aggie fans while I was on my way out.  My anger had dissipated well before the end.  Oh, well.  It’s just a game.

 

Gameballs.  For the Redhawks, Derek Gellos went 1 for 5, but that one hit was the backbreaking 3-run homer in the fifth.  Pitchers, Cameron Dayton and Mason Hoover, combined for over 5 innings of 2-hit, scoreless relief.  For the Aggies, Keith Jones II went 4 for 5, all singles.  As good as he is at getting on base, I think he needs to be in a lineup position to drive in more runs.  Matt Maloney’s no drama ninth was a nice indicator of what he’s capable of.

 

I still had a free Whataburger coupon from a Men’s Basketball game that I was determined to use.  The bun was a bit stale, but the fries were prefect.  I was hungry and it was delicious.  I think Romeo Ballesteros came in while I was eating.  He had his long hair and build.  He wasn’t nearby and since I wasn’t sure, I didn’t want to bother him.  (I probably had ketchup all over my hands and mouth.)  We have one more home series in two weeks.  We’ll hope for a good send off for the team and Aggie Sports for the season.