NM State Aggies vs FIU Panthers Baseball 4-20-24

Darn it!  I missed another Aggie Soccer exhibition.  I discovered this as I pulled into the parking lot.  Maybe just as well.  If I’d been out in the sun for another couple of hours today, I’d have cooked.  Still, I wished I’d known.

 

At the next door Softball Complex, there were a couple of high-rise platforms working the lights.  As I looked closer later, I realized they were actually replacing them.  They were setting up new LED lights.  The Diamondbacks have done this at their field and I’m told they’re great.  I found out later from Fan Michael that Coach Rodolph had been given the option to use booster funds for new lights or backs for the seats.  As a fan, I would have appreciated some shade at the facility.  The rumor is that next season will be Coach Rodolph’s last here. 

 

Speaking of shade, Presley Askew Field has lost a few more panels in their canopy and functionally has no shade.  It was a beautiful day, but the sun got warm with no cover.  Fan Ken brought an umbrella and was worried he was blocking my view.  I just moved over.  There was a big tailgate going on in front of the stadium and lots of cars I the lot, but the crowd inside turned out to be just okay at somewhere around 500.

 

Aggie Baseball played some road games since their last home series.  They took two of three from Middle Tennessee in conference.  Out of conference, the Aggies beat Tarleton twice, including an 11-10 victory in extra innings.  Logan Galina had two home runs in that game.     Friday night, the Aggies started their current home series versus FIU.  The Aggies made a huge comeback from being down 10 and actually took a slim lead late.  The Panthers would tie it and take it to the 11-th and win 13-11.      

That brings us up to first pitch today.  Get comfortable.  This may take awhile.  Trey Meza started for the Aggies and immediately yielded a triple and a run-scoring double.  Titus Dumitru made a sliding catch in right field between two other fielders for the first out.  The damage was limited to a 1-0 FIU lead.  The Panthers pounded the padding on their dugout rail with the run and all throughout the game on hits and runs.

 

Keith Jones didn’t take long to answer, as he led off with a home run.  It went out just inside the right field pole.  Titus came up next and hit a grounder to third.  The ball hit the third baseman, but Samuel Fischer managed to collect it and throw out Titus at first, maybe.  Coach Angier argued the call, but it stood after an ump’s conference.  Mitch Namie knocked a surprise bunt single.  Michael identified a hot girl in the crowd as his GF.  Well done again.  Nick Gore singled after, but both were left stranded.  Tied at 1.

 

The senior guy at softball last week, who only got to see one play of the game, was here.  He got to see plenty today.  A double started the top of the second.  After a sacrifice, the runner came around on a bad pickoff throw to third by Meza.  A walk and a two-run line drive homer by Armando Becerra added to the Panthers’ score.  The major shift that was put on before he came up was unnecessary.  There were two more singles afterward, but Meza got a strikeout to end the inning.  4-1 FIU.

 

Oh my goodness, she was back.  The Hot Pan Am Girl sashayed out in a tank top and shorts to tease and work the crowd for a t-shirt toss.  She was summer stunning in her sunglasses and long blonde ponytail.  Her teal fingernail polish even matched her top.  I was missing a Looney Tunes marathon on TV for this game.  I was feeling a little better about my decision. 

 

The bottom of the second didn’t go as well.  After a leadoff walk, a hit up the middle was deflected to the second baseman, Roylan Quevedo, who turned a double play.  Romeo Ballesteros then smashed a liner to Quevedo that bounced square into his chest and knocked him to the ground.  He was okay.  Romeo was not, as he was the victim of an easy pickoff right after.

 

A guy came in wearing a new Cleveland hat.  Why?  They no longer have a baseball team.  I was styling in my Ranger hat and shirt.  In the top of the third, Meza was chased from the game after a walk, a double, and two singles for three runs.  On one of those singles, centerfielder Damone Hale mishandled it and the runner went to second and a run scored.  Conor Wylde came on in relief and a cheering section of girls went wild.  His first pitch got sent over the fence for a two-run homer.  I could hear players in the FIU actually laughing.  9-1 FIU.

 

The Hot Pan Am Girl came by tossing souvenir sunglasses to the crowd.  I told Ken his umbrella was blocking my view.  She ignored his request for glasses.  There was Keith Jones again to start the bottom of the third.  He jacked the first pitch for another home run.  HPAG came out for a t-shirt toss for the homer.  Even more awesome.  She even came out again between innings.  Going up and down those stairs to pressbox every time, she was probably getting winded.  9-2 FIU.

 

In the top of the fourth, Wylde gave up a single and a double for another run to make it, 10-3 FIU.  I noticed at some point that Damone wasn’t in centerfield.  Michael guessed he was probably pulled for that error earlier.  Jadon Arakaki, who’d taken his place, led off in the bottom with a walk and advanced on a wild pitch. 

 

Edwin Martinez-Pagani came up and hit a deep double to the centerfield wall.  Becerra bobbled it there and EMP made it to third and drove in Jadon.  This was scored a triple.  (Seemed like a double and an error to me.)  Romeo next hit a high popup to right, which was lost in the sun and dropped.  This was scored as a run-scoring single, though the ball did hit the fielder. 

 

KJ came up.  Some kids started chanting, “Home run!”  He hit a foul that nearly took out his third base coach.  After a fairly titanic battle of fouling off more pitches, KJ finally took a couple of close pitches for a hard-earned walk.  The Aggies then pulled off a risky double steal, which ended up being unnecessary after Titus took a walk.  This set the stage for Mitch.  He took full advantage of it with a grand slam home run and pounded it off the scoreboard.  10-8 FIU.  At least it was a game again.   

 

In spite of the dramatics, I was hearing the lady behind me rant about . . . Herbert Hoover?  Why is this person at the ballpark?  Cade Swenson started the fifth for the Aggies and worked a blessedly scoreless inning.  The kids were chanting, “Strikeout,” for him.  The Panthers brought out a new pitcher in the bottom and also had a scoreless inning. 

 

Cade had another scoreless inning in the sixth.  He did it at risk of personal injury, as three batted balls came right back at him.  On the first, Cade ducked and EMP dove and smothered the ball behind him and then got the out.  The next went by him for hit, but the final one did actually hit Cade.  He stayed with it and got the out.

 

The Soccer team was here after their game.  They got their picture taken for Aggie social media.  KJ came up to start the bottom of the sixth.  On that matter, I noticed the bottom of his pants were ripped.  Sunday, they were still torn.  I mentioned it to Michael and he said they’d been like that since Friday.  (His lucky pants perhaps?)  KJ struck out, but Titus picked up the slack with a big home run make it closer, 10-9 FIU.  Later, Gore tossed his bat for a presumed walk, but was called back by the ump for a strike.  How embarrassing. 

 

Unfortunately, Cade worked into some trouble in the seventh.  He gave up a double and then a triple to Becerra, which made it 11-9 FIU.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but that gave Becerra a cycle for the game.  A remix of The Outfield’s classic, Your Love played between innings.  I sang out, “Tonight!” like Charlie Blackmon was coming up to bat.  The Aggies came back in the bottom.  They got two on via a single and an error on the pitcher bobbling a comebacker and overthrowing first.  Romeo cashed in a run on a single.  11-10 FIU.  It was still a game.

 

Cade gave up two more hits up the middle to start the eighth.  He was living dangerously.  After a sacrifice to move them over, Mitch grabbed a grounder, stepped on first and threw home for a double play.  Titus started the bottom of the eighth with a single.  The second baseman bobbled a probable double play ball to get Titus, but let Mitch on.  Gore made that mistake payoff with a two-run homer and put the Aggies up 12-11!  We go to the ninth with the lead.

 

Forget it.  I’m not even going to bother with play-by-play for the top of the ninth.  The Panthers scored 7 runs to take an 18-12 lead.  Cade started the inning giving up two hits.  You could hear him in the stands grunt after giving up that second hit.  After a talk, the coach left Cade in for another batter, but he ended up hitting him to load the bases.  Zach Zwaschka came in and gave up a double and the lead and it went downhill from there.  The FIU dugout was laughing again.

 

That half inning was painful, but EMP got the worst of it in the bottom.  He was plunked hard enough you could hear it in the stands.  He fell straight to the ground.  Somehow, he got up and took first.  Regrettably, that was the only threat of the inning.  FIU wins 18-12.               

 

Michael and Ken were having flashbacks of yesterday throughout the game.  I guess that was appropriate.  The only thing that worked out well today was my scorecard.  I matched with the scoreboard, so that’s good enough for me.  A quiet and dejected crowd left the stadium (and I’m not kidding).  It was a long three-hour trip to a bad destination, but it was interesting.

 

I’m just going to toss out two Gameballs and both for hitting.  Armando Becerra for FIU hit for the cycle.  He went 5 for 6 with 7 RBI’s!  For the Aggies, Mitch Namie gets the nod for going 3 for 5 with 4 RBI’s off that big grand slam.

 

I’ve been nursing a bad back all week.  Sitting down was making it worse, so I was actually suffering a bit during the game.  Taking the loss was insult to injury.  We’ll try it again tomorrow.