Tuesday, May 7, 2024

NM State Aggies vs LA Tech Bulldogs Baseball 5-4-24


May the Fourth be with you.  It’s a Star Wars celebration at the ballpark.  (Star Wars wasn’t actually released in the theaters on May 4.  Star Wars is also currently a dead franchise.  Thanks, Disney.)  They changed the start time on tonight’s start time from 2:00 to 4:00, which screwed up my evening.  Given last night’s performance by Aggie Baseball, I nearly decided not to go, but it was an opportunity to wear my Aggie Star Wars shirt.  (What a mistake that would have been, if I hadn’t gone.)

 

Last weekend, the Aggies swept out Jax State, the last place team in the C-USA.  The final game was 22-8.  Earlier this week, they’d beaten the UNM Lobos, 10-8.  Even better, they’d come from behind, 8-2, and won it on a Keith Jones’ walk off home run.  (The game was on month end.  I couldn’t take that day off.)  Friday, things came right back down to earth.  The Aggies lost to LA Tech, 18-4, in a run rule.  Logan Galina did hit a home run in the game.  He’s definitely got this stroke back.

 

I was not feeling well last week and going to Softball on weekend caused me to relapse on Monday.  I kept going to work, but I slept all during the day for two days before going there.  At least my back was feeling better from being laid up.  On Saturday, I shouldn’t have exhausted myself doing it, but I walked over to the mall to get a foot-long chili cheese dog at Legend Burger.  It was a bit of a labor, but delicious.  With that, I was ready for the game.         

 

I went through an improvised car wash on the way past the soccer field, as a few sprinklers were on and spraying the road.  A groundskeeper on a cart drove by me as I pulled into the parking lot.  I went for a tea at the concessions, as it was hot and cloudless with only a slight breeze.  I’d need it.  At the merch trailer, I noticed they were selling Keith Jones t-shirts, which didn’t entirely surprise me.  (They were also selling Jaileen Mancha shirts from the Softball team, which did.)   

 

A local organization was handing out sunscreen, which I took and used during the game, and inflatable bats for the kids, which they used on each other.  I found Fan Michael under an umbrella, so know it was hot.  Once again, the canopy over the stadium is gone.  There’s no shade, especially not at 4:00 in the afternoon.  On field, the cute team photographer girl and the hot marketing intern girl were working with the people throwing out the first pitches.  Both had their hair down and looked gorgeous.  The intern girl hung out outside of the press box for most of the game and looked majestic there.   

 

Some Star Wars music played over the PA before the game.  There was a trivia contest later in the game.  That was it for the promotion.  No Aggie/Star Wars giveaways today.  I was disappointed that the photographer didn’t even take my picture for social media, since I was the only one there in a Star Wars shirt.

 

LA Tech were in road greys that were a splitting image of the Texas Rangers’ uniforms.  I felt like I should have worn my Ranger hat to fit in.  (I got a compliment on it at the mall earlier.)  Their lineup was read off to the tune of the Imperial March.  Michael told me they were first in the conference and looked very impressive Friday night.

 

I have to mention the first pitches.  The first fellow pitched from the mound and threw and actual strike.  An El Paso TV weather girl and alumni, Monica Cortez, threw out a second pitch.  It wasn’t quite as accurate, but she enjoyed herself immensely.  The crowd for the game was a bit light, though the Diamond Club section was packed with boosters.    

 






As you can see, we all got our money’s worth from this game.  I was actually somewhat worried I was going to run out of space on the back.  College baseball is using the pitch clock, but they are not banning shifts, limiting throws to first, and, obviously, aren’t using the “Ghost runner” rule in extra innings.  (They might want to revisit that.)  Even more shocking, these scorecards added right up.  (I did miss during the game when the first Bulldog reliever came in and I had to look that up.)

 

Dalton Davis took the first pitch of the game from Aggie pitcher, Conor Wylde, over the left field fence to give LAT a 1-0 lead.  Michael groaned that the Bulldogs were slugging like last night.  Titus Dumitru answered in the bottom of the first with a line drive homer center.  I could hear someone in the LAT dugout say, “That just barely got out.”  1-1. 

 

It should be noted that the strikezone was called very tight this evening.  Pitchers were at a disadvantage.  Keith Jones made a good running catch in the top of the scoreless second.  In the bottom, Edwin Martinez-Pagani walked and Austin Corbett doubled him in.  Austin was then thrown out at the plate, when he tried to score on a deflected Romeo Ballesteros’ infield single.  2-1 Aggies. 

 

Wylde started the third, but after three straight hits, including a two-run homer off the scoreboard, he was lifted for Trey Meza.  3-2 Bulldogs.  Next inning, Meza gave up a leadoff homer off the scoreboard.  There was another solo home run to right that I wish we had Statcast for, because it screamed out.  Finally, a pair of doubles plated another run to make it 6-2 Bulldogs.  The Aggies loaded the bases in the bottom, but a popup and a fielder’s choice ended the inning without changing the score.

 

Meza worked 1-2-3 fifth with Romeo making a nice play on an infield grounder.  The Aggies also went down in order in the bottom.  Titus hit a monster foul ball in his at bat.  Meza had a rough sixth.  A leadoff walk was brought in by a two-run homer.  A double, an error, and a groundout brought in another run, and LAT was up 9-2.  Michael Ballard made a nice sliding play at second to begin the bottom of the sixth.  The Aggies got some traffic on the bases, but didn’t score.

 

The son of one of my co-workers, Rito, is on the Aggie Vision staff.  He was working the handheld camera by the Aggie dugout.  I could see him kneeling in between innings.  He really looked gassed working out in the heat.  Meza worked a quick top of the seventh for his final inning.  LAT brought in a reliever to start the bottom of the seventh.  Logan Galina came up big with a two-run homer to make it 9-4 LAT.  He might have passed AD Mario Moccia on the All-time Aggie home run list with that one.  Michael was surprised to learn that Mario used to be a really good baseball player.

 

Matt Romero pitched the eighth and gave up a home run to Jorge Corona that went over the batter’s eye.  10-4 Bulldogs.  From here, it starts to get wacky.  Three walks with one out loaded the bases for the Aggies.  KJ hit a hard liner to the wall that nearly went over, but ended up being a single.  This caused some confusion on the basepads.  EMP scored from third.  Corbett held up there, but then Romeo joined him at third.  This started a comical rundown that took forever and I had no chance of scoring.  Corbett made the out and Romeo stayed at third.

 

A member of the stadium staff came by and asked me for the score.  He might not have had good enough vision to see the scoreboard.  I told him it was 10-5 LA Tech and he said, “Good, we’re making a comeback.”  I’d remember those words. 

 

The Bulldogs brought in a new pitcher, who hit his first batter to load the bases.  He then hit Logan to force in a run.  Catcher Nick Gore came up next.  He hit a foul popup that was dropped by the catcher.  That felt like that should have been an error, but it wasn’t scored that way.  (I looked it up.  There’s a specific situational rule where that isn’t an error if judged that way by the scorer.  I don’t think that situation applied here.)  The next pitch, Gore grand slammed it and tied the score at 10!

 

That was encouraging.  Saul Soto came in for the ninth—probably the Aggies’ best closer.  What was discouraging was that he gave up four runs, including a three-run homer.  14-10 Bulldogs.  KJ made a great diving play after the scoring to help end the inning. 

 

Shadows were crawling across the home plate area.  I wasn’t sure what the time was.  The game had been clipping along until the eighth.  Gnats were flying around and annoying people.  The Bulldogs had to be feeling pretty good going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Aggies were like gnats today.  The Aggies began the frame with a walk, a single, and a hit batter to load the bases with no outs, which brought on a new pitcher.  A sac fly and a three-run homer by Titus and we’re tied at 14 and going to extras and flipping over the scorecards.  The stadium worker came by again and I told him, “Hey man, you were right!”

 

You could tell how often games go to extras at Presley Askew Field, as the tenth inning lights on the scoreboard were way brighter than the rest of the board.  LAT loaded the bases in the top of the tenth with two outs, but didn’t score.  In the eleventh, Corona hit a solo home run to make it 15-14 LAT.  That was his third home run of the game.  In that inning, EMP caught a liner at second, it popped out of his mitt, and then he re-caught it.

 

Grant Hubka struck out the side in the bottom of the 11-th, but unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Logan hit a home run to tie the score again.  15 all.  That was clutch.  Hayden Walker came on in the 12-th and worked two 1-2-3 innings. 

 

We go to the bottom of the 13-th.  I took a quick trip to the bathroom between frames, sensing the Aggies might finish it here and wanting to avoid the rush after the game.  KJ (who else?) led off with a double against a new pitcher.  To add insult, Corona took a hard foul ball that leveled him during the at bat.  (The ump took one the previous inning.)  Credit Corona and Gore for catching all 13 innings today.  Titus moved KJ over to third and Logan was intentionally walked.  Finally, the biggest play of the game was a pitch that spun well away from Corona’s reach and all the way to backstop.     

 

KJ trotted home and was immediately mobbed behind home plate.  Aggies win 16-15!  A barrel of Gatorade was dumped on the impromptu mosh pit.  The crowd likewise went crazy.  What game!  How does a four-and-a-half hour game not get boring?  Well, this one somehow accomplished that.

 

Your MVP of the game today is me!  I credit going to Rally Hat-mode in the bottom of the ninth for the victory.  I folded the back of my black and white Aggie hat in and put it on top of my head like a NASCAR rear deflector.  Before you scoff, I did run into someone else wearing their hat like that on the way out.  Do not doubt the Rally Hat!

 

We’ll hand out some Gameballs for the players and their less important efforts in the game than mine in determining the outcome.  For the Bulldogs, their starter, Luke Nichols, should have gotten the win after a great long effort, but the bullpen lost it for him.  Ethan Bates went 4 for 8 with 6 RBI’s off of 3 home runs.  Catcher Jorge Corona went 3 for 8 with 4 RBI’s off of another 3 home runs.  The top half of the LAT’s order did massive damage today.  Also of note was Will Safford.  He was warming up in the on deck circle swinging a sledgehammer. 

 

For the Aggies, hand it to Hayden Walker.  He pitched 2 scoreless innings.  The other 9 pitchers in the game were all scored on.  Titus Dumitru went 3 for 7 with 4 RBI’s from 2 home runs.  Nick Gore was 1 for 6, but that one was a grand slam that tied the game in the eighth.  Logan Galina was 2 for 6 with 4 RBI’s, but that tying run in the 11-th, was huge.  Lastly, Keith Jones was 2 for 6 with 2 RBI’s, but that double to start the 13-th was the key to the victory.  For a game like this, it’s not so much what you hit, but when you hit it.           

 

A few LA Tech fans walked out below me, as I was furiously scribbling on my notepad.  “They’re still in last place, right?”  “Doesn’t matter.  We’re still in first.  The championship still goes through us at home in Ruston.”  Okay.  A trifle bitter there.  

 

I walked past Saul Soto on the way to the gate.  I attempted to congratulate him on the win.  He wasn’t having any of it and only had a thousand-yard stare.  Okay, you had a rough outing, but you win and lose as team.  Celebrate!

 

My stomach was upset when I got home.  I know Michael was saying he couldn’t take the pressure in the game.  Maybe I had a delayed reaction.  I listened to the end the Chihuahuas game and heard a 5-4-3 triple play.  Unfortunately, it was turned by the Space Cowboys, which explained the muted reaction from the El Paso crowd.

 

At least I was home in time for the Canelo/Munguia fight.  I was way too wiped out to think about scoring the fight for a blog post to maintain by press credentials.  (I don’t have a hard card.  I’m just kidding.)  Munguia surprisingly won the first three rounds convincingly, but Canelo came back in the fourth and knocked Munguia down with a shot to the jaw.  Munguia wasn’t knocked again, but didn’t recover for the rest of the fight and Canelo took over for a unanimous decision.  Anyway, what a day for Aggie Baseball!    

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