It was another stressful week. I had another issue concerning the new car. The car is fine; it’s an expensive peripheral issue. I even got a lousy haircut. I had meant to take off Friday for Aggie Softball playing Nebraska in the afternoon (that was a schedule change, they were originally going to play them at the same time as baseball) and for Aggie Baseball Opening Day.
The weather was kind of breezy, but not too bad an hour before the game. However, the forecast was for blowing dust. I hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep and I just didn’t feel like chancing it. The Nebraska (#18 in the nation) game started a half-hour late. The wind kicked up just as the game started, but did die down somewhat right after (which was unfortunate for Aggies).
I felt bad about not going, but then again, the Aggies got killed 10-0 in a run rule. The Cornhuskers scored two runs with the wind blowing in hard. When the wind stopped, they hit three solo home runs in a row. The Aggies only managed two hits. At least they broke up a possible no-hitter. Nebraska pitcher, Jordy Bahl, went the distance and hit a two-run homer. They even brought their own radio host. I could hear him in the background while Jeff Matthews did the Aggie call. Attendance was good at 756, but admittedly it probably would have been a sellout if they’d held the game in the evening.
Aggie Softball played Northern Colorado in the nightcap. It was a much more competitive game, but the Aggies still lost, 13-10. Both teams scored 6 runs in the fifth. Kenzie Nicholson had a great game with a three-run homer.
Aggie Baseball played the St. Thomas Tommies, who were the winners of their conference last season, though they weren’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Aggie Jack Turner made his first D1 start and got the win in the 7-2 Aggie victory. Saul Soto pitched four scoreless innings of relief. Sheehan O’Connor had a home run. And, Kade Benavidez won an argument with an umpire. Kade showed him the mark where the ball hit him after the ump had initially ruled that he hadn’t been hit by the pitch.
Saturday, the weather seemed better. I’d walked over to the mall for lunch. However, a cold wind had kicked up in the afternoon. When I left, I should have gone back in and dressed more warmly for the 4:00pm game. I arrived at Presley Askew Field and was immediately dismayed. All of the canopy was gone. I met with fans Michael and Ken inside. They reported that the remaining canopy had been removed and that fired AD, Mario Moccia, had taken it with him. Certainly, trying to get insurance to pay for a replacement was the bane of Mario’s existence. One look at the shabby outfield grass was disappointing as well.
There were positive changes to the facility. The Diamond Club was moved to the other side of the field, replacing the Student Section. The Aggie Bullpen was now in the former club area. Behind the dugout, a new Kid Zone was installed. The outfield wall had a new covering installed, though missing the championships record. New PA speakers, which sounded pretty good, were installed. These were formerly at the Football stadium.
It had sounded like there were a bunch of St. Thomas fans last night over the radio. There were. I met one guy behind me. He was pretty nice. A couple from Nebraska came over after watching their Softball team next door. I chatted with them a bit. I asked if they were tired of being called, “A volleyball school.” (I was rooting on their team, because I wanted to see more of Harper Murray.) A good crowd of 560 came out for the game, including some of our Volleyball team. The cute team photographer was still working here. Apparently, Michael is friends with her. Hmmm.
The scorecards added up today. Save your applause. Connor Wylde started for the Aggies. A leadoff walk and stolen base put a Tommie runner in scoring position. A single by Max Moris, which deflected off of second base, drove in St. Thomas’ first run. A double play started by Camden Kaufman ended the inning. The Aggies answered in the bottom. Mitch Namie singled. Tariq Freeny doubled him in on a flyball that the right fielder lost in a tough late afternoon sun. (I question starting games at this time given how predictable that problem is.) We were tied at 1.
Wylde worked a 1-2-3 second (a rare event in this game), thanks to a great foul ball catch by Steve Solorzano at first fighting the wind. A strikeout/caught stealing DP ended an Aggie threat in the bottom. Wylde only gave up a single to start the third. Jeff Matthews on the radio call wished fellow broadcaster, Adam Young, had left him a pair of binoculars. The Aggies were wearing their white uniforms with crimson-outlined numbers, which are hard to see. The St. Thomas fan behind me commented on that. The Nebraska fan was wondering if the scoreboard was on. Yes, it’s hard to see when direct sunlight is on it.
Speaking of Adam, he walked by during the bottom of the third. There was some large piece of equipment he needed to retrieve from the Press Box before he could call Aggie Basketball later. The Aggies cashed in two walks with singles by Tariq and Kade. The Tommie starting pitcher was also getting wild and was pulled. The reliever got the final out with two on. Aggies up 3-1.
A pair of singles and a batter hit on the foot loaded the bases for the Tommies in the top of the fourth. Aggie relievers were warming up in the new bullpen . . . by throwing a football? A good play at the plate by Solorzano with infield drawn in got one out and a strikeout almost got Wylde out of the inning unscathed. The bases were still loaded when Zan Von Schlegell came up and blasted a grand slam to left. The wind seemed to carry it out. Ouch. The next batter even got on via a wild pitch after a strikeout. Damage done. Tommies up 5-3.
Sheehan led off the bottom of the fourth with an infield single. Zan at third threw the ball away for a two-base error. A dropped infield popup lost in the sun put another runner on. Tommie reliever, Tucker Huhn (not listed on the program, I might add), nearly got out of it with two strikeouts. A single by Namie brought in one run. Tariq thought he had struck out to end the inning and walked back to the dugout and scoreboard recorded it. The ump, however, told him it was a ball and to get back in the box. With a second life, he singled in another run to tie it at 5. (The official scorer had all of these runs as being earned, but I’m pretty sure that the first one this inning was unearned.)
The Tommies started off the top of the fifth with three singles, which scored a run. The scoring runner did collide with Brandon Forrester at third, but the ump ruled obstruction and the run counted. Coach Angier argued to no avail. A strikeout and a double play ended the inning, but St. Thomas was now up 6-5.
There was a hat toss in the bottom of the fifth. A little kid followed the marketing girl around and jumped up and down for one. She finally gave him the last hat. The Aggies bounced back. Sheehan O’Connor would crank out a two-run homer to left. He hesitated and kind admired the shot before he rounded the bases. Joe Roder made a good diving play for an out after a pitching change, but Jonatan Clough singled in Joey Craig, who’d walked earlier. The Aggies were back up 8-6.
Alejandro Maltos-Garcia started the top of the sixth for the Aggies and had a rough inning. Three singles loaded the bases and a double by Roder unloaded them. The bases were even reloaded before the Aggies got the third out. St. Thomas now up 9-8. The Aggies came right back in the bottom. Sheehan doubled in Solorzano to tie it at 9.
Much of the crowd, including the Volleyball girls, left in the top of the seventh, probably for the Men’s Basketball game that was about to start. Also, it was getting cold. The St. Thomas fans, of course, all stayed. Jake Carvajal came in for the Aggies. After two outs, the Tommies loaded the bases and a run was walked in to give them a 10-9 lead. The best catch of the inning was in the Aggie bullpen on a big foul ball. After two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Aggies loaded the bases and a run was walked in. Wait. (Rechecks scorecard.) Yep, that happened. We were tied at 10.
There was no scoring in the eighth. The Tommies led off the top of the ninth with a triple. Craig dove for the ball in the right and it got past him. With the infield in again, there was a groundout to second that didn’t advance the runner. Forrester grabbed a grounder at third and made a great play to throw out a runner at home. With two on and two out, Matthew Maulik slapped a single to drive in the go-ahead run for the Tommies. Aggies’ extreme shifting strategy had burned them here, as Maulik hit it the other way. There were no further comebacks in the bottom of the ninth. St. Thomas won 11-10.
I was told yesterday’s game with the wind was warmer than today’s game. I can believe it. I ran out of the stadium shivering after the 3 hour, 30 minute game. I was disappointed with the loss, but very happy the game did not go extra innings. I was pleased to discover my new car’s heater works well. At home, I spent the rest of the evening staying warm.
Let’s hand out the Gameballs. St. Thomas gets four. Max Moris went 4 for 5 with 2 RBI’s. Joe Roder went 2 for 4 and 3 big RBI’s off that double in the sixth. Zan Von Schlegell went 2 for 5, but had that huge 4 RBI grand slam in the fourth. Finally, pitcher Max Skillbeck closed out the game with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of work. (There are three “Max’s” on the team.) For the Aggies, Tariq Freeny went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI’s and Sheehan O’Connor went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI’s and a home run. The scoring could have been higher, as both teams left double digit runners on base.
Before I left for the game, I had some notion of staying for the late Softball game. I’ll just content myself with the final scores. The Aggies beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 13-3, in a run rule and won over Northern Colorado, 3-2. The Women and Men’s Basketball teams won their games today convincingly. I’d mentioned the Men’s game to the Nebraska couple. They said they’d actually gone to the Thursday night game, which was an embarrassing blowout. They’d seen enough.
I did listen to the Men’s Basketball game at home on the radio, mostly because it was the Hall of Fame game. Brooke Salas, the second all-time scorer for the Women was being inducted. I’d hoped they’d interview her at some point and they did. When asked what she was doing now, Brooke said she was married and a “full-time mom of two.” She added, “My four years with New Mexico State were the greatest of my life.” She sounded so sweet and content. Coach Trakh, who’d recruited her, was there for the ceremony. All this just warmed my heart.
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