There was a 30-minute break between this game with the Aggies and the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos and the previous game with the KC Roos. I went to my car and chugged a half bottle of water that I nearly forgot to bring with me to the game. While it was about 70-degrees, it was hot sitting out in the sun. I’d brought a sweatshirt and my regular glasses (I was wearing prescription sunglasses) for the late game, but it was warm enough that I didn’t think I’d need them. I fruitlessly went over my scorecard in the shade before returning to my seat before the game started.
Okay, major disappointment with this game. Gaucho pitcher, Eva Bradford, was not playing in this game. Having seen her in the stands in the previous game, I was looking forward to seeing more of her. However, late in this game, a petite, very pretty girl came in and sat below me. She looked elegant with her hair up and a doll-like face. She was stylish, but given that the temperature would drop when the sun went down, she was a bit under-dressed with a top that went below her shoulders. (So somebody was less prepared than I was.) This girl had earbuds in, but wasn’t listening to the game like I was. She was watching the game, but jamming out and dancing in her seat to the music. She was a charming distraction.
Faith Aragon, centerfielder in the previous game, was the starting pitcher in this one. For the first inning, both teams had a double and advanced the runner to third without scoring. The Gauchos did have an error trying to collect a ball off the wall, but generally I noticed they were very sharp on defense.
The Gauchos mounted a more serious offensive in the second. A single, a double, and another single drove in two runs. There was a play at the plate on one of those runs. The throw and tag were there, but the umpire called Kendal Lunar for obstruction. I saw her standing well in front of the plate getting the throw, but the ump saw it differently. Kendal and Coach Rodolph complained briefly, but not passionately. The fans were surprisingly quiet, though on the next batter there was a throw to third and a heckler called out, “Obstruction!” Tamara Carranza started a double play with a catch on a liner and doubling off a runner on first. Devin Elam made a great catch in right on a dying line drive to end the frame. 2-0 UCSB.
In the bottom, a fan made a nice catch up in the stands on a foul. With two outs, Taylor Nicholson singled. Some little girls were standing at the rail behind home plate cheering, as Kendal came up to bat. Boom! Revenge! She just cleared the centerfield wall for a two-run homer. We were tied at 2. Obstruct that!
Tamara made another great play at a short on a soft liner in the top of the third with her back to the infield. That was an in-order inning. The Aggies got a pair of singles in the bottom, but didn’t score either. A double play was seemingly turned in the inning, but the umpire ruled the ball foul late. In the fourth, the Aggies flashed more leather. Desirae Spearman, playing in center with a runner on first, ran down a gapper and made a jumping catch for it. In right, Devin made two more good plays.
The bottom of the fourth started with a nice play by Gaucho centerfielder, Erin Mendoza. With two outs, there was Kendal up to bat again. It was another F-U home run to left center to give the Aggies a 3-2 lead. Sort of amusingly, the scoreboard operator was impressed enough to give the Aggies a 4-2 lead. We were wondering how long this would last. Finally between innings, a coach from UCSB brought it to the ump’s attention. She waved to the Press Box. During the top of the fifth, the operator kept trying to reset the score, which was apparently not a simple procedure. About halfway through the inning, it was set right. The crowd there were cheers and moans from the crowd depending on who you were rooting for.
The fifth inning was 1-2-3 for both sides. There was a bit of comedy as Devin spun around and fell on a swing. Kristina Watson, on deck, shared a laugh with her. The top of the sixth wasn’t as funny. There was an error on an overthrow after an infield single. Ainsley Waddell then came up a hit a two-run homer for a 4-3 UCSB lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, I finally heard a little singing from the Aggie dugout, a usual staple at the Softball Complex. Maybe I wasn’t hearing it before because I had ear buds in, which are new and better than my older ones. Riley Carley worked a walk and pinch runner, Patyon Nicholson, barely stole second. Gaucho Tehya Banks laid out on a soft liner at short to end the inning.
Faith gave up a double and a single to start the seventh. She came out for Zantelle Rodriguez. This started a cascade of moves that sent Faith to center, Desirae to short, and took Tamara out. Zantelle got a strikeout, but gave up a single and a double, which scored three runs, 7-3 UCSB. Faith was reinserted back in as pitcher and finished the inning without further damage, also everyone else went back to their previous positions. With two two-way players, Coach Rodolph is probably thinking harder on lineup changes than she ever has had to before.
By this point, the sun had gone down. I was sitting in the stands wearing a t-shirt, an undershirt, and a pair of sunglasses. I was getting cold and feeling ridiculous, but it was the end of the game possibly. With one out, Lauren Garcia came in as a pinch hitter. She promptly jacked one out on the first pitch. As the team went to home plate to congratulate her, Coach Rodolph was there yelling at the team. I’m not sure if she was telling them to get off the field or telling them to not give up.
I’d vote the later given what happened next. Faith singled and Desirae drove her in with a two-run homer to center. Des’ teammates made a “tunnel” for her to reenter the dugout instead of meeting her at the plate. (Maybe Coach Rodolph was telling them to get off the field.) With two outs, Kristina came up and slapped a line drive home run to tie the score at 7! This time, the team not only made a tunnel, but the new stadium lights flashed and strobed for her. (Okay, the coach told them not to give up.)
For the top of the eighth, I ran out to the car for my regular glasses and my sweatshirt. I wasn’t parked close, which was why I didn’t do this earlier. During my absence, Emily Carr hit a double to score the automatic runner to give UCSB an 8-7 lead. I hadn’t remembered how to score that. Were they doing automatic runners last season? The Aggies unfortunately went down in order in the bottom, so 8-7 UCSB was the final.
Time for the Gameballs. For the Gauchos, Ainsley Waddell went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run and Emily Carr also went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s. For the Aggies, Desirae Spearman was 2 for 4 with a 2-run homer. Kendal Lunar was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s off of 2 home runs. Don’t get Kendal angry; she’ll take it out on you with her bat. This was a disappointing loss, but hopeful in how the Aggies came back late.
The pretty girl ran out the moment the game ended. Maybe she was colder than she looked, but she was a real fan for sticking it out. I drove by the Pan-Am Center on the way home. The parking lot was stuffed full for tonight’s Aggie/Miner Men’s Basketball game. I listened to that after I got home. The Aggies had issues on offense, but were still very competitive. They lost a close one, 66-63. The Women had beaten the Miners badly in El Paso earlier, so the Aggies almost swept their rivals this season (the Miners and the Lobos). Coach Hooten said in the postgame that they’d lost their best player to the flu all week and they were out-of-sync. Okay, we’ll be back tomorrow to close out Softball’s opening weekend.
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