Aggie Baseball had an interesting series last weekend against Texas A&M. They lost the first game, 19-0. I was listening to that game with the A&M radio call. College Station seems like a very intimidating place to play with the crowd there. Saturday didn’t go much better with a 7-1 loss. Sunday, Matthew Yarc, whose last two outings had not gone well, combined with Saul Soto in a dominating pitching performance for a 4-1 win. Getting one was against the #14 in the nation was encouraging, though they then dropped a pair to Lamar on the road.
Back for a homestand, I tuned in Friday and was surprised to hear the voice of the El Paso Chihuahuas, our old friend, Tim Hagerty, calling the game. I guess Adam Young was still getting back from the C-USA Basketball tournament that unfortunately featured disappointing first round exits for the Aggie Men and Women’s teams. The ladies were blown out, while the Men kept it close and had a chance before falling in defeat. [Quick Edit: the Ladies have accepted an invitation to the NIT. They probably wanted to give Molly Kaiser a chance to play some more.]
The Men’s game was also Jack Nixon’s final Aggie broadcast after 45 years of service. He was remarkably unsentimental about it and only said at the end, “We’ll call it a season and a career.” Jack glad to have finished with a close loss than a blowout loss, which tells you what he thought of the team’s chances moving on. There wasn’t any career retrospective on the broadcast. I guess we’ll have to wait for him to write a book.
On that note, as soon as I heard him, I wrote Tim an e-mail saying I wished I was there to get his autograph on his book, which I wished I still had. (I’d lent it out to Ron and haven’t seen him since. I’m probably going to have to buy another copy.) I also wrote to correct him on the pronunciation of Coach Angier’s name. The A&M radio guys were also calling him, “Coach Anger.” I don’t know if Tim got the message or someone else talked to him, but he did get it right a couple of innings later.
I was also a bit sorry to not be there for the “Tiny Pete” giveaway. It does look cute. However, it was cold out with some wind. It sounded like a good crowd for the Aggies’ first game against the Portland Pilots, but it was actually only 408. Starter Jack Turner turned in a good outing and lasted into the seventh. Dylan Weekly closed out the 12-5 Aggie win. Sheehan O’Connor added another home run and was 4 of 4. Mitch Namie had 3 RBI’s, Brandon Forrester went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI’s, and Joey Craig homered.
This Saturday the weather was schizophrenic. It was cold, then stormy, then cool with a breeze. By the time the weather had settled, an hour before the game, it was too late for me to get ready and go. Just as well, it was sprinkling at the park by the time the game started, as it had clouded up again. Over the course of three hours, the weather went from rain, to sunny, to gusting winds. Jeff Matthews on the radio call said it was a “hardcore” crowd with only 411 there.
I was glad I didn’t go for more reasons than the weather. It was 7-0 Pilots after an inning-and-a-half. While the Aggies did some hitting themselves, their pitching couldn’t put up a zero. The Pilots won 18-8. Thankfully, the game only went seven innings in the run rule win. I’m sure the crowd appreciated the mercy ending. The Aggie bullpen, likely as well, after they had used seven pitchers. Tommy Meluskey did hit his first Aggie home run in the game.
Aggie Softball was also playing this weekend . . . at the same time as Baseball. There’s two more crossed up weekends on the schedule. I may only get to see Softball one more time for the rest of the season. Anyway, they’re starting the conference portion of their season. The Aggies lost, 9-7, on Friday to Jacksonville State and won on Saturday, 8-7, with Faith Aragon pitching all seven innings.
This brings us to Sunday. I am a fair-weather fan at this point and it was a very fair weather day. There were clear blue skies and only the occasional cool breeze. I got there just in time to start filling out the lineups while I was picking up the program outside the stadium. A pretty good crowd of 671 came out for the game. I went over and sat with Fan Michael, Ken, and Trey. Trey’s wife was with their daughter in Las Vegas for a volleyball tournament. I’m sure there’s lots of work involved, but that’s not the worst place to be compared to Huntsville, Alabama, where the Basketball tournament was.
Beyond the outfield wall, Aggie Softball was starting their game. Today’s live Anthem singer had to contend with Softball’s Anthem being played 30 seconds after she started. The young woman admirably kept singing and even finished her rendition as the other one ended. The guys said this happened yesterday, too. This dual (dueling) scheduling sucks.
I talked to Trey about the A&M series, which he was at. The team had had to take a grueling bus ride to College Station, which accounted for their terrible Friday loss. He confirmed that there were 6,000 passionate fans in the stands that had a special cheer ready for every occasion. He wondered if there was a guidebook to cheering and if they had to take classes.
Trey also talked about his best experience as a visiting player. While warming up in the outfield at Louisiana-Lafayette, he met a lady cooking up catfish. It smelled good enough that he asked for some after the game. As the team was leaving on the bus, the lady brought him a big plate full, which his teammates helped themselves to. Later at the conference tournament, LA-Lafayette was eliminated early. Their fans were stuck there for the rest of games and adopted the Aggies, who had no fans there, and cheered them on to victory. (Sitting next to a former ball player is great for stories.)
Today’s game was a really interesting matchup. We had Matthew Yarc, who’d done so well last Sunday against Texas A&M. On the other side was Ryan Rembisz. He’d pitched a perfect game this season against Seattle U. This was only the 21-st perfect game in NCAA D1 history. A hardcore pitcher’s duel was on tap.
That buildup exploded quickly. The Pilots scored three times in the first. The first run came in after a single that was driven in by a triple that left fielder, Mitch Namie, dove for and missed. (He always plays flat out. You love the effort even if it doesn’t work out.) That runner came in on a passed ball that probably didn’t get 5-ft. away from the plate. Sheehan O’Connor picked up the defense with a great catch of line drive at short, but another run came in on a single. 3-0 Pilots.
Rembisz gave up a hit on the first batter. “Cancel the press conference,” as Hawk Harrelson would say, as we weren’t going to get a no-hitter or perfect game today. There was a wild pitch, but further damage. Portland added to their lead in the second with a two-run homer by Doyle Kane, who’d hit the triple last inning. 5-0 Pilots. Michael was rolling his eyes, “Oh, man! It’s just like yesterday all over again.”
(I should mention, there was a bit of controversy about Portland’s hitting from yesterday. Pilot hitters were exchanging a little black device that they were putting in their helmets. It was examined by the umps, but nothing was done about it. Trey thought it was somehow stealing signs and alerting the hitter.)
Perfect game pitcher or not, the Aggies weren’t taking it lying down today. Sheehan led off the inning getting on base with an error. After a hit batter, Tommy Meluskey came up and cranked out a three-run homer. Trey related that Tommy had been about to quit baseball before homering yesterday. Right after that, a cheer went up from Softball. There was a delay as an Aggie batter had hit one into the Baseball outfield. Jeff Matthews on the radio call, said they’d hit back-to-back home runs at the Softball game.
The hits continued. Steve Solorzano doubled in Tariq Freeny, who’d singled. Brandon Forrester walked. Mitch singled and Solo slid into home under the tag after a great throw from the outfield. Bryce Campbell doubled in a run and Mitch scored on a wild pitch. After Sheehan came up for a second time and was hit, Rembisz was relieved. That’s baseball for you. He went from throwing a perfect game to giving up 7 runs in an inning. Pilot JT Lanwehr threw one pitch and got a double play to end the inning. 7-5 Aggies.
Trey was on the phone during the inning. I thought he was talking to his wife about his son, pitcher Cooper Reese. Actually, he was talking to Cooper’s “summer coach” and was giving him a scouting report on his son. He probably won’t be playing in the Cape Cod League this year, but elsewhere. I made a Jessica Biel comment and Trey said he loved that movie with her, A Summer Catch, and had seen it on a date with his future wife.
Yarc gave way to Carson Timmons in the third. He worked a scoreless inning. That was actually quite an accomplishment. Matthews noted that the Pilots had scored for 9 straight innings going back to yesterday. The bottom of the inning ended on a strikeout and delayed steal double play.
Another Trey baseball story came up. He was, I think, working in the press box at his son’s high school game and taunting the opposing team with a Milli Vanilli song whenever they changed pitchers. The other team was waiting for him to come out after the game. He had to wait his son’s team to come over to escort him out.
The Softball game was going into their fifth-inning Stretch. Timmons had two strikeouts in the top of the fourth of the baseball game. Unfortunately, he also gave up a 2-run homer to Brady Bean that hit the scoreboard. We were tied at 7. The Aggies had 2-out rally in the bottom with a pair of singles. Pilot Jonas Salk at short made a great play on a ball that hit the mound to end the inning and this was after inventing the polio vaccine. (I’m sure he’s heard that joke before.)
Another story from Trey from working in the press box. He would play a salsa song for a Puerto Rican player whenever he hit a home run. Another Puerto Rican on the team, who seldom hit, hit a home run in a game and circled the bases in silence. He proceed to run off the field, through the dugout, out on to the concourse, and then up the stairs to the press box. He barged in shouting, “What the hell! Why aren’t you playing the song for me!” I’m not even telling half the stories I’m hearing. This is like sitting next to a baseball story goldmine.
Saul Soto came in for the fifth. Both sides would work 1-2-3 innings. After a scoreless top of the sixth, Mitch doubled in Tariq to give the Aggies an 8-7 lead. By the top of the seventh, Softball was done. The Aggies won, 5-4. Trey had left and came back with a corn-in-the-cup, which I’d been recommending. He poked at it apprehensively before taking a bite. After a few more bites, he pronounced it, “The best thing ever.” Michael was still not convinced to try one. Michael did tell a great joke from Rodney Dangerfield. “I went to the doctor with a pulled groin. He put my arm in a sling.” Enough frivolity, Zach Toglia jacked out a 2-run homer to give the Pilots a 9-8 lead.
The top of the eighth saw a marked decline in the crowd’s relationship with the home plate umpire. The ump warned Soto about quick pitching. The batter and pitcher must be looking at each other before the pitch. This set off a chorus of jeering with lines like, “You want them to take a long walk on the beach, too!” Soto, not liking the call or the batter, stood at the set position for a full 10 seconds before delivering the next pitch. Soto did get into further trouble in the inning. Cooper began warming up in the bullpen and Trey became highly agitated, but Soto worked out of the jam.
Landwehr gave up a walk to start the bottom of the eighth, but got his final batter of the game with a looking strikeout. Solo greeted the new reliever with a 2-run homer on his first pitch. Mitch was caught stealing to end the inning, but the Aggies were now up, 10-9. Trey was really hoping to not see his son come into this tight a game. Trey couldn’t take the pressure.
Soto was back out for the ninth. He gave up a leadoff walk that was then doubled in to tie it at 10. Confusingly, we were hearing a cowbell ring for Portland runs. I guess there was a Portland fan in the crowd that was trolling the rest of us. Coach Angier came out for a talk after a successful bunt, but didn’t make a move. Soto was charged with an automatic ball for quick pitching again, as he’d already been warned before. This didn’t endear the ump to the fans or the coach, however Soto finished the inning without giving up the lead.
Trey Swgart came in for the Pilots for the bottom of the ninth. By odd coincidence, Swgart had played against Cooper in high school. Cooper had tried to greet him earlier in the series and was rebuffed. Trey was not only concerned about his son having to pressure pitch in extra innings, but was also bearing a grudge against the opposing pitcher.
Swgart gave up single to begin the inning and a walk. He got a looking strikeout on a failed bunt attempt. This was the eighth looking strikeout of the game. The players didn’t seem to be complaining about it, though. Austin Corbett, getting his first at bat as an eighth inning defensive replacement, didn’t waste any time. On the first pitch, he singled in the winning run. Go crazy, folks! Aggies win, 11-10!
A bunch of kids went out to run the bases after the game. That was cute. Let’s hand out a bunch of gameballs. For Portland, Doyle Kane went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI’s and a home run. Zach Toglia went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s including a home run and a clutch hit in the ninth. JT Landwehr probably saved the Pilots’ bullpen with 6 innings of relief giving up only 2 runs.
With his nearly typical 5 innings of relief, Saul Soto is basically a starter, who doesn’t start the game. He got the win. Mitch Namie was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s. Bryce Campbell was 3 for 5 with an RBI. Tommy Meluskey had a big 3-run homer. He should keep playing baseball. Austin Corbett saw 1 pitch today and made the most of it and was mobbed out on the field.
Well, I was in a good mood and it was about to get even better. Three hours at the park had given me an appetite for a Grilled Cheese Hamburger, which just came back on to the menu at Freddy’s. Every bite was ecstasy. It’s a hamburger that melts in your mouth. After that, I finally picked up a bag of tangerines at the fruit stand on the corner. I kept wanting to do it, but I was always on the wrong side the street to pull in. Finally, I stopped by to see dad right before the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection show. I guess my only rooting interest left is the UNM Lobos. We’ll see how they do. In the meantime, I’ll have a weekend off from Aggie Sports to watch some basketball games. (Too bad Softball isn’t scheduled to play with Baseball out of town.)
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