We’re starting Memorial Day weekend sports coverage early this year. The C-USA Baseball Tournament began on Wednesday with the Aggies playing the #2 seed and possible at-large NCAA bid team, WKU Hilltoppers, in the second game of the day. Before the game, Mitch Namie, Steve Solorzano, and Brandon Forrester received All-Conference honors. The radio coverage was on Magic 105 and I had to endure some really bad pop waiting for the game to start.
The tournament was being held at Liberty U. The weather was cold and damp, but not threatening. WKU swept Aggies two weeks ago. They did not start their best available pitcher for this game, but their chosen starter did come in with a pretty good resume anyway. Connor Wylde got the start for the Aggies.
It started well in the top of the first, as Forrester tripled on first pitch. Namie sac’d him in to make it 1-0 Aggies. They added to this in the second with a Dane Woodcook RBI groundout, 2-0. In the bottom of the third on defense, Aggies successfully challenged a safe call for a double play that ended the inning. The Aggies are #2 in the country in turning DP’s. Adam Young on the radio was complaining that his monitor wasn’t showing the replay. That had to be frustrating.
The Hilltoppers took out their starter after two hits in the fourth. The bases were loaded when Namie worked an RBI walk. Solo then singled in two, followed by Boston Vest singling in a run, 6-0 Aggies. In the bottom of the fifth, Wylde gave up his first hit and ended up loading the bases. WKU scored two on a fielder’s choice and a single. 6-2 Aggies.
Wylde started the sixth, but was relieved by Jaden Davis after a leadoff walk. Davis walked the bases loaded without an out and Saul Soto was brought in. Soto immediately gave up a bases-clearing double by Ethan Lizama to make it, 6-5. In the top of the seventh, WKU’s Gavin Perry walked the bases loaded, but a flyball out ended the inning.
A Lizama solo home run tied it at 6 in the eighth. WKU brought in their ace closer Cal Higgins with one on and the Aggies didn’t score. We went to extras. Soto entered his fifth inning of work in the tenth. After a walk, Lizama came up again and slugged a double, which scored the runner and won the game for WKU, 7-6. Adam had the easy stat of the game: the Aggies left 15 runners on base. They could have put this one away, but credit the WKU relief corps. The Aggies did score 6 runs on the second-best team ERA in the country. It’s hard to beat a team four times in a row.
(The worst part about this game is that the Chihuahuas were on at same time. From what I was sneaking in listening to, it was a great game. I did listen to the ending.)
5-22-25
The Aggies’ next game was against #3 seed Kennesaw State and was the first of the day. It started at 7:00am, which is well before I usually get up. I tuned just as the seventh inning ended. K-State had just a big inning and were up 10-5, after scoring 5 to take the lead. That would turn out to be the final score.
Mitch Namie had a great day with two home runs and Bryce Campbell had a solo shot. Aggie starter Ian Hoslett apparently lasted into the seventh. He pitched his heart out. It was just one bad inning that did in the Aggies and ended their season.
The Aggies finished the year, 23-33. Broadcaster Adam Young went over the long list of injuries, which certainly hobbled the team. They didn’t have any quality depth to cover the injuries. With those missing players, maybe that final record gets flipped, but they play in a very tough conference with at least three very good teams. Adam did point out that a lot of freshmen got plenty of experience this season, but that’s about it. We’ll hope for better days next year for Aggie Baseball.
5-24-25
Welcome to Memorial Day Weekend officially. My day started going out to the Downtown Mall to the Farmer’s Market. Dad wasn’t interested in going, but I had a few places to hit there. At Coas Bookstore, I found the history of D&D book, Of Dice and Men. I’d heard of this, so I thought it might be an informative read. I checked the Sci-Fi section for a book I’d been looking for for years, Man of Gold by MAR Barker and, lo, there it was! I almost started giggling in joy. I had to wipe this enormous smile off my face before getting to the register. Persistence paid off. What a way to start the weekend!
This was followed by a severe disappointment: Zia Comics was closed. I’d rather just feel like a dummy for not considering at time that I was just there too early and I should have returned later, rather than the store being permanently closed. As far as I know, they’re the only comic book store in town. Given how many poor purchases I’ve made at Zia Comics, I shouldn’t be upset about this, but I did get something awesome the last time I was there. I’ll check back another day.
I went around the vendors outside and picked up some honey and looked for a couple of gifts for some people. I only found one thing, a little crocheted animal at a booth run by students. I’ll check out the Mall next door for something else this weekend. I did stand in line for a half hour to get kettle corn. Was it worth it? Yes, though I don’t know if I’ll do that again. The street musician there was at least entertaining.
I offered to get dad lunch, but he instead offered me a hot dog. I decided to take him up on that when I got over to his apartment. We waited around to watch the NASCAR Xfinity race at Charlotte. This will probably be my only race this weekend. The Cup race is on Amazon Prime. The F1 race is live at 5:30am. I’m not getting up for that. I tried a new antenna this week to try and bring in Fox, but it didn’t work, so no Indy 500 either.
Dad was disappointed, too. There have been a Diamondbacks games on Friday night (when I can’t watch). He ran into a Rockies game on another station yesterday. He was looking forward to seeing the Yankees and Rockies play again today, but apparently, it’s only a Friday night thing.
I’d brought a portable radio with me. For additional disappointment, I thought ESPN Radio would be broadcasting the Orioles and the Red Sox this afternoon on KROD, but this did not happen. Maybe all of this was for the best. On Friday, the O’s lost, 19-5, and lost today. The Rockies, amazingly, did beat the Yankees on Friday, but were back to reality today and clubbed to death, 13-1. On Friday, the MLB.TV Free Game was the Angels and they won their eighth in a row, but today the Marlins snapped their streak. Can the Angels actually compete in the AL West?
The Rangers/White Sox game was on the radio, albeit with a lousy signal. The Rangers had lost on Friday to the lowly Sox, 4-1. Today, Jack Leiter gave them 5 good innings, and the Rangers took a 4-2 lead into the sixth. 4 hits, 3 walks, and an error all that inning, and the Rangers were down 8-4. A loaded bases clearing double was the big blow in the 12-batter inning. 10-5 White Sox was the final. If the Rangers’ pitching falls apart, this is going to be a really bad season for them.
Okay, on to the race finally. Cup driver, William Byron won the first two stages pretty easily, but a speeding penalty sent him to the rear for the final stage. Justin Allgaier was in control for the entire stage. There were like three wrecks in the closing laps. Critically for Allgaier, there was a miscommunication on the first wreck and he didn’t come in for new tires and was stuck for the rest of regulation. It would have worked, but the race went into overtime. On fresher tires, Bryron, who’d spent the whole stage getting back to the front, squeezed past Allgaier for the win. If that was my only race this weekend, it wasn’t a bad one.
I decided to go out for dinner at Subway, mostly because I had a coupon, and I wanted ice cream at next door PQ Treats. It was another disappointment. (I’d used up all of my luck getting that book and seeing a good race.) PQ Treats was closed, for the second time in my last two visits, and the guy at Subway said they may get closed down, too. That’s sort of inconvenient for me. Well, my meatball was okay, if that was my last meal there.
Here’s a real rarity: the Chihuahuas beat the Rainiers tonight, 1-0. I listened to that game after I got home. The pups had lost, 8-1, on Friday after giving up a 7-run inning. Tonight, all they needed was a run on a sac fly in a 2 hour, 4 minute game. I doubt there have been many 1-0 games there in El Paso.
Finally on TV, I ran into a Mexican League baseball game between the Juarez Indios (yes, the Indians) and Soles (I don’t know where they’re from). I don’t think this is the top level of Mexican baseball. The Indios went down early, but came back. In the bottom of the ninth, the bases were walked loaded for the Indios and a double brought in the tying run. An intentional walk reloaded the bases and a hit batter forced in the winning run. 7-6 Indios win!
They had a really good crowd, especially for a game that finished at midnight. Mexican league game have a pretty “leisurely” pace. This game had a mascot that looked suspiciously like the San Diego Super Chicken. He seems to have a good relationship with the fans and the team from what I saw.
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