After the disappointment of not offering autographs two weeks ago, Aggie Softball went on the road and dropped two of three to Sam Houston State. I’m sure there’s no correlation. It was an 8-1 Aggie win in the first game with Faith Aragon picking up the win. After that, it was a 13-5 run rule loss and then a 3-1 loss with Faith taking the hard luck L. The team had a canceled Tuesday game against the Lobos, so they got the week off. On Friday, the Aggies started off a series against FIU with a 10-6 win. Faith pitched 5 innings of relief for the win. She also had a homer and a 2-run triple. Devin Elam contributed a 3-run home run.
As for myself, on Thursday, I took an unexpected trip with dad to Sparky’s in Hatch. They are famous for their green chili hamburger. I’m not much for chili, so I had the chicken strips. They could also be famous for those. They were the best chicken strips I’ve ever had. The lady that invited us, also invited us to a singing show at Boba Café on Saturday. It was well done and I had a great croissant sandwich there, though it was really cold in the cafe. (I’m not going to fit into my pants much longer eating like this.)
From there, I went to this afternoon’s Aggie Softball game against the Panthers. I was greeted with He’s choosin’ Texas, I can tell, by Ella Langley over the PA. I heard that song with dad on the way to Hatch. He was pretty enthusiastic about it. I’m not a Country fan, but it is a really good song. I’d gone from freezing at the café to being unseasonably warm outside in 95-degree heat. It was merciless with no clouds and no breeze. I was cooking on the metal stands and started sweating instantly.
It was a light crowd to start, but filled in later with 401 in attendance. Duke Keith was on the radio call. These are the final radio games of the season. (I couldn’t get broadcast on Friday, unfortunately.) Baseball was warming up next door, as their series was crossed up with this one. The FIU players went over to greet the umps during player introductions. They were actually high-fiving the umps. One of the guys was pretty tall. Some of the shorter girls had to jump to reach his palm.
I had some issues with the scorecard, mostly because I couldn’t figure out the Official Scorer’s method of scoring hits and errors. It seemed a bit capricious. Taryn Bennett started for the Aggies. She was wearing red-tinged sunglasses while pitching. Pitchers never usually wear shades. She got a looking strikeout to start the game. The batter contested the call. It was going to be a wide strikezone today in the heat, regardless. Kennedy Byrd singled, but unwisely tried to stretch it to a double. A good relay caught her in a rundown to end the inning.
Devin began the bottom of the first with a line shot to right field. Kendall Catherwood made a running catch, but dropped it. It was ruled a tough two-base error. However, Panther starter, J’dah Girigorie came back with two strikeouts. Faith was out on a questionable appeal and Skye Johnson was out looking on a strike that looked wide. The umps were moving this game right along. Devin ended up stranded on second after a popup to third ended the inning.
The PA announced the temperature here and in Florida, where it was 57-degrees? Really? Catcher Madi Bachman made a nice play on a foul popup at the plate with two other fielders standing beside her. Taryn slapped Madi’s helmet in appreciation. Taryn then got a comebacker to end the inning. She pumped her fist leaving the field. In the bottom, Girigorie had a strikeout and a slick double play to end the inning.
Taryn got into trouble in the top of the third. After a leadoff single, Taryn fielded a sac bunt, but didn’t get the runner to put two on. She was given an error on the throw, though it was a tough play. Another sac bunt attempt put the runners in scoring position and Kally Meredith cashed them in with a single. Janelle Martinez then hit a shallow single. Meredith made a brave baserunning decision and scored. A single by Leah Clark moved Martinez to third, but on a double steal attempt, Madi threw out Clark before Martinez made it home. The FIU coach unsuccessfully argued for the run. It was 4-0 FIU, anyway.
Taylor Baca came up in the bottom of the third. Part of the crowd erupted, as Taylor had brought her own cheering section. Unfortunately in her at bat, Martinez fielded the grounder and putout the lead runner at second. No problem, Devin doubled Taylor in next. Skye then doubled her in, as she belly-flopped into second. Kendal Lunar came up with her new walk up music, Beat It. She did that and floated one to the scoreboard just over the wall for a 2-run homer. The Aggies had tied it right back up at 4.
I stood up for that home run. When I sat back down, cold, wet sweat went down my back. That was quite unpleasant. Below me, there was a family with three kids. The little girl in the group had gotten a foul ball. The PA all but begged the little girl to return the ball for some candy without singling her out. No deal. On the radio, Duke thanked GLAM for his lunch, GLAM being the “Glamorous Ladies of Aggie Marketing.”
In the top of the fourth, a single, a passed ball, a dropped ball at second that was ruled a hit, and finally, a sac fly brought in a run for FIU. They had to work for that one. 5-4 Panthers. Madi led off the bottom of the inning with a double. She was left stranded. Kaleena Downing in left field made a standout play on a big foul ball into the corner. Meanwhile, the dad of the family was pouring soda from a bottle on top of his kids’ heads. That seems like a waste. Oh, wait. It’s a Starry. Never mind. Hopefully that was actually just water in the bottle.
A cool, sweet breeze swept across the stands in the top of the fifth. It was wonderful. On the field, Taryn again worked into some trouble. A double, a hit batter, and the first walk of the game loaded the bases. Taryn helped herself out with a rare “FF1” scoring. She called off a couple of other players on a foul ball. For better or worse, Taryn really wants to use her mitt on the field. Paige Miller nearly hit a bases-clearing double down the left field line that just went foul. Instead, she hit into a fielder’s choice that ended the inning.
My feet were starting to get hot on the metal stands. Faith wasn’t figuring out Girigorie, as she had struck out in her first two at bats. In the bottom of the fifth, Faith changed up her strategy and legged out a bunt. Girigorie got two outs in the inning before Kendal singled. Makenzie Jones came in as a pinch runner and promptly took second. Riley Silvers at catcher nearly threw out Faith at third base instead of throwing to second.
Next, Tamara was hit on the ankle on a pitch to load the bases. Silvers asked her if she was okay. Faith came in via a wild pitch, before Madi tripled and cleared the bases. Madi was exhausted by the time she got to third. Girigorie was relived and Brooke McNichols came in. She gave up a run-scoring double to pinch hitter, Bella Clapp. That was a 4-run outburst to put the Aggies back up, 8-4.
In the top of the sixth, a little boy in the family got a foul ball. The attendant at the foot of the stands directed him to the pressbox. The boy came back with a souvenir flag and candy. The little girl still wasn’t budging. Zantelle Rodriguez came in to pitch for the Aggies in the inning. She gave up a single and a walk before Skye in left field made a great catch on a line drive and a pop out ended the inning. The bottom of the sixth went 1-2-3 for the Aggies. The dugout did sing for pinch hitter, Jojo Hair. More interestingly in crowd, I saw a lady in a Savannah Bananas jersey. I need cooler gear.
Before the top of the seventh, Kendal talked to Zantelle by the dugout to try and settle her down and/or encourage her. Zantelle began with a single and a groundout. Another single with a bobble in the outfield (no error) brought in a run. After a wild pitch, Miller then legged out a grounder to reach first.
Pitching Coach Paige Bachman came out and had a very demonstrative conference in the circle with Zantelle. Unlike the Coach’s talk to Faith late in the game on 3-7-26, Zantelle walked the next batter to load the bases. This was even with ump’s wide strikezone. After Ball 1 to next hitter, Taryn was brought back in to pitch. Her first pitch was a pop out and a flyball to center ended the game without further scoring. Aggies win, 8-5!
Gameballs. It’s all Aggies today. FIU didn’t really have any standouts. Sorry. Kendal Lunar went 2 for 3 with a 2-run homer. Madi Bachman was also 2 for 3 with a 2-run triple. I’ll also hand out one to Taryn Bennett for locking it down in the seventh.
I looked at the time. The game went 1 hour and 41 minutes. It wasn’t my imagination that the game was running quick. I could have gotten over to Baseball to see the start of their game, but I was thoroughly roasted and done for the evening. The family left. The parents had the kids clean up their trash in the stands. Those are good parents.
Duke kept announcing the wrong time for Sunday’s game. I probably should have gone up and said something, but he was there on time the next day. I listened to the game while heading to Baseball and kept listening while at that game.
The first play I heard was in the top of the first with a play at the plate and a successful rundown, but an FIU player stole home in the process. I’m not sure how that worked, either. Duke gets kind of “creative” with his play calling. I admit I wasn’t entirely following along for much with the game. The Aggies went down 3-0. The Aggies scored on a double steal in the fifth with a rundown lasting long enough to get a run across the plate. Tamara Carranza singled in a run in the seventh, but the Aggies lost 4-2. They didn’t have their bats today. More Softball ***next week.***
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