NM State Aggies vs UTRGV Vaqueros Women’s Basketball 3-3-18

We got to the Pan-Am Center way too early.  Ron really likes watching the players warm up.  Today’s matchup was certainly worth getting excited about.  The Aggie Women were playing for a possible WAC regular season championship.  There were already cars in the parking lot when we got there.  Inside, the Vaqueros (once again, I really dislike this name for UTRGV’s Women’s teams) were stretching and running drills.  The Aggies were doing a shoot-around.  We did get to see the Roadrunner Review band doing their pre-game ritual (assuming they do this every game).  They got up and marched around the concourse, playing and singing the Aggie fight song, before returning to their seats.

The university was expecting a good crowd for this game.  A couple more registers were open at the concessions.  (But still not the grill, when I am going to be able to try an Aggie Burger?)  AD Mario Moccia had offered free tickets to any business that got in touch with him this week, which was how I got my tickets.  This was a bit of a “Thank you” for all the community support the university had gotten over this school year.  Even better, tickets for this game would be good for entry to Aggie Baseball, which was playing a double header against Harvard this afternoon.  This was a nice gesture too, since fans, such as myself and Ron, had to choose which game to attend because of the overlapping scheduling.  (They probably weren’t able to move either of the events around.)  Ron kept an eye on Statcast of the baseball game.  It was 5-0 Aggies in the third.

I was in my “3 Pete” Women’s Basketball WAC championship shirt for the last time until next season.  I saw a couple of them in the crowd.  I also picked out a football “Made History” shirt.  On that front, Coach Brooke Atkinson was wearing pink pants and a tank top.  It was another bold fashion choice for the coach.  Adam Young, doing a welcome radio broadcast with Nolan Fox today, fist-bumped her as she walked by.  You could hear the girls roaring in the tunnel before they came out and were introduced. 

At mid-court, senior Jasmine Cooper was all smiles as she shook hands with the officials and the opposing captain.  This would be her last game at the Pan-Am.  Her, Tonishia Childress, and Zaire Williams were all honored as departing seniors, along with the seniors on the Vaqueros, before the game.  Totally breaking character with virtually every other post I’ve made, I have say Zaire’s dad is really handsome.  She gets her good looks from him.  Her mom definitely contributed to Zee’s great hair though, since dad was “shiny” on top.  

An awesome crowd suddenly materialized right before the tipoff.  It was later announced at over 1,500.  Most of the bigger crowds this season included some large kids’ groups that performed at the half, along with their parents.  There were plenty of kids here today, but this crowd was here for the game.  I hope the girls were pleased with the turnout.    

First Quarter

If you like defensive basketball, this was your quarter.  Neither team was shooting well, as the defenses were ferocious.  I counted three steals by Brooke Salas in the opening minutes.  One of those steals, Brooke sent to Monique Mills for a layup and the game’s first score.  Remember that Aggie fans are told to stand until the opposing team scores?  Six minutes into the game, we were still standing.  It was 7-0 Aggies before the first media timeout finally settled everybody, except for the cheerleaders.  They were still standing up in the aisles for a few more minutes.  Ron and I exchanged disbelieving looks during the timeout.  Was UTRGV going to score?  It was 9-0 Aggies with three minutes left before the Vaqueros finally got a layup. 

UTRGV did mount a comeback as the Aggies went cold.  The game got more physical.  With under a minute, there was a spectacle like a tag-team wrestling match for a loose ball at mid-court.  Brooke made her first field goal right before the buzzer.  11-8 Aggies after 10 minutes.  From the radio, we got the following stats: Aggies 3 for 15 shooting, Vaqueros 4 for 16 along with 11 turnovers.  

Second Quarter

A little girls’ dance troop performed between quarters.  The Cheerleaders and the Sundancers watched, and I think, enjoyed it.  Back in play, the Vaqueros were 0 for 8 on threes, until they made one to tie the score at 11.  There was more fighting on the floor for the ball.  Both teams seemed well motivated this afternoon, and were going to be black and blue tomorrow. 

Megan Johnson on UTRGV collected an impressive three fouls in one minute and had to sit.  Brooke and Jameka Dowell fought under the basket for a rebound.  Brooke came up with it and got an assist to Monique for a basket.  I also had Mo with a block on an open-look three.  I could be wrong there; the radio call didn’t specify the player either.  Mo definitely got a steal and a layup for a 23-17 Aggie lead.  

During a timeout, that kid that I see everywhere at Aggie sporting events, was brought out on court with a couple of cheerleaders.  I first time I saw him was at a softball game where he left a dish of nachos out in the heat for over an hour before he ate them.  Obviously, he has an iron stomach.  The last time was also at a softball game, where marketing guy, DJ Downs, was chasing him around.  He’s well connected.  I didn’t catch his name, but he was introduced as an “Aggie Superfan.”  It was his birthday today and he got well wishes from the crowd. 

Back in the game, Brooke had to come out with two fouls and three minutes left in the half.  It was tied at 23 at the two minute mark.  The Vaqueros got their first lead of the game on a layup right before the buzzer.  Coach Atkinson was furious with team for that breakdown.  25-24 Vaqueros at the half. 

Halftime

A different group of little girl dancers performed, followed by another routine by the previous group.  It was something of an unofficial dance-off.  Both groups had performed at previous games, but not together.  The Sundancers watched both groups, but the cheerleaders hung out together in the stands.  It wasn’t until later that I finally noticed that they didn’t perform at all on court during the game.  They had a full complement of girls and guys there to do their routines.  I did see my favorite, the little goth-y one.  I don’t know why she’s favorite, she just is.  Well, this will be the last time I see her until the fall, assuming she’s not graduating.

 

Third Quarter

Let’s breakdown the scoring for the beginning of this quarter:  Brooke Salas hit a three, Brooke got a layup off a Gia Pack steal (I think it was her), Brooke hit another three, and then she hit another three.  Timeout UTRGV.  It was now 35-27 Aggies.  Brooke had put in 11 points in three minutes.  Coming out of the timeout, Zaire grabbed her by the arm, smiling like a happy fan. 

The game was still very physical.  Mo drove the lane on one possession and ended up flat on her back.  She did convert the free throws.  Gia got her second steal of the quarter and rammed it in for a contested layup.  It was good see her scoring.  It was 48-38 Aggies after 30 minutes, though the Aggies did have another defensive breakdown before the buzzer to let in a layup. 

Fourth Quarter

The cheerleaders came out and tossed little basketballs to the crowd, which was the closest they came to performing.  Brooke popped a three right after play started.  She also got a jump hook in the lane.  There was some good passing.  Coop found Gia under the basket, then Zaire found Coop in the same place right after.  There was somewhat comical scene going on the other side of the court, as Coach Atkinson was directing the players from the sidelines in front of Adam, as he was standing, dodging around her trying to see the game to call it.

What happened next had been brewing all game.  Brooke and Megan Johnson tussled under the basket for a rebound, stopping play.  Brooke, as usual, was nonplussed and even smiling afterward, but other players were not going to let it go.  Jameka Dowell started shoving and Zaire came in to give it back.  Coach Atkinson immediately ran out on the court to break up any more fighting.  She was trying protect her players from any possible suspensions, though she could have been ejected immediately for going out on court.    

The refs took a while to sort this one out, given that there wasn’t a full camera crew working the game.  UTRGV coach Larry Tidwell, who looks like he should be in a coffee house reading poetry with some beatniks, told the officials that he was sitting Dowell out for the rest of the game.  The refs decided to eject her and Zaire as well.  As Zee was going to the locker room, she passed Mario, who was sitting behind the UTRGV bench.  He gave her a high-five. 

Mo dropped a three coming out of the break to make it 60-41 Aggies with five minutes left.  She also got fouled on a three and converted on all three shots from the nail.  Yeah, it was rout by this point.  A little boy working it for Flex-Cam cracked up the crowd, who were already in a good mood.  At 70-51 with 90 seconds left, the coach took out all the starters at the same time.  She might have had something else planned, but with Zaire out, this was the next best way to give the crowd a chance to honor them.  Our final: Aggies 72, Vaqueros 56.

We’ll hand out some gameballs here.  For the Vaqueros, Valeria Tapia shot well above her 5’7” height with 15 points.  Marie-Fatou Gueye also had 15.  I think Adam mentioned that her season average was 2 points per game.  For the Aggies, we have our scoring triumvirate.  Brooke Salas had 24, Monique Mills had 20, and Gia Pack had 18.  This is what the team needs for the tournament, since you really can’t double team three players without exhausting yourself.  Mo really had a tremendous game, which was what the team needed until Brooke and Gia got hot.  Brooke was just a dagger in the back in the third.  The team defense also refused to let UTRGV get on an uncontested run. 

With this win, the Aggies won at least a share of the WAC regular season championship.  Congratulations to Coach Brooke Atkinson for this winning a season as a first time head coach.  She later gave former coach Mark Trakh a lot of credit for handing her such a great team.  When asked at the beginning of the season, Atkinson said she didn’t plan any changes, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Also with this win, Coop and Zaire became the first players ever in the WAC to win four regular season championships.  

A ladder was brought out on court and the girls were announced as they each cut off a piece of the net.  Brooke was wearing a bigger smile than I’d ever seen on her.  Zaire was the last player and finished cutting it loose.  The only item remaining was the question of whether they were co-champs or outright champs.  This was being decided in Bakersfield at the same time as this game, but there, the Roadrunners and the Grand Canyon Lopes needed two overtimes to decide their fate. 

Ron and I got to the ballpark during the intermission between the double header games.  No reason not to go to see baseball, since it’d be free.  I never imagined that Game 1, which started two hours before the basketball game, would finish after the basketball game.  Just as we came in, the PA announced to the crowd that Bakersfield had lost and that the Aggies were the sole conference champs in Women’s Basketball. 

And I have another ticket that I’ll be holding on to.

                                

NM State vs Arizona Wildcats Baseball 2-27-18

At least there was radio for this game.  Also, I wasn’t sitting out in the cold to watch, since the game was in Tucson.  Adam Young reported that it was sunny, but very windy.  I’m sure it got cold when the sun went down.  Hi-Corbett Field was built big to begin with, so the ball would be staying inside the fences this evening.  During the Anthem, listeners could hear people singing in 2,000+ crowd and even whistling the tune.  Mid-week starter, Brock Whittlesey, was on the mound for the Aggies.  Perhaps the team’s hottest batter, Noah Haupt, was listed as “not available.”  There was no further explanation, but it seemed like a bad sign.

Both teams had their chances to take an early lead in the first and second, but pitching and defense held.  Mason Fishback threw out a runner at second to cripple one threat.  In the top of the third, Logan Bottrell was thrown out at home on a sac fly.  Whitt got a strikeout looking to end the third inning.  The Aggies finally broke through in the fourth with a Trey Stine sacrifice fly, 1-0. 

In the bottom, Whitt was pulled after two batters got on.  Unfortunately, an error at second by Bruno Teramoto led to two runs scoring.  He made a second error on a safety squeeze which scored another run and allowed another runner on.  A second safety squeeze brought in a fourth run.  Finally, a blooper to the outfield scored a fifth run.  It was 5-1 Wildcats, 3 unearned runs and no one was scored on a hard hit ball. 

The Aggies got one run back in the fifth with Joey Ortiz singling in Marcus Still, driving the Wildcats’ starter out of the game.  5-2 Wildcats.  Ortiz drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the seventh.  Fishback also drove in a run to make it 5-4.  In the bottom, Adam’s voice started cracking.  I hope he’s not catching something.  This frame was battle of the managers.  An Arizona batter was pulled after one pitch.  Immediately after, a new Aggie pitcher was put in, AJ Castillo.  He worked out of a jam with a strikeout.

For the eighth, Stine made a great catch on a hard liner at third and Castillo pitched very well.  I kept hearing cheering in the background.  There was reported to be a good-sized contingent of Aggie fans there.  Still, 5-4 Wildcats was the final. 

I admit, I got angry during the game, something that usually never happens.  I was listening at work, so it might have been partly stress, but it was easy to get frustrated with missed opportunities and bad play.  As Adam said, “The Aggies only had one bad inning.”  Arizona isn’t having a good year; this was the time to beat them.  I was slightly encouraged that the Aggies did score runs, did make a comeback, and did have some pitching.  (Somewhat discouraged that this game, once again, took over three-and-half hours.)  I really think if Haupt had been there, it might have been the difference.  Well, regroup and take it out on Harvard this weekend.      

NM State Aggies vs MS Valley St Delta Devils Baseball Game 2, 2-24-18

Game 2

(Continued from Game 1.)

Between games, we went back to Ron’s car.  Lovely Kiley Tonge from the Aggie Volleyball team was still around.  Ron saw her and seemed to be mentally planning on joining me for volleyball next season.  The sun was hitting the car’s windshield and it was warm inside.  I started screaming as I sat down.  It was so wonderful to be warm again.  After a snack, we reluctantly returned to the ballpark.  I saw a couple of extremes there.  One girl entering was wearing a tank top.  I told Ron and he was shocked.  (She did put on a hoodie after sitting down.)  On the Visitor’s side, I saw one lady wearing a parka, which seemed a lot more appropriate.

The wind had stilled a bit, but basically any wind in that cold was miserable.  The crowd had definitely thinned out.  My notes became less frequent as I didn’t feel like writing.  Jonathan Groff got the Aggie start in Game 2.  He finished off the first with a strikeout looking.  The umpire hesitated, causing a Devil’s fan to comment, “Drama!” 

The Aggie lineup was about half different from the last game with a bunch of subs in.  Logan Bottrell led off the game with perfectly placed infield hit behind the pitcher.  Jeremiah Barr for the Devils hit four batters in the inning, but somehow only gave up three runs, leaving the bases loaded.  Thankfully, I don’t think he hit anyone hard.  Logan Ehnes had a memorable strikeout, accidently chucking his bat down the third base line on the third strike.  3-0 Aggies.

Noah Haupt managed to get a base hit on a sacrifice bunt in the second.  Mason Fishback would drive in Joey Ortiz from second to make it 4-0.  The bases were left loaded again.  In the third, Ortiz made a good play deep in the hole on a grounder for the final out.  In the bottom, Bruno Teramoto got hit on the helmet.  Again, thankfully, not a hard hit.  Butrell got an infield hit on another sac bunt attempt.  Gotta be really honest, it’s not just bad pitching for MSVS, they’ve got some fielding issues too.  No runs this inning.

One of the guys behind us made the comment, “Hey, there’s a basketball game tonight at the Pan-Am.”  His friend replied, “I bet it’s warmer there too.”  They both agreed that it would be a lot more expensive as well.  By the fourth, I started listening to the Aggie Men’s Basketball pregame on my radio.  The Aggie Women’s Basketball team had won that afternoon.  They’d be playing for a chance at the WAC regular season championship next weekend. 

AD Mario Moccia came on and was asked about the current NCAA scandal.  He told everyone not to worry about it reaching NMSU, “We don’t have any money to bribe anyone.”  It was also mentioned that tonight’s opponent, UMKC, was reevaluating its Division I status.  With Chicago State’s shaky footing, the WAC may have some problems.  The Roo’s, for now at least, came into this game, the Aggie Men’s last home game, with a four-game winning streak.  The Aggie Men had a chance to clinch their regular season championship tonight. 

It had also gotten cold enough that I was only able to keep up my scorecard.  Scribbling notes became too much effort.  The Aggies put up a couple more runs to make it 6-0 after four.  Caleb Henderson, aka “Earl”, drove in one run, but was thrown out trying to take second.  Ehnes struck out again and this time helicoptered his bat into the Aggie dugout on the third strike.  Try using some of that furniture glue spray. 

In the fifth, Jancarlos Aponte on the Devils got a triple as Tristen Carranza missed the ball on a dive, but he was left stranded.  The Devils brought in a new pitcher for the bottom.  Seven batters came to the plate before he got an out.  The Aggies sent 18 men to the plate in the inning.  Coach Brian Green put in some subs, but most of his subs had already started in the game.  MSVS finally put in another pitcher to get the last out, but by that time 14 runs had scored.  The PA had to take a minute before giving the inning totals.  20-0 Aggies.

Chance Hroch relieved Groff in the sixth.  No problems there.  The Aggies went down in the sixth without scoring, though Carranza almost made it to first on a dropped third strike, when the catcher nearly forgot to make a play.  For the seventh, I finally noticed that MSVS didn’t have a first base coach.  At the basketball game, it was 40-28 Aggies at the half.  I was listening, but not even attempting to take notes on the action. 

After the Delta Devils’ at bat ended in the top of the seventh, instead of the stretch, regular between innings music started playing.  Both teams then went out on the field and started shaking hands.  The music suddenly switched to the Aggie fight song.  The PA announced the final score.  It was over.  Aggies win 20-0, but even better, I was still alive.  I was pretty sure I was going to expire before the ninth.  Ron later told me that his teeth had started chattering at the start of the inning.  His windbreaker and hoodie were insufficient against the wind.  I had heard this was going to be a 9-inning game yesterday, but that could have been wrong.  I have been there for 9 and 7 inning double headers.  Whatever.  I don’t feel cheated, though Death might feel differently, just missing out on a couple new recruits.

For this game, Jonathan Groff gets a gameball for going 5 innings, giving up no runs, three hits, and getting 7 strikeouts.  Once again, Mason Fishback gets another for going 3 for 5 with 4 RBI’s.  Logan Bottrell went 4 for 5 with three runs scored.  And like the last game, the Aggies got all of their runs without a home run.  I missed an error somewhere on my scorecard.  The official scorer must have changed their mind after an inning at some point, because I did hear the PA giving the after-inning stats. 

For my part, these two games just about sucked the life out of me.  The next day, I was still nearly too exhausted to write or do anything.  As I told Ron afterward, if it had just been me going, I wouldn’t have gone.  When I stepped outside in the morning to get the mail, I figured out this going to be a mistake.  Long, blowout games against bad opponents aren’t that great to sit through to begin with, much less when it’s freezing.  Frankly so far, this hasn’t been a very enjoyable Aggie Baseball season with some unpleasant weather, uncompetitive wins, and a couple of bad losses.  

After the game, we went to Jack-in-the-Box, mostly since I had a coupon for free tacos.  Our meals were good.  (I especially liked my chocolate shake.)  We finished listening to the Men’s Basketball game.  They had started out hot and had a 20-point lead for much of the game.  Near the end, the seniors were taken out of the game, one at a time.  The Aggies won in a 82-58 thrashing.  They won the regular season WAC title.  I was so tired, just writing down the score and a little “Yea!” was all I could manage. 

NM State Aggies vs MS Valley St Delta Devils Baseball Game 1, 2-24-18

Game 1

Here we are playing Mississippi Valley State again.  Couldn’t we get Mississippi Valley?  At least we’re not playing Southwest Mississippi Valley Tech or Mississippi Valley State-Biloxi.  After yesterday’s rout (2-23-18), I admire them for showing up.  Weather-wise, seldom has there been a more miserable beautiful day here in the Mesilla Valley.  It was a sunny, cloudless blue sky with a slight breeze blowing.  Unfortunately, the cold ambient temperature combined with that wind made for freezing conditions, regardless of what the thermometer said (50-something degrees).  Worse, the sun was burningly intense, not that that was a big deal, since I was bundled up, but I still had to wear sun block.

Ron acknowledged the cold, but was more enthusiastic about going to today’s double header than I was.  Worse, he likes to show up really early to watch the team take infield.  There was only one RV in the parking lot.  Ron noted that their new parking area was in the line of fire for foul balls.  It was not a great crowd, though people filled in a bit later along with an invited Little League team.  There was no radio today, but I got a program this time, so no excuses for getting names wrong.  MSVS brought a good, lively contingent of fans with them.  The PA played the warm up music really loud to start off, but turned it down a bit later.  At least it was pretty good music and very eclectic mix from Country to Rap.  A Genesis tune led us into the first pitch.          

Speaking of the program, it was hard not to notice that the Delta Devils had about 2/3 of the roster that the Aggies have.  Several of their players were listed as Pitcher/fielder.  The wind was blowing in, which made it rough in the stands, but should keep the ball from flying out.  A couple of the MSVS fans brought portable heaters.  They came prepared.  Every so often, we could smell them working.  Unfortunately, the sun was glaring off the scoreboard, which made it almost impossible to read for much of the game.  I ran to the bathroom right after the Anthem (it’s hard to hold it in cold weather).  I came back and found Ron still standing.  “Remember, keep standing until the opposing team scores,” I told him, as they say at the basketball games.  He thought it was funny. 

It was the first inning and I couldn’t feel my fingers.  That seemed like a bad sign.  Morgan Lomax for the Devils hustled his way into a run with a single, stolen base, moved over on a grounder, and then scored on a passed ball.  1-0 Delta Devils.  More interestingly, Megan Hart and Tatyana Battle from the Aggie Volleyball team came in and sat behind us.  Under normal circumstances this might be awesome, but I was bundled up and wearing sunglasses (mostly for the wind actually) and did not feel brave or look sociable. 

Sasha-Lee Thomas and Hannah Combs joined them in the bottom.  They left after about ten minutes in the cold, but they did come back shortly after.  (Hannah did seem to have some trouble negotiating the stairs, which may mean she’s not over her injury.)  Striking the Wonder Dog and his human staff made an entrance.  The girls immediately recognized the BDOC (Big Dog on Campus) and swooned over him.  They didn’t go over and

introduce themselves to him though.  Wow, even the girls could get intimidated by celebrity, just like I get around them.  Striking was sitting behind us too, on the other side.  I made eye contact with him a couple of times (well, except for the sunglasses), but I still haven’t met him in person.

Back to the action, Noah Haupt continued his hot hitting with a double and Mason Fishback drove him in with another.  Lomax made a good play on sinking liner in center, but it scored a run on the sacrifice.  Trey Stine also drove in a run to make it 3-1 Aggies.  Much of the rest of the Volleyball team came in in the second.  Gossip ensued, but I forced myself not to listen.  I don’t want to know about their love lives (unless they were going to get really naughty and graphic in talking about it).  Speaking of that, they were a rather “colorful” in their conversation.  You couldn’t be sitting near them and not notice that.  If I didn’t know they were there, I might have thought they were a group of sailors on shore leave.  They did also talk about recruits for their team and maybe the current NCAA scandal.  Justin Dehn struck out the side for the Aggies in the top of the second.  Tristen Carranza knocked in a run in the bottom, 4-1.  Lomax made another good play in the outfield, robbing Marcus Still of a sure gapper to start the inning.

For the third, mini footballs were tossed to the crowd from the pressbox.  Once again, kids were around, I wasn’t going to try for the giveaways.  A pick off and rundown at first ended the top of the inning.  I made an attempt to remember who all touched the ball, but by the fifth or sixth player, I gave up.  Stine tripled in a run in the bottom that went all the way to wall.  A new pitcher came in a couple batters later, but three errors, including a throwing error by Lomax and two by the third baseman, made for a five-run inning.  9-1 Aggies. 

For the fourth, the Devils switched around their infield.  Third base was out, first went to third, and a new first baseman came in (I think).  The wind was noticeably playing with some fly balls this inning.  Nothing was going to go out, certainly not in this cold.  Fishback threw out a runner at second in the top.  The Aggies didn’t score in their half, breaking their 11-inning scoring streak. 

In the fifth, a foul went into the stands and bounced in front of a late-arriving Lia Mosher, also from the Volleyball team.  She came with another pretty blonde, who was wearing teardrop mirror shades and had her long hair pulled back.  It might have been her teammate, Natalie Mikels.  With the sunglasses and different hairstyle, it was hard to tell.  Sorry.  They sat nearby me.  Certainly I wanted to ask Lia about her time on the Softball team, but I was not feeling confident enough to bother her.  She is a natural ballplayer; every other word from her was an explicative.  Lia was into the game while she was there and explaining it to her teammate.  Is there still game going on?  I’ve really been distracted. 

For the sixth, the girls knew the Aggie trivia question: “What record did the Aggies break yesterday?”  (School record for runs scored.)  They must have been here for that.  Were they hanging out with the Softball girls?  The Volleyball girls also discussed what their walkup songs would be if they were playing and they even sang it.  (Didn’t recognize it.  I’m going to be collecting these blog posts into a book someday.  I already have a title, Your Walkup Song Sucks: Tales From the Grandstand at NMSU.)  Back to the game, I guess.  Joey Ortiz got some style points for doing a 360 on his throw to get an out at first.  Unfortunately, he made an error on the previous batter, who came around to score on a wild pitch.  9-2 Aggies.  In the bottom, another Aggie was hit by a pitch, but the Devil’s pitcher was hit on a slow comeback, which still resulted in an out.

For the seventh, there was an Aggie Baseball t-shirt toss into the crowd.  Yes, I wanted one, but I didn’t try.  The girls next to me were going crazy for them.  This was also the inning where they abandoned ship finally and the game just became cold and dreary.  I didn’t see Megan McGuire with them.  She’s always out for baseball (might be dating a player).  AD Mario Moccia came in as they went out (not a great trade, no offense).  He was on the phone with business stuff for most of the inning he was around.  The Devils picked up another run, but Aggie reliever, Andrew Edwards, made a great defensive catch on a liner right at him.  Fishback drove in a run in the bottom, 10-3 Aggies.

In the top of the eighth, Lomax worked a walk to start the inning.  He was moved over on a rare balk, when reliever Mathew Munden accidently spiked the ball into the ground on a throw over.  Lomax stole third and scored on a single.  10-4 Aggies.  The wheels came off for MSVS in the bottom.  Three hit batters, a wild pitch, and an error contributed to a five-run inning for the Aggies.  The coach went out to talk to the pitcher.  The PA started playing goodbye music, probably trying to protect the Aggie batters from further bruising, but the coach kept him in.  The ninth went quick.  15-4 Aggies was the final. 

Okay, yes, the Volleyball team was the most interesting thing about the game.  They at least warmed me up a little.  Forgive a little teasing at their expense.  They’re fine, upstanding young women.  For gameballs, Justin Dehn did pretty well with six innings and two runs, neither earned.  Mason Fishback went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI’s for a good game at the plate.  Noah Haupt went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s as well.  Morgan Lomax on the Delta Devils showed some real effort out there too.  It’s getting colder and there’s another game to come.    

                           

Continued in Game 2

NM State Aggies Baseball February 20-23, 2018

NM State Aggies vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Baseball 2-20-18

I knew this game was going to be on this afternoon, but they moved the time up and started without me.  I wonder if they forgot to account to the time zone difference on the schedule.  It was even listed on a different station I think, but I found the game anyway.  The score was 1-0 Red Raiders in the mid-fourth.  The sole run was off a homer.  I’m sorry I didn’t get to listen to the early half of the game, because it went downhill shortly after I did.    

Brock Whittlestein (not sure if that’s spelled right, still protesting not getting a program last weekend), at least, pitched well for the Aggies in his mid-week start.  He’d pitched on Sunday, so he had to come out early in the fourth.   Andrew Edwards came in and got a strikeout after hitting a batter and giving up a walk.  Joey Oritz also made a good play at shortstop.

The wheels came off in the fifth.  After the fourth hit batter of game for Aggie pitching, a two-run homer followed, 3-0 Red Raiders.  And then another two-run home run, 5-0.  After a pitch behind a batter’s back, Edwards was replaced.  Another two-run homer followed, 7-0, before the inning finally ended.  Meanwhile, Texas Tech pitcher Ryan Shetter, finished knocking the Aggies down for a sixth and final inning.  He gave up no walks and had nine strikeouts on 68 pitches.  (Cough, cough.)  I just gagged on that pitch total. 

One more defensive highlight, in the seventh, Marcus Still made a great catch at the fence to end the inning.  In the eighth, the Red Raiders kept pouring it on.  A double brought in two runs to make it 9-0. A sac fly made it 12-0.  That was the first out of the inning.  12-0 Texas Tech was the final.  The Aggies got 4 hits for the game.  Two of those were in the ninth.  The Red Raiders definitely played like their #3 in the nation ranking.  The Aggies’ relief pitching is now an official concern.

NM State Aggies vs MS Valley St Delta Devils Baseball 2-23-18

In the interests of beating the cold that comes when the sun goes down, this series opener against Mississippi Valley State started at 4:00 in the afternoon.  It’s an interesting decision.  Part of this is motivated by how long some of these games are drawing out.  I got to listen to some of the game over the radio before I went to work.  Adam Young reported a “quiet” crowd.  Apparently, much of the crowd consisted of scouts looking at Aggie starter, Kyle Bradish.  In the top of the first, he hit 94 mph and made a 1 Unassisted out.  Well, that was quick enough.

Then came the bottom of the first.  Let’s look at my notes here: bases on loaded on walks, run walked in, another run walked in, run on an error, double play, another run, Marcus Still RBI single, Aggie lineup batted around, and Joey Ortiz singled for 2 RBI’s.  And that’s all I got before I had to leave for work.  I brought up the game there to find out the Devils’ starting pitcher, unsurprisingly, didn’t make it out of the first inning.  It was an 11-run first for the Aggies.  They nearly batted around twice. 

The Aggie Softball team was reported to be in attendance.  They had played two games in El Paso for a tournament and won 18-0 and 7-3.  That’s some pretty hearty school loyalty there, because they had to have been bushed.  (They also beat UTEP in El Paso earlier in the week.)  The scoring continued at the baseball game.  Tristen Carranza hit a two-run homer in the second to make it 14-0.  The team batted around again to make it 22-0 in the third.

Let’s not forget the pitching.  Bradish racked up 10 strikeouts through the fourth, including seven in a row.  In the bottom, Noah Haupt hit a two-run homer.  Mason Fishback homered “into the softball parking lot.”  I found that description a bit far-fetched, but I’m sure it went far.  I did believe Adam when he said, “My scorecard is a mess.”  25-0 Aggies. 

In the fifth, Haupt hit a three-run homer to help make it 28-0.  Coach Brian Green started putting in the reserves during this inning.  In the sixth, one of those subs, Nick Gonzales, turned a double play.  Bradish was done after six, finishing with 93 pitches, 2 hits, 2 walks, and 12 strikeouts.  The offense kept scoring, 31- 0.  In the seventh, the strikezone finally started enlarging to move the game along.  The Aggies still scored again, 32-0.

For the eighth, the Devils used their second position player to pitch.  (Actually, they have several dual-use players on their roster, because they’re short-handed.)  Gonzales and Haupt drove in runs, thus the Aggies managed to score in every inning.  The inning ended with the bases loaded.  The final was 39-0 Aggies.  That broke one school record.  Noah Haupt, who went 6 for 7, broke another record with 10 RBI’s.  The team batted around in three innings.  If you were going to sit through three-hour, 42 minute game, at least this one was memorable.       

NM State Aggies vs Chicago State Cougars Men and Women’s Basketball 2-22-18

(And a little UTEP Women’s coverage at the bottom.)

Chicago State has a nice-looking small arena.  The Aggie Women’s team tweeted this picture out before their game versus the Cougars.  Actually, the only game coverage available was via Twitter.  It’s a bit nerve-wracking trying to follow a game from text messages.  Much like these teams’ earlier meeting (1-7-18), Chicago State played very well in the first half and led 33-27.  Then in similar fashion, the Aggies wore them down in the second half and were able to break it open with an 18-4 run in the third.  63-55 Aggies was the final with Brooke Salas leading the way with 17 points and Jasmine Cooper following with 16.

Back here in Las Cruces, the Aggie Men played the Chicago State Men’s team.  It was a fairly small 4,400+ crowd at the Pan-Am for a mid-week matchup against a team that’s winless in the conference.  The crowd was also pretty quiet.  The team seemed to come out with some low energy after their two road losses.  It was 11 all five minutes in at the first timeout.  Joe Garza entered the game and hit a three as part of a 7-point run.  The rest of the team wasn’t hitting three’s at all to that point.  The Cougars took a slim lead on good shooting late in the first half.  Keyon Jones made a three to give the Aggies back the lead.  It was 39-36 Aggies at the half.

The crowd finally started getting into it for the second half as the Aggies increased their lead.  Johnny McCants scored 8 in the half, but three of the baskets were on crowd-pleasing dunks.  He also had three blocks.  Garza had 7 with another three.  Keyon hit a three and a foul shot for a four-point play.  The Aggies had a 20-point lead at one point.  The Cougars cut that in half as the Aggies emptied their bench.  78-67 Aggies was the final.

Fred Sims on the Cougars led all scorers with 30 points.  Unfortunately for Chicago State, regardless of the quality of their players, they aren’t competing at the D1 level with their current resources.  Coach Jans talked about how good the opposing coach was afterward.  Jans didn’t think he’d be able to get as much out of their players under the same circumstances.  Sidy N’Dir led the Aggies with 15 points.  11 Aggies scored in the game.  Gabe Hadley was out with pink eye.  Zach Lofton played and scored 6, but was also sick.  There was encouraging news in the pregame.  NMSU has already sold out their ticket allotment for the WAC Tourney in Las Vegas.  

Meanwhile, I’ve been exhausted going to events and writing about them for the last two weeks.  Something had to give and it’s been UTEP Women’s Basketball.  My apologies to Katharine Zech.  If I was able to watch her and the team, I’d be making this a priority, but it’s not the same over the radio.  I listened to half a game last week, where, once again, they had a lead going into the fourth and lost.  I was too busy to even pretend that I was really paying attention.  Sunday afternoon, I totally forgot about their game, again due to exhaustion from Saturday night baseball (I was still trying to warm up).  Watching the news later, it was the same story, another fourth quarter breakdown and loss.  Coach Kevin Baker seems like a really nice guy, but his days may be numbered.  

NM State Aggies vs Seattle U Redhawks Women’s Basketball 2-18-18

Photo from the Las Cruces Sun-News

 This is a great action picture by Gary Mook of Jeneva Toilolo from the game.

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but after writing recaps for three softball games and a baseball game this week, this basketball game may get be getting a bit of a short shrift.  This was an important matchup in a tight race for the number one seed at the conference tournament.  The Aggies lost to the Redhawks in Seattle last month (1-18-18) and both teams have about the same record.  Still, after getting up too early for softball this morning, I found myself groaning at the prospect of attending another sporting event this weekend.  (Admittedly, I did watch the end of the Daytona 500 after I got home.  Congrats to Austin Dillon.)      

One quick digression.  The Aggie Men’s Basketball team lost in overtime Saturday night in Seattle.  I totally forgot about the game between the softball and baseball last night.  It was on the radio, but I was listening to the baseball game.  If I’d started flipping stations, my radio would have run out of power pretty quick.  They’ve lost two in a row on the road where they could have wrapped up the conference.  I really don’t know anything about the game to comment on it.  On the Aggie Coaches Show, Coach Chris Jans said he’d told the team afterward, “We’re not having anymore ‘Come to Jesus’ meetings after a loss this season.  The next time we have a meeting like this it’s going to be about the offseason.” 

I’d worn my NMSU baseball jersey to the softball game without thinking through how ridiculous I’d look at the basketball game.  If me and Ron hadn’t had lunch in between, I would have been completely disoriented going from an outside sport to an inside sport.  As it was, it was like switching channels between different programs, without a TV.  Inside the Pan-Am Center, I said “Hi” to Aggie fan Danny at his usual seat.  I hadn’t seen him at the softball games.  He’d just arrived from Silver City.  I overheard some chatter from some other hardcore fans who had been out there.  See, we aren’t the only ones going from sport to sport here at the university.

There was a decent crowd for the game.  Two different kids groups came, which will boost the attendance figures, even if they didn’t buy a ticket.  The floor where we were sitting was really sticky.  I’d told Ron about the Roadrunner Review Band wearing Aggie hockey sweaters at some point previously.  When he saw them, Ron wanted one.  They’d even fit him on his large frame.  During the warmup, I noticed the Mills sisters both had the same hair color and style again.  (I’m not sure if I mentioned that they’d changed in a previous game.)  Monique was still going with the hiked up shorts.  With legs like hers, why not show them off?        

The Aggies were introduced with a new video.  It doesn’t mention the “Back to Back to Back” WAC championships, but does feature footage from this season.  The previous one, with last years’ highlights, basically only featured Brooke Salas and Gia Pack.  The Aggie logo with the diamond star field background at the end looked good.  

First Quarter

The opening quarter was absolutely furious with the action.  Much like the softball game, I almost thought these teams had somewhere else to be later this afternoon.  The game ended up finishing in under two hours.  Without many stoppages, it was really hard to make notes on the action.  I got off on the scorecard a couple of times as I admired a few plays and forgot to mark the baskets.  There was also some scoring confusion as I had Kelsey Horton driving in Brooke Salas and Tristen Carranza with a three-point homer in the bottom of the second quarter.  Focus! 

I found myself marking a bunch of Brooke highlights in the first quarter.  She dished the ball to Jasmine Cooper underneath the basket for two.  It has been great to see Coop’s inside game develop this season.  Brooke poked the ball away from Seattle in transition which led to a Gia basket.  Both teams subbed a lot, as they kept up a fast pace.  The game got physical in the lane with Jeneva Toilolo coming in to guard the Redhawks’ big Kallin Spiller.  Jen is almost where Coop is in getting baskets close to the net.  She just needs to learn how to finish.  Hopefully, it happens before the end of the season.

The Aggies were hustling.  Both Brooke and Monique Mills dove to save balls from going out of bounds.  Brooke got another poke that led to a steal.  (I’m not sure if that counts as a steal for her, since she didn’t actually take possession of the ball either time.)  Coop converted the turnover with a reverse layup.  The Aggies led 17-12 after ten minutes.

  

Second Quarter

A cute little girl’s dance academy troop performed between quarters.  Their teacher was directing them while hiding next to the scorer’s table.  They actually performed second number later in the quarter.  One thing that was keeping the game flowing was that the refs weren’t calling a lot of fouls to this point.  Brooke knocked down a defender as she went for a basket.  No block or charge was called on the play.  Coop poked away a ball in transition.  Seattle must not have been protecting the ball well when dribbling. 

The scoring definitely fell off as the defenses tightened.  SU had one basket for three minutes of play.  The Aggies took six trips down court and came away with 0 points.  Brooke finally broke up the scoreless streak with a couple of shots in the lane.  She also dished one to Jen underneath for a bucket.  But, Seattle managed to tie it at 23 with three minutes left.

Brooke missed a three (actually she didn’t make one for the whole game), but grabbed the rebound, made the shot, and got the foul.  Later, Gia found Coop in the lane.  She ducked under two defenders jumping to stop her, then Coop came up and made the basket.  The Aggies retook had the lead, 32-28, going into the half.

     

Third Quarter

The little Pistoleros basketball troop came out at halftime to do their routine.  It’s a bunch of little kids dribbling basketballs and taking shots.  Again, it’s cute.  The Aggies came out in third building on their lead.  Tonishia Childress came in a hit a three to get the lead to 11.  She was pretty happy with the shot afterward.  Monique got an assist, finding Brooke in the lane for a bunny . . . no, no, no . . . I can’t use that phrase.  It just doesn’t work for me.  Brooke’s basket made it a 15-point lead.  Timeout Seattle, 47-32 Aggies, five minutes left in the quarter.  (The Aggies were scoring so quick, I couldn’t even record a couple of good plays.  Sorry for overlooking the players involved.  It’s not intentional.)

The Band played what I’m calling the Dixieland version of the Aggie fight song.  I noticed Athletic Director Mario Moccia seated behind the scorer’s table.  I hadn’t seen him all weekend, even with all the events yesterday.  Stress balls and Aggie hats got thrown into the crowd (on different breaks).  Pam Wilmore came in.  Brooke sat on the bench for a breather, though she expended about the same amount of effort cheering on her teammates as she does playing.  She came back in after a couple of minutes. 

The Redhawks had a chance.  Ashlyn Lewey hit a three that got the Seattle bench cheering.  They then got a fastbreak, but Gia managed to breakup an easy layup by Alexis Montgomery.  The Redhawks got another similar chance right after, but a bad pass ruined another easy layup.  If they’d made those two shots, this might have turned out differently.  49-38 Aggies after 30 minutes.

           

Fourth Quarter

Zaire Williams found Coop under the basket right off the bat.  That shot had to be crushing.  On another possession, Coop out-rebounded three defenders around her and took a shot in the lane.  It missed, but Gia got the next rebound, the shot, and the foul.    The band did a good job of harassing the Redhawks at the nail (the foul line, okay, that phrase, I’ll keep using).  “Hey 24, remember that layup you missed!”  Alexis did miss both foul shots.  The band also started chanting, “Agriculture,” during one of their possessions.  That was more funny than disruptive. 

 

However, the Aggies got into quick foul trouble in this quarter and it got worse as the quarter went on.  The team gave up the bonus with half the quarter left.  Coop and Brooke picked up their fourth fouls.  Brooke had to take a seat again with five minutes left.  The Aggies started running down the clock on their possessions.  Seattle took another timeout with the score at 57-45 Aggies.  Jacinta Beckley on the Redhawks fouled out with a minute and a half left.  Surprisingly though, they didn’t do more fouling to stop the clock near the end.  They kind of conceded.  Maybe the game felt closer than it was on the scoreboard.  My last listed highlight was 5’5” Redhawk McKenzi Williams blocking a shot by 5’10” Gia Pack.  Our final: Aggies 64, Redhawks 53.

Alexis Montgomery for Seattle had an almost unstoppable first half with 14 points.  She only had 4 in the second, so the Aggies must have clamped down on her.  In the postgame interview after their win against the Aggies last month, their coach said they focused on stopping Brooke Salas.  She didn’t have any threes in this game, so they might have focused on that here.  Brooke got 18 anyway, but I was just as impressed with her defense and assists.  That’s the kind of leadership I’ve been looking for. 

Gia Pack had great game with 21 points, but her best work were those six free throws in a row she had in the third.  That run put the Aggies in the lead for good.  Jasmine Cooper had 10 points.  She’s turning into a ninja under the basket.  The other girls just need to keep feeding her the ball when she’s open there.  The Aggies won this one against a good team going away.  I just wish they could play this well on the road or close to it.

  

“We had a successful day!” Ron proclaimed outside the arena.  It’s true.  The Aggie Women’s Basketball, Softball, and Baseball teams all won today.  Ron thought he heard that Oklahoma would be playing another softball game this afternoon, so we drove back by the softball field.  It was closed.  We might have been a little greedy there.  I was bushed anyway and needed to start writing up this long weekend of Aggie sports.  Thankfully, I had Monday off to recover.