Sports Journal February 7-17, 2019

2-7-19

So Aggie Women’s Basketball had a great win earlier in the evening, which I attended.  The Aggie Men’s Basketball team had just started playing the CSU-Bakersfield Roadrunners on the radio after I got home.  I was planning on noting the score and maybe a couple of details to add to the end of my Women’s coverage, but events got way interesting than that.

As I tuned in, Eli Chuha had just banked in a shot to make it 8-4 Aggies.  “The bank of Redlands is open,” proclaimed Jack Nixon, working Chuha’s hometown into the call.  Ivan Aurrecoechea was there, but was not suited out to play.  I’m using cut-and-paste on that name every time.  Jack has to pronounce it all the way.  He might be slightly glad when Ivan’s out.  With eight minutes left in the half the Aggies were up 20-6!  Holy cow!  They were doing it with some high-pressure defense and rebounding.

During a timeout, the actual Roadrunner team, who’d been delayed in traffic, showed up.  They subbed out the JV team and took over.  Suddenly, it was 26-20 Aggies at the half.  That’s a 14-point lead reduced to six over just a few minutes of game time. 

During halftime, the Aggies loaded up on some bad concessions.  They each had a large serving of garlic fries and chili washed down with a Mr. Pibb in a big souvenir cup.  I’m not going to say that they were intentionally poisoned, but the NCAA should be looking into this.  This really showed up in the second half as the Aggies puked all over themselves.  They coughed that slim lead right up.

The Roadrunners took the lead and the Aggies were down five on the backend of the second half.  It got worse.  They were down by 10 with two minutes left.  I was mentally deciding not to listen to the postgame with Coach Jans because I didn’t want my ears getting blistered like the blistering the team was about get. 

Perhaps that thought motivated the team as well.  The Aggies went to a lockdown defense, as the Roadrunners suddenly started breaking down.  Two of their players fouled out.  Their lead was down to five with under a minute.  Terrell Brown got a steal and a layup to tie it at 62.  The Roadrunners missed their last shot and we went to a most unexpected overtime.

The Roadrunners were up by two with 9 seconds left.  Trevelin Queen got the ball and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.  The refs had to confirm the shot, but Jack was pretty sure it counted without much consternation.  Aggies win 71-70!  Queen led the team with 13 points tonight.  With a GCU loss earlier, the Aggies were alone in first place.

“I think my stomach is somewhere in Fresno.”  Jack Nixon had run the gauntlet of emotions tonight, but he was a happy Jack at the end.  Coach Jans seemed a bit shocked during the postgame as well.  This team is wearing him out with all of these games going down to the last moment.  These Aggies are learning well how to win close games.  “You can’t teach experience,” said the coach afterward.  What a win! 

2-14-19

I’m not sure what I was thinking.  Or rather, apparently, I wasn’t thinking.  For the life of me, I don’t know why the Aggie Women’s Basketball team was playing Utah Valley at 11:00am this morning (or worse, 10:00am in Utah).  More quixotic than that though, I thought that the game was on local radio.  Given that Adam Young was set to call the Aggie Baseball home opener on Friday, who did I think would be calling this basketball game?

So, all I got was a final score and some stats later in the afternoon.  It 72-63 win for the Aggies.  Brooke Salas sat out most of with the first half with foul trouble, but came back with a vengeance with 13 points in the third quarter.  The Aggies had a big lead going into the fourth thanks to that outburst, but the Wolverines made a run late to make it close.  Brooke finished with a double-double, 21 points and 12 rebounds.  Gia Pack was the high-scorer for the game with 23.  Adenike Aderinto came on with 12 points.  

 

Tonight’s Men’s Basketball game here in Las Cruces was definitely on the radio.  I just kind of forgot about it.  I was busy at work and then I got distracted (more later).  I did remember it about halfway through the second half.  It was a two-point lead at halftime, but the Aggies had it pretty well in the hand after that.  The Aggies won 84-77.  Five Aggies finished in double figures.  Eli Chuha led with 21 points.  The overall team stats were close, but mostly because Wolverines came on late.  In the postgame, Justin Hawkins compared Coach Jans to Coach Rick Majerus.  Jans thanked him and immediately told him not to do that again.

The distraction was mostly in the form of Twitch, as usual.  Pokimane was doing a Valentine’s Day special playing Apex (not terribly romantic).  Then she did an “Ask Dr. Poki” segment, where she took calls from the lovelorn (frankly, it was disturbing at times).  Actually, it was entertaining and Poki is rather appealing (even though she’s probably pretty fake).  She had over 10,000 viewers.  That’s a lot of lonely hearts. 

Meanwhile, Starcraft player, Livibee, was on the Twitch front page and had 3,000 viewers, which was huge for her.  She was amazingly pretty and charming tonight, and was giving away skins in between her games.  Those games didn’t go well for her.  She lost three very intense matches when I was watching.  Livi said she was nervous about playing in front of so many people.  Still, the smile never left her face. 

Elsewhere, on Youtube, Lord Doomcock was also doing a Valentine’s special.  He was ranting for hours about science fiction and pop culture, decrying the outrages thereof.  There were more lost souls, including myself, watching as well.  Its good there’s something out there for us. 

2-16-19

After a cold afternoon at the Softball Complex, the Aggie Men’s Basketball team played the Seattle U Redhawks in the evening.  I wanted to go, but not by myself, definitely not for a Pack-the-Pan-Am game with 11,000 people in attendance.  The last time I did it, I just didn’t enjoy it.  Since Ron couldn’t go, the free tickets from work had to go back. 

I was perfectly comfortable listening to the game at home over the radio.  Sort of.  I was typing out a recap of today’s softball game while the game was on.  The Aggies were playing in an uninspired fashion or alternately, had stage fright playing in front of a big home crowd.  Between these two things, I wasn’t listening much.  By halftime at least, they’d closed to within 7, with the Redhawks up 22-29.

At the start of the second half, the Aggies even went down even further.  I mentally tuned out.  As it turned out, the team only needed one thing to get them going, a Johnny McCants jam!  This got the large crowd into it finally and the Aggies rallied.  They were down by nine, but the Aggies got it to within 1 on a Terrell Brown three with eight minutes left.

The Aggies tied it at 47 with six minutes left, and then Clayton Henry gave them a 50-49 lead with five minutes left on a three.  The Redhawks started losing players to fouls.  They lost their first shortly after losing the lead.  With about a minute-and-a-half left, the Aggies were up 56-51 and a second Redhawk fouled out.  Their third player fouled out with the Aggies up 3.  Eli Chuha made it a 4-point lead after making a free throw with 24 seconds left.  Henry was fouled and iced it with a pair of free throws

Aggies win 59-53.  “Ugly as a bowling shoe,” said Jack Nixon.  It looks good in the win column at least.  Trevelin Queen led the team with 13 points.  The team was 12 of 14 for free throws in the second half.  That was pretty clutch.  Meanwhile in Seattle earlier, the Aggie Women won 83-72.  The recap said they trailed for three quarters, but came on big in the fourth to win it.  Brooke Salas led with 27 points and 10 rebounds.  Gia Pack had 25.  The team shooting was 49% from the field.

2-17-19

After an exciting, but cold afternoon with Aggie Softball, it was race time with the Daytona 500.  But first, it was time for some lunch.  Ron and I were still together after the game.  We brought back some Raising Canes to my apartment to watch the race.  Ron was slightly amazed.  He told me that he doesn’t watch TV anymore, just shows and movies online.  I had to explain “Stage Racing,” as we starting watching just before Stage 2 ended.  (There is no explanation, not really.)  Neither of us were really familiar with most of the new drivers. 

So we got in about half the race.  I left briefly to go get froyo at Orange Leaf next door, because I have to have dessert with every meal.  After a couple of minor wrecks, we had “The Big One” with 9 laps left.  I was hooting and hollering like a redneck at the spectacle as the entire top lane was taken out with 19 cars damaged.  This wasn’t the last wreck and the race went into overtime.  Denny Hamlin, one of three cars left undamaged during the race, won.  Owner Joe Gibbs was emotional afterward as the race had been dedicated to his recently deceased son. 

Given my commitment to Aggie Sports and the general shunting of the NASCAR coverage to cable networks, I don’t know how many more races I’ll be watching.  Though the late red flags and an anti-climatic ending drained out a lot of excitement, I felt like I got what I came for.  They’re going to be using a new car package next week.  I’ll be curious to see it when I can.    

NM State Aggies vs Bradley Braves Softball 2-17-19

One more day of ball.  Aggie Softball had two scheduled games today, but one was canceled yesterday.  Aggie Baseball had one more game.  Ron and I picked the softball game, since it would probably be a bit quicker.  The Daytona 500 was also this afternoon.  Just watching the softball, we could probably get back in time to see the end of the race.

The weather today was colder at 50 degrees, but bright and sunny.  (The PA announced it was 24 degrees in Peoria, IL, where our opponent Bradley is located.)  I actually got sunburned yesterday, even though it was pretty cold.  The unfortunate problem though was again the wind.  It was stiff and cold and a good deal colder than 50 degrees.  I was bundled up, so I was comfortable for most of the game, until the seventh, but we’ll get to that.

When we pulled into the parking lot, we heard a big cheer go up from the grandstands.  Texas State was playing Montana.  The crowd was letting out as we walked in.  I ran into Danny, who’d watched the game.  Texas State won and ended the game on a great catch by their shortstop.  The teams were out front too.  #13 Caitlyn Rogers on the Bobcats immediately caught my eye.  What a spectacular redhead!  Sorry, she wasn’t in yesterday’s game.

On field during the break, I saw Coach Rodolph and pitcher Kayla Green talking.  I thought Kayla would be starting today because of that, but Analise de la Roca would be in the circle.  She was also batting eighth.  Okay, I knew she could hit.  However, Kennedy Johnson was in as DP.  This meant Sarai Meija in right field was not in the batting order.  So, the DP isn’t taking the place of the pitcher in the lineup, but the pitcher is taking the place of a position player, and I officially don’t understand softball rules.  Also of note, Caity Szczesny was in left field, instead of Brandy Hernandez.   

At the top of the first, we got a good taste of what was to come.  While Analise started off with a strikeout, most of the rest of the time, she was getting squeezed pretty badly by the ump.  This resulted in a home run to the third batter, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead.  For the rest of the game, pitchers would be guessing at the strike zone.  The homer went to left where the wind was blowing.  The last flyball out went to deep right and the wind kept it in.

In the bottom of the first, the Bradley starter was hittable.  In spite of the wind direction, Kelsey Horton led off with a line drive homer to right, just inside the pole for a tying home run.  Victoria Castro singled after her.  Mya Felder was serenaded with a new song from the dugout and she singled.  Next, Nikki Butler was hit. 

The Bradley coach had seen enough and brought in a new pitcher.  Kayla Bowen, who was also sang to with new song, singled in a pair of runs to make it 3-1 Aggies.  Though the Aggies loaded the bases, a pair of strikeouts and a line out ended the inning.  Julie Kestas, the Braves reliever, actually walked off after her second K, forgetting the number of outs.  She came back well from that embarrassment. 

During this time, Aggie Baseball came on the radio.  Me and Ron were listening.  The pregame mentioned that the Aggies had outscored Texas Southern 82 to 16 over three games.  I could just see home plate through the tree screen from where I was sitting.  This would prove to be a distraction at times.

In the second, Caity made a good diving effort on a single in left.  Unfortunately, this made for a two-homer with the next batter to tie the score at 3.  There was a final t-shirt toss for the tournament.  The crowd got up and was energized.  The PA complimented everyone on their enthusiasm.  Kelsey doubled to start the bottom of the second and advanced on a wild pitch, but was stranded there.

Coach Rodolph stuck with Analise as long as she could, but a leadoff home run to start the third finally ended her outing.  Chloe Rivas came in and would take Analise’s spot in the batting order.  Actually, she came in on a three-ball count on the next batter and walked her (it’s on Analise’s line).  She showed some good awareness in getting the lead runner at third on a comebacker.  Chloe gave up a walk and a run on a single, but finished the inning with a pair of strikeouts.  3-5 Bradley. 

Brandy came in as a defensive replacement for Caity in left in the fourth.  Chloe got a good strikeout looking to end a two-on threat.  She also had a tremendous 1-2-3 fifth with the dugout cheering her on.  Oh, seems like I’m skipping something here.  Yeah, nine-straight outs by Aggie hitting.  Kestas was mowing them down.  Kelsey swung at the first pitch to end the fourth on a lineout. 

Things changed in the bottom of the fifth.  Tori came up and was serenaded from the dugout with Gary Glitter’s Hey.  The girls couldn’t quite sing it on key and ended up laughing.  Tori slapped some hard fouls back.  One actually flew into the opposing bullpen and the warmup catcher almost caught it.  Tori doubled after a lengthy battle.  Mya followed that with a double that hit the center field wall with a liner.  This chased Kestas from the game.

Taise Thompson, who had been playing third but was taken out from there earlier, was brought in to pitch.  Meanwhile on the radio, Aggie Baseball had a big third inning and was now leading 7-1.  Nikki came up and hit a massive foul ball that got the crowd going, but Mya actually got driven in thanks to a couple of passed balls (which I scored as wild pitches.)  The Braves catcher, Kealia Wysocki, took a bouncer to the nuts in one at bat.  She had to walk it off.  The coach came out and got her to laugh.  The PA and the crowd gave her a round of applause for staying in.  5-5 after five innings.

In the sixth, Chloe loaded the bases with a double and two walks.  She was really having trouble with the ump’s calls.  There were two outs.  Brandy made a great running backhanded catch for out number two.  Kayla came into the game to pitch.  Chloe went to right field to replace Sarai (who I feel bad for, since she never got an at bat).  Kayla gave up a sure gapper to left center.  Tori came on and laid out for it, catching it on a dive.  The crowd and the team went nuts.  If that ball had gotten past her, it would have been a bases-clearing triple. 

Bottom of the sixth, Chloe started off the inning with a single.  Shelby Shultes pinch hit and singled as well.  This brought on another Braves’ pitcher, Emma Jackson, who’d handled the Aggies pretty well on Friday, to face Kelsey Horton, who she struck out three times.  Emma and Kelsey had an epic battle with several monster foul balls.  Kelsey would get on via a fielder’s choice. 

In spite of the drama on the softball field, I have to make a digression to the baseball game as it came into play here.  The Aggies had truly awe-inspiring fifth inning.  Tristan Peterson and Braden Williams went back-to-back in homers.  While the two fields are adjacent to each other, they are not right next to each other.  There is the tree screen and a walkway separating them.  It was surprising then that play was stopped on the softball field to recover a baseball in left field.  The PA did identify it.  It was Williams’ home run ball.  Even with the wind carrying it, I’m not sure how it got there.  It must have bounced off something out there.

Back to the softball, Tori walked next.  Nikki was out on grounder that went off of Jackson’s leg.  It was good concentration by second baseman Vicki Zaluske to get the out at first.  This play did move Kelsey and Tori up a base.  What happened next defies explanation.  On a passed ball*, Kelsey charged the plate and scored.  Tori, stopping briefly at third, came right home and scored as well.  The Braves didn’t call for time after recovering the ball.  Jackson had her back turned while holding the ball.  Tori was really heads up there.  (*I thought it was a wild pitch.  In fact, I didn’t score any passed balls.  Me and the official scorer have a disagreement on this.)  8-5 Aggies.

I was distracted a bit during this inning.  I could see Nick Gonzales taking his at bat through the trees.  Via the radio call, I heard him hit a grand slam home run.  Peterson would then hit a second home run . . . for the inning!  The fifth inning in the baseball game came to an end with the Aggies up 16-1.

The wind picked up by the start of the seventh of the softball game.  It was getting uncomfortable.  “Uncomfortable” would also be a good description of this inning.  Kayla gave up a hit to start the inning.  She got the lead runner at second on a fielder’s choice.  An error at short* on a grounder let on the next batter.  (*Okay, here we have another questionable scoring decision.  It was a slow-developing play, but I had it as an infield hit.  The error was attributed to Kayla Bowen.  However, Casie Roberto had been inserted into short earlier in the inning.  She was removed for KB after that play.)

Regardless, Kayla gave up another hit to score a run to make it 8-6.  She was removed for Samaria Diaz.  Sam got a strikeout, but then gave up a hit that scored another run to make it 8-7.  Not only was the dropping temperature making me uncomfortable, I was getting extremely nervous from the tension.  It is an absolutely helpless feeling there in the stands when you see your team struggling.  Thankfully, Sam ended it with another strikeout.  Nikki flipped the ball in the air with the final call.  Aggies win 8-7! 

I’ve never seen a happy crowd vacate a stadium quicker.  Fans were streaming for the exits to escape the cold wind.  Ron wanted to go immediately.  I barely had time to catch my breath and try to get my heart out of my throat.  Amazingly, Ron wanted to go to the baseball game.  I love baseball, but I’d had enough excitement for the moment and plenty of cold for the day.  Besides, Aggie Baseball wasn’t playing a game; they were taking batting practice.  I talked him out of it, though as it turned out, we would have just been there about 15 minutes.  The Aggies won 16-3 in the seventh on a run rule.  (I guess, Texas Southern had had enough after three games and asked for it before the game.)   

Aggie Softball got away with one here.  It’s a good thing the next game had been canceled.  They wouldn’t have had much pitching left for it, or would have gotten flushed on this one if they’d held back.  While this is a team sport, hand this victory to Victoria Castro.  Her fearless play on offense and defense saved the game.  If Tori keeps this up, she’s going to be WAC Player of the Year. 

There were some good hitting performances today, but I’m going to single out the pitching.  Julie Kestas for the Braves totally shutdown the Aggies four innings.  For the Aggies, Chloe Rivas did a great job in relief.  She just needs to cut down on the walks.  Samaria Diaz was tough as nails.  (I think she warmed up twice.)  I have to give Kayla Green credit too.  I’m pretty sure I saw Kayla get warmed up three times during the game, not to mention she had an exhausting seven-inning complete game yesterday.  Her being out there was pretty gutty.

It feels like this weekend exposed the team a bit.  Right field is up in the air.  Some other positions feel a bit shaky.  The bottom of the lineup is not producing.  I don’t think Kelsey is a leadoff hitter.  Maybe she can grow into it.  Analise and Chloe can hit, but they need to focus on pitching.  Shelby Shultes probably needs to be the regular DP.  Jerking some reserve players out of the lineup after any mistake feels like a bad strategy for player management.  There are a bunch of good players on this team.  They should come together at some point.  

Let me tell you the worst thing about writing this.  I’ve finally got a probably temporary Internet connection at home.  I can’t post from it, but I can look the official game stats . . . which I disagreed with . . . after I’d already written most of my recap.  I made some (a bunch of) edits to this, but I’m sure there’s some discontinuity.  Access to this information may ruin my future posts.  It’s bad enough I wrote about this weekend’s games out of order.  I knew this would probably happen with too many games all at once.    

NM State Aggies vs Montana Griz Softball 2-16-19

It was bright and sunny when I got up this morning, so I was looking forward to going out to today’s games.  However, during a call to my dad, I was informed that there was a strong cold wind blowing.  After poking my head out of the door, I realized this was going to be a long afternoon at the ballpark. 

It wasn’t going to be as long as it could have been however.  First, I had to choose between the baseball and the softball double headers since they overlapped.  Next, Ron had a family function to go to in the evening.  This meant either going separately or him taking me back home and then me going back on my own.  This also meant I had to give up tickets from work to go to tonight’s Aggie Men’s Basketball game.  Given conditions outside, just going to one softball game seemed like the best option. 

One nonnegotiable was lunch.  We’d skipped dinner because of how late the games went yesterday.  I was starving the next morning.  At Jack-in-the-Box, I inhaled an Ultimate Cheeseburger and was still hungry.  Ron produced some chocolate chip cookies in his car, so I could have a quick dessert.  I was still hungry, but I’d live.

At the Softball Complex, we were greeted with a softball landing in front of us at the entrance.  The ushers gave us each a foul ball to return to the press box.  I’d only handled one of these bright yellow balls before, but that was a very used ball from practice.  This game ball was hard, but very light.  It made a nasty sound hitting the pavement.  We gave both balls to a couple of kids playing under the stands, so that they could get the candy rewards.

There was a good crowd inside to watch the Texas State Bobcats versus the Bradley Braves.  Wow, those Bobcats uniforms were sharp.  They were like throwback Astros uniforms, but used different shades of crimson in the color bands.  Their batting helmets had gold trim.  We were sitting next to the Texas State fans, who were very vocal.  They were encouraging their pitcher, “Pudge,” and one of their outfielders by name.  (I wouldn’t call a girl “Pudge,” even if it was meant as an affectionate honorific.)  The PA even took notice of them, “I hear you fans!  I love your enthusiasm!”  They even had a special cheer for when the team scored.  I was impressed.   

The wind direction was blowing in and it was playing heck with balls in the air.  Next door at the baseball field, it was therefore blowing out.  We could hearing cheering for homers there.  We may have picked the wrong game again.  Ron checked the score.  It was 15-0 in the third inning!  As for the visitors’ softball game, Bradley won 12-10.  The Braves made a tremendous comeback in the last two innings off a couple of home runs when the wind shifted out.

Between games, the wind ominously picked up.  I quickly had sand in my mouth, but at least I was no longer hungry.  The Griz came out to warmup.  They were in crimson too.  It’s the color for the weekend for everyone, I guess.  A couple of their girls tried playing hacky with a softball, which didn’t work. 

For the Aggies, freshman Alyssa Barela was in to catch.  Perhaps, Coach Rodolph was unhappy with Kennedi Sorenson’s performance yesterday.  Casie (pronounced “KC”) Roberto started in right.  Kayla Green was in the circle for the Aggies.  She started the first with a strikeout and a great catch on a comebacker.  A couple of volleyball players came in at the start of the game.  After a half inning in the cold wind, they came to their senses and left. 

In the bottom, Griz second baseman, Lexi Knauss dropped a Kelsey Horton liner to let Kelsey on base.  Little did I know at the time, this was the start of an epidemic of errors this afternoon.  Knauss started a double play on Victoria Castro to erase the error.  Strangely, this was the start of several good plays in the field to go along with the errors.  An error in left field moved Kayla Bowen and Mya Felder up a base once they got on.  Nikki Butler almost hit one of her coaches a couple of times with foul balls.  She was cringing afterward before striking out to end the inning.

The Aggies looked sharp in the second, turning a double play and Kayla getting a strikeout looking, but went down quick in the bottom.  Kayla worked into some trouble in the third.  The bases were loaded on a hit, an error by KB, and a hit batter with one out.  Kayla got out of it with a strikeout looking and a lineout. 

In the bottom, events did not go well for Griz shortstop, Maygen McGrath.  I’d noticed her at the plate.  She’s an impressive specimen at 6’, even bigger than Kelsey.  Tori doubled and was moved to third by Mya, but she was then doubled off on a fielder’s choice by KB.  McGrath let on Nikki with an error.  Chloe Rivas replaced Nikki on the bases and for the rest of the game at DP.  Next up, McGrath let on Casie with another error, and then threw the ball away at second (which should have been a third error), which scored Mya and KB.  2-0 Aggies.

The wind got worse and started blowing dust on the field from the visitor’s bullpen.  Game 1 of the Baseball double header finished, 24-8 Aggies over Texas Southern.  They still had another 9-inning game to go.  Kayla started off the fourth with another hit batter.  KB made another error that let on another runner.  A single loaded the bases with nobody out.  A single scored a run, but Kayla made a pair strikeouts and Mya handled a ground out to end the inning.  2-1 Aggies. 

The Aggies went down in order in the bottom of the fourth.  Griz third baseman, Kylie Becker, made a great shoe-top catch of a liner.  The PA gave a weather report between innings.  It was 60 degrees and windy in Las Cruces.  Meanwhile, it was 37 degrees and partly cloudy in Montana.  The Griz went down in order to start the fifth.  Jeanelle Medina showed some awesome concentration at second, getting the first two groundouts with massive wind gusts hammering at her. 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Aggies had runners at second and third with no outs on a hit and another error.  Michaela Hood in for the Griz in the circle and worked out of it, finishing the inning with a strikeout looking.  Oh my goodness, the bad plays were becoming unavoidable.  Even sure-handed Jeanelle bobbled a throw from Kelsey to let on the first batter of the sixth.  Kayla got a strikeout right after.  Right field defensive replacement, Caity Szczesny, made a spectacular diving catch on a dying liner to end the inning. 

The Griz got two quick outs to start the bottom of the sixth.  I scored McGrath with another error to let Brandy Hernandez on, but the official scorer took pity on her and gave Brandy a hit instead.  This started a two-out rally with Tori driving in our first earned run of the game.  The inning ended with a great catch in centerfield.  3-1 Aggies.

Kayla got her seventh strikeout to start the seventh inning, but she was probably out of gas at that point.  The next batter hit a sky-high flyball to left field.  With the wind moving the ball around in midair, Brandy stayed with it and made the catch.  The next batter singled up the middle.  Maygen McGrath finally got her revenge in this terrible game for her with a line drive homer to center to tie the score at 3. 

What no one probably wanted was more softball, certainly not extra innings.  KB started the inning with a single.  Michaela Hood got a strikeout looking for her eighth of the game and popout.  Kennedy Johnson, I was wondering where she was, got a pinch hit single.  Shelby Shultes stepped in as the next pinch hitter.  Perhaps by this point, Hood was finally winded (pardon that pun).  Shelby absolutely jacked a walk-off homer with an exclamation point.  It was a high-arcing shot to straight left.  Given the wind direction and speed, there’s no way that ball should have been anywhere near fair.  It must have been crushed.  That was a three-run game winner.  Aggies win 6-3!

Seven total errors officially.  (I had 10.)  But, I also have five starred defensive plays, two well-turned double plays, and several otherwise routine plays made spectacular by the high winds.  Kayla Green and Michaela Hood pitched as well as two starting pitchers could in that wind with some uneven defense behind them.  Both pitched to their limit, getting crucial strikeouts when needed.  They only made one real pitching mistake each, but Hood’s came last. 

Offensively, Maygen McGrath was the standout for the Griz, going 2 for 4 with a two-run home run.  For the Aggies, Victoria Castro continues on a torrid pace going 3 for 4 with a clutch RBI hit.  Then there’s Shelby Shultes, she only needed one at bat to be the hitting star of the game with a game-winning three-run homer.            

Part of me wanted to stay and see the Aggies play the San Jose State Spartans.  They came out and warmed up right after in their bright yellow jerseys.  Somebody finally wasn’t wearing crimson this weekend.  But Ron had to go, and I’d had enough of being outside today.  Wow, that took a while to play out with the delay from the preceding game.  As it was after 5:00pm, I was pretty sure it was just going to get colder soon. 

As it turned out, I would have stayed late, froze, and watched a hard 1-3 loss.  Samaria Diaz pitched a good game.  She only had a bad first with a couple of errors behind her, and that was all of the Spartan’s scoring.  The Aggies could only scratch out a run on a Mya Felder single.  The team did get some hits.  Kelsey and Tori both got two hits.  Tori is doing great, but I’m still not sure if leadoff is the best place for Kelsey.  Shelby earned a start behind the plate for this game.  Sarai Mejia started in right.  I think Coach Rodolph is still trying to decide on a right fielder.

As for Aggie Baseball, the second half of their double header was a 38-6 win in a tidy four-hour game in a freezing cold wind.  11 Aggies had at least 1 RBI and a hit.  This kind of offense will not last, but these guys can hit.  It’s hard to judge the pitching given the scores and the opponent.  The team is off to a great start though.

NM State Aggies vs Bradley Braves Softball 2-15-19

Welcome to day one of the Troy Cox Classic softball tournament.  I sort of wanted to come earlier in the day to see the other teams playing each other.  Why didn’t I?  I don’t remember.  I’m literally writing this four days later.  After three days at baseball and softball, it’s all a blur.  After watching a great Aggie Baseball Opening Day game, I was apparently a bit tired.  My notes for this game are real sparse and I only vaguely remember sitting in the stands for this game.  This may not be much of a recap.

Ron and I arrived at the Softball Complex right before the game started.  While in the bathroom, I ran into Fan Mike.  (Yeah, just how you think, at the urinals.)  I asked for a recap of the Aggies’ first game.  They won 7-4 over Texas State in a pretty exciting game.  Victoria Castro hit two home runs and Nikki Butler hit one.  The big cheer we’d heard over at the baseball field was for Tori and Nikki going back-to-back with homers.

Just to mention, Amy Bergeson, dependable left fielder from last year’s team, was working at the scorer’s table.  I think Zory Caldwell, who was also on the team last year, was working with her.  Last week, I’d noticed a pretty blonde checking in with them.  From an interview with Coach Rodolph, it was Karysta Donisthrope.  She was a pitcher on the team a few years ago, when I first started going out to the softball games, and was one of my favorites.  She’s back as a pitching coach.     

Tonight’s opponent, the Bradley Braves, gathered together and started off the game with a scream.  They also sang a lot from their dugout.  Their signature song was Tequila.  The scoreboard was more-or-less working again, so we were good to go. 

It was a bad start for Aggie starter, Samaria Diaz.  She threw the ball away after fielding it on the first batter trying to make a play.  The batter went to third and was cashed in on the next batter.  Allison Apke homered next.  We found out that at least half of the crowd was for the Braves judging by the cheering.  Next, Stacia Seeton hit the light pole on a foul, but would take a walk.  Mya Felder ended the inning on good catch of a liner.  0-2 Braves.

The Aggies returned the singing, apparently inspired to take back their field.  In the bottom of the first, they only managed a couple of walks.  Catcher Kennedi Sorensen clanked on a foul popup to start the second.  No harm done though.  Emma Jackson had a good second for the Braves with a couple of strikeouts. 

Sam gave up a single and a walk to start the third and was taken out for Chloe Rivas.  Sam had pitched the last two innings of the last game.  She was probably gassed.  Chloe gave up a hit, but Brandy Hernandez threw out the runner at home trying to score from second.  However small she looks out there, do not run on this girl.  Brandy has a very strong and accurate arm.  She also caught a deep flyball to end the inning.  The wind had started up a bit and was blowing in.

And I took no notes on the bottom of the third.  Good thing I have the scorecard.  Brandy led off with a single and stole a base.  Tori moved her over to third and Mya drove her in on a fielder’s choice.  1-2 Braves.  Chloe worked a scoreless fourth, getting  around a couple of hits.  The Aggies also didn’t score in the bottom.  Kayla Bowen got on with a single and was out on a force at second, except she was ruled safe.  Bradley fans were in an uproar.  The umps got together and made the correct call.  It was a bit inexplicable. 

The Aggies turned a double play to end the Braves’ fifth.  Shelby Shultes pinch hit a double to start the bottom of the inning.  Brandy resumed her spot in the order as the runner.  Tori doubled her in to tie it at 2.  Nice.  It was still nice at the stadium.  The PA gave the temperature at 60 degrees.  It was 18 degrees in Illinois, where Bradley is. 

Chloe started off with a hit batter in the sixth.  She might have been rattled at that point and gave up a home run to the next batter.  3-4 Bradley.  Jackson made a good play on a comebacker to get the lead runner in the bottom.  She worked around two singles for another scoreless inning.

Chloe was back out to finish the game.  She gave up a lead-off hit, but retired the rest of the side.  (Wow, doing recaps without talking about hot chicks in the crowd or on field or goofy stuff going on in the stands is boring.)  Kelsey Horton led-off the bottom of the seventh with a single.  After three straight strikeouts, I can’t imagine her level of frustration.  Mya got on with a single.  KB then singled in singled in Kelsey to get the Aggies to within one.  The bases were loaded after a walk to pinch hitter, Alyssa Barela, with two outs.  The girls in Aggie dugout were singing up a storm.  Unfortunately, Kennedi came up and struckout looking.  3-4 Braves was your disappointing final.    

Let’s hand it to Bradley pitcher, Emma Jackson.  She went the full seven, only giving up three runs and scattering 10 hits with six strikeouts.  Three of those strikeouts were Kelsey Horton, no mean feat.  (Apropos of nothing, I dig the Braves’ shortstop’s name, Lucy Mead.  It rolls off the tongue well.)  Aggie freshman Chloe Rivas did well going five innings and only giving up two runs.  Regrettably, she had one bad pitch.  Victoria Castro went 2 for 3 with an RBI to lead Aggie hitting. 

Not only was the result disappointing, it was disappointing for the late finish.  We didn’t leave until about 10:30pm.  It had been a long Friday evening at the Aggie Baseball/Softball Complex.  After two long games, I was beat and it was too late for dinner.  It had also gotten cold by the end, so I was glad it ended when it did.  I got home and just had a bowl of cereal.  I even knocked off early to be ready for tomorrow’s games, instead trying up write up the day’s action.  In retrospect, I should have mixed in some more modest meals over this little vacation.  On Monday, after yet another burger (which was great), I’m actually cringing over the thought of eating any more greasy food for a while.  

NM State Aggies vs Texas Southern Tigers Baseball 2-15-19

Opening Day.  How great is this?  No other sport has can generate this level of giddy pleasure for the beginning of its season.  It’s a feeling that anything is possible and something wonderful is about to happen.  And, I was planning on missing it.  I did have the day off, but Ron and I were planning on going to the Aggie Softball.  Since the team is going to be gone for four weeks and the baseball team will be here in that time, it seemed like a better idea.  I was a bit concerned about the weather, but it was warm out with only a slight cold breeze.

When we arrived at the Softball Complex, there were plenty of fans there.  However, the game between two of the visiting teams was still going on and only half done.  We called an audible and went over to see the start of the baseball game.  Over in that parking lot, there were several RV’s parked there.  A bunch of happy fans were gathering at the stadium.  It was looking like a good crowd. 

Inside, I was finally able to get my hands on my favorite Aggie concession food item (which isn’t saying much): corn-in-a-cup.  “I’m sorry we left the cheese at Corbett Center.  Do you still want it?” said the vendor.  Not really.  “Sure,” I said instead.  Why are you advertising this for sale, when you can’t prepare this properly?  Yet another great concession experience.  It did not taste worthwhile.  The lady said she’d give me double cheese next time.

The lovely Aggie Women’s Golf team was handing out hats and other souvenir items.  There was another table where they had some other items to give away, perhaps for the students.  Hey, there’s Pistol Pete and a couple of shivering Cheerleaders.  This was actually just the man I wanted to see.  I’d had an idea the other day about adding a female mascot based on the Aggie the Riveter shirt, so I ran it by him.  Pete and the girl Cheerleaders thought it was a decent notion.  One of the guy Cheerleaders said they’d already tried something like that a couple of years ago, but couldn’t get it off the ground.  Oh, well. 

Regardless, I finally made it to an Aggie Baseball Friday game and on Opening Day no less.  I’d meant to go to one this season at some point.  I could hear Alexia was still dong the PA duties at the stadium.  Adam Young was on the radio.  He sounded happy to be calling baseball again.  A New Mexico Zia flag was flying in the stands.  I found out later it was the flag that they had with them when the team won the WAC Championship last year.  That championship and two others were now displayed on the left field wall, along with NCAA appearances on the right field wall.

   

The crowd was great.  A few dogs came in with them.  There was one cute little service dog that I squealed over.  Former players, current minor leaguers, Jonathan Groff and Kyle Bradish were in attendance.  Along with the pretty golf team, there was at least one other women’s team present.  I couldn’t identify them.  The Soccer team was said to be there, but this wasn’t them.  This unidentified group had one very tall, well-built, and glamorous blonde with them.  She should be on the volleyball or basketball team.  Also of note, was a gentleman wearing a new Chihuahuas hat with the new logo.  (I don’t like it.)  There were also quite a few Texas Southern fans present, but they blended with the crowd, since they were wearing crimson too. 

I feel like I should have this Aggie scorecard laminated.  It actually added up for me.  Today’s Aggie starter was Brock Whittlesey.  He was the reliever who engaged in the heartbreaking heroics of the memorable Saturday game at the WAC Tournament (5-26-18).

Whitt got a couple of quick outs in the first, but ran into trouble with a walk and a hit batter before getting a strikeout.  The highlight of the top of the first was hearing Adam say “Olajide Oloruntimlehin,” the Tigers’ right fielder’s name.  I’m not even sure I’m spelling that right.  The new university president, who threw out the first pitch, came on for an interview in the bottom.  I think he recognizes that NMSU has a Sports department.  It’s a start.  Joey Ortiz had a quiet start to his night with a solo home run.  Nick Gonzales followed with a single.  1-0 Aggies after one.

“Follow the Aggie Baseball team on Tinder.  Swipe right on your favorite player and who knows?”  Oh, wait.  I probably heard that wrong over the PA.  I think she was talking about other social media outlets for following the team.  There was a giveaway of Mountain Dew hats and backpacks to students during the second.  For the second inning, the Aggies turned a double play, and both teams went down in order. 

Nick made a great barehanded shuffle toss to start an inning-ending double play in the third.  Aron Solis for the Tigers got in trouble in the bottom.  He gave up four hits in a row, which scored two runs.  A couple of passed balls didn’t help.  Ryan Diaz in center field did make a tremendous diving effort to stop Logan Bottrell’s double.  3-1 Aggies. 

Next door, the visiting softball game ended.  To this point, the baseball game was clipping along and I was basically enjoying being there with a big crowd.  I was kind of dreading telling Ron that I didn’t want to go to the first Aggie Softball game.  Also, I’d started doing scorecards for this game.  Whitt cruised through the fourth.  Alexia had more trouble pronouncing Olajide Oloruntimlehin’s name.  She had to take a deep breath before saying it.

AD Mario Moccia came on the radio to chat.  Caleb Henderson tripled off the centerfield wall to start the bottom.  Diaz turned around twice trying to get a bead on it.  Mario and Adam chatted about the next batter, Tristen Carranza.  He’s willing to play any position, but says, “I play hitter.”  Marcel Renteria, a pitcher from last year, chimed in via Twitter.  He was listening to the broadcast.  No runs scored, but the Tigers’ coach made a visit to the mound.  I noticed the ump was marking it down.  I think they’re counting mound visits now.

Aggie Softball started their game against Texas State.  Almost immediately, I was regretting talking Ron into staying.  A couple of large cheers went up from the crowd there as a couple of Aggie home runs went out.  Even Adam noted the uproar.  Back to baseball, the Texas Southern coach, who was working third base, got hit by a liner that knocked his helmet off.  The batter couldn’t even look afterward.  The coach was okay.  Whitt got in two-out trouble, giving up four-straight hits.  Two runs scored, the second one came in on a bunt single.  Whitt got a strikeout to end the inning.  He came off the mound pumping his fist.  3-2 Aggies.

Aggie Baseball finally officially started asking for the foul balls back.  I was surprised it took them this long.  It was kind of an apologetic announcement and Alexia muttered it a bit.  She only said it once.  They are offering candy for the balls.  In the bottom of the fifth, Joey singled and Nick drove him in with a home run to deep center.  5-2 Aggies.  To this point, the two were 6 for 6 in hitting.

Whitt’s final inning went 1-2-3.  Joey made a great backhanded catch at deep short and Caleb dug it out for the second out.  Then the Aggies came up with a 14-batter inning.  About here is where the game really started going long.  I don’t want to slight anyone’s accomplishments, but I’m not recapping this half inning.  There was one two-run homer by Braden Williams.  The rest of the eight runs came off of three singles, two doubles, and a bunch of walks and hit batters.  13-2 Aggies and the game had officially become a rout. 

On to the bottom of the seventh, Joey and Nick were now 10 for 10 batting.  Nick drove in Joey with another homer, and Henderson had a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left center.  17-2 Aggies.  Bruno Teramoto came in to pinch hit.  A bunch of girls erupted in the crowd.  I guess he has some fans. 

By the bottom of the eighth, the Tigers were using a position player to pitch.  Joey and Nick’s hitting streaks ended with both of them getting walked and replaced with pinch runners.  The Aggies tacked on three more runs to make it a 20-2 win.  I’m sorry if I’m not doing a really complete recap here.  I’m writing most of this four days later.  I’ve been distracted from finally acquiring a home Internet connection (at least temporarily).  It’s as I’ve always feared, I might never leave home.  I might never leave my seat.  I’ll try to do better next time (if the score is closer).

Let’s look at some player highlights.  Brock Whittlesey went six innings and gave up five hits and two runs, along with five strikeouts and one walk.  Whitt is looking good as a starter.  Offensively, there were some good performances, then there was Joey Ortiz and Nick Gonzales.  Joey was 5 for 5 with 3 RBI’s and a homer.  Nick was 5 for 5 with 6 RBI’s and two home runs. Let’s hope these guys are competing against each other for hitter-of-game honors for the rest of the season.       

It was a great game for Opening Day, except for the part where it ran way too long to be really enjoyable.  At least it ran long for the best reason; the Aggies kicking butt.  Thank goodness the weather was so nice.  By coincidence, Aggie Softball’s first game of the night ended at the same time, so we were going to be able to get a full softball game today too.

NM State Aggies vs Creighton Bluejays Softball 2-10-19

10:00-freaking-am.  What a crummy time for a game, but let’s do it.  Outside, it was cool and overcast, but not unpleasant.  The weather was about to fool me again into thinking it was going to be bearable.  I was outfitted with my heavy coat and sock hat in any case.  Pulling into the parking lot, I noticed that there were surprisingly players out on the soccer field.  They may or may not have been the Aggies.  After the softball game, I walked over, but the soccer practice was over.  I only saw local high school players leaving though.  The baseball team was also out practicing on their field. 

The lot was pretty full, but it was a smaller crowd today.  There might have been more Creighton fans at first, but Aggie fans did show up later.  Everyone clumped together in bunches for shared warmth.  I’d forgotten it was $1 hot dog day.  Even if they were bad (which was likely), I still wish I’d eaten that than my lousy breakfast.  It was also dog day at the stadium.  Twin adorable dachshunds were brought in, which were a constant distraction for cuteness.  Later, someone brought in a purse puppy.   

Danny was there and I chatted with him for a bit.  Surprisingly, Ron showed up.  Since he had to unexpectedly work last night, he’d told me not to expect getting together for the game.  He must be an even bigger fan of the girls than me.  Given the weather, everyone at the stadium who didn’t have a daughter in the game, must have been a little nutty to be there.

We all got what we didn’t want at the beginning of the game, a delay.  Coach Rodolph didn’t like the condition of the infield, so out came the grounds crew.  I can’t imagine how the field had gotten messed up to this point since yesterday or this morning, but they had to repaint the batter’s box and pitching circle.  Meanwhile, the scoreboard was still not working right.  The PA would have to announce the score every so often during the game.

In the outfield, the girls there started cheering along to the Aggie fight song played by the PA.  As the delay continued for 10 minutes, they also danced to Jump on It.  It was terribly entertaining.  Meanwhile, the infield girls were all business, or at least looked like it. 

There were Aggie lineup changes today.  Chloe Rivas was starting in right field.  Pitcher Analise de la Roca was in at DP.  Samaria Diaz started for the Aggies in the circle.  She picked up a couple of strikeouts and a no-damage hit in the first.  One of the wiener dogs was wearing a sweater.  He suddenly started barking at everyone, which was odd, since he was okay before.  (Maybe he was trying to warn everyone about an impending change in the weather.)  The other one was chill the whole time.      

The Aggie girls were indeed in good spirits today.  They started singing to their batters right at the beginning with Kelsey Horton leading off.  She walked.  Victoria Castro was up next and promptly jacked one to right center.  In spite of the heavy air and lack of wind, the ball seemed to carry.  2-0 Aggies. 

And we repeat, even though the Bluejays immediately brought in a new pitcher.  Nikki Butler walked.  She thought she was called over to Coach Cat Heifner with the next batter, but was sent back, but then the ump told her to go.  It was a bit comedy watching her go back-and-forth.  Mya Felder then homered to left center.  4-0 Aggies. 

Thanks to where I was sitting, I got to see the bench players better for the two post-homer celebrations.  Freshman #8 Rylan Gonzales looked cute.  She’s another local player from Las Cruces.  #22 Alyssa Barela is a freshman catcher with great hair.  She was wearing shin guards the whole game and warmed up the pitcher once between innings.

If Brandy Hernandez’s diminutive height seemed to be a disadvantage in playing left field, she showed everyone on the first batter of the second.  A flyball was ticketed to just drop over the fence.  Brandy got to the wall, reached up and over, and pulled it right back.  For the final out, Kelsey made juggled basket catch in foul ground.

There was the final t-shirt toss for the weekend.  The Creighton fan with the spiky blue wig was waving for one and got it.  Out-of-town opposing fans do like the Aggie giveaways.  The chill wiener dog was brought over to his owner, who was sitting in front of us.  I was completely distracted for the rest of the game.  He was so cute.  Fan Mike came by and asked the owner, “Is that a $1 hot dog?” 

Brandy singled to start the bottom of the second, but was eliminated on a fielder’s choice.  Tori walked.  Nikki hit Creighton pitcher, Logan Black, on the ankle on a comebacker.  Logan was able to stay in the game, though the bases were now loaded.  She almost got out of it.  Kelsey was thrown out at the plate on a grounder, but then the catcher airmailed the ball trying to get the double play at first.  Tori scored and it was 5-0.

The lady from Aggie Sports Marketing came around to take pictures of the dogs.  The barking sweater wiener dog chased her off.  Samaria got a little wild in the third hitting a batter.  Mya made a great shoetop catch of a liner for the second out.  For the next batter, Chloe and Sam changed places, as Coach Rodolph seemed to be experimenting.  Sam enjoyed the change and danced with the other girls in the outfield to Mariah Carey’s Fantasy while Chloe was warming up.  Chloe made one pitch that went into deep center, but Tori caught it.

Between innings, the Aggie reserve girls ran a lap to the outfield from the dugout.  They were in their heavy stadium coats.  Rylan smiled and waved at someone in the stands before she went back into the dugout.  Chloe walked to start the bottom.  She was busy.  Analise got on with a fielder’s choice and advanced on a wild pitch.  Jeanelle Medina slapped a foul ball that hit Tori, standing outside the dugout.  It wasn’t hit hard.  Tori pretended to faint and started laughing.  Brandy came up and dropped a little liner in front of the left fielder that allowed Analise to score.  6-0 Aggies.

Sam was back in to pitch to start the fourth.  Freshman Casie Roberto, also from Las Cruces, came in to play second.  In the bottom, Tori walked again to start the inning.  Next, Nikki nearly took out Mya with a couple of foul balls.  She fouled off about five pitches before drawing a walk.  Caity Szczesny came in to run for her.  That was unnecessary, as Mya came up next and hit a three-run homer.  9-0 Aggies. 

More importantly though, raindrops started falling and the wind kicked up, dropping the temperature below a comfortable level.  This was exactly what no one at the softball complex wanted.  My scorecards and new Aggie notebook were getting wet.  The skies were overcast and a dark gray.  Who could have guessed that it might start raining?  Not me or most anyone else there, except for a couple of smartasses with umbrellas.  

Of course, both coaches immediately started micro-managing the game to draw things out.  The Aggies brought out three pinch hitters, and the Bluejays brought out a reliever.  That last move worked well, as Jays’ catcher #10 Mikaela Pechar caught a short foul ball and then picked off the runner at first to end the inning with a double play.

If cold, wet, and windy conditions seemed unpleasant, the PA informed everyone that it was 28 degrees back in Omaha right now, where the Creighton fans would otherwise be.  The Aggie outfield girls did the Macarena between innings.  Rylan came in to play shortstop.  The Creighton coach put in three pinch hitters of her own.  The first batter tripled as Tori laid-out to try and catch the gapper.  Mya dropped a popup on the next batter to put two on.  Catcher Nikki caught a popup, but for some reason it was waved off by the umps.  That batter walked to load the bases with no outs.

Coach Rodolph wanted to see how Chloe would respond to pressure and again put her in the circle.  Melika Ofoia came off the bench to play in the outfield.  Kelsey was smiling and unusually chatty on the field during the exchange and the at bats.  The runner at first interfered on a grounder, which got an out and sent everyone back to their bases.  Rylan got her first chance on a grounder to deep short.  She went to second for the force, since there was no chance at home, and just missed starting a double play.  Kelsey took it to first herself on a grounder to end the game.  Aggies win 9-1.

Yes, the game ended on a run rule.  I was again afraid to say anything about the possibility, not knowing if they’d end it in the fifth with an 8-run lead.  It’s not a conference game; the coaches have to agree beforehand about it.  I was really rooting for the Aggies to not let in two runs this inning. 

Aggie pitching obviously did well today with only run scored.  (Even after reading the rulebook a couple of times, I’m still not sure if it was an earned run or not.)  Let’s hand it to Mya Felder, our clear standout of the day, with two home runs and five RBI’s.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the team happier or looser than today.  I’m sure the cold was bothering them this weekend, but they enjoyed the playing.   

Yay!  It was over and I could go back home, where I wouldn’t be freezing or rained on.  Additionally, this vacation was totally successful in terms of Aggie Sports.  It was a complete sweep.  I asked Ron about lunch, but he wanted to get home and finally get to bed.  He would have been happier about the game being cut short, except it still ran two hours with the field delay and all the substitutions.  Next weekend is going to have some overlapping events, but we’ll figure things out then.