NM State Aggies vs #4 Oklahoma Sooners Softball 2-13-26

 

The forecast was not good for today for the opening of the Troy Cox Classic, but for a matchup between Aggie Softball and #4 in the nation Oklahoma, I was willing to take some risks. It was cloudy most of the morning, but (of course) it didn’t start sprinkling until I was driving down the street to the game. I took off an hour early for the game expecting a large crowd, especially given that OK had played Montana in the morning (and won 17-0). I’ve seen this happen before (2-17-18).  That game and crowd were unforgettably epic.

At the Softball Complex today, it was about what I expected. The parking lot was full. I ended up in the next door Baseball parking lot. Walking over to the stadium, I ran into Pistol Pete and a Cheerleader. This was the enthusiastic Pete with the big mustache. He liked my floppy hat and I rang my cowbell for him. You know it’s an important game when Pete’s here.

There was a long line at the stadium. I thought it was for tickets. Nope. There was a “Sold out” sign on the ticket office. The sellout happened well before gameday. It was maybe 10 minutes before I reached the gate and they cut off entrance with me. Myself and a bunch of other people behind me stood around for five minutes until an usher came back and said, “Five more.” I got in. I briefly considered giving up my spot, maybe to a visiting Oklahoma fan, but there were so many people behind me, why bother?

The stands were packed. Attendance was listed at 978. This was less than the previous meeting (1,200), but people were sitting in the aisles then (and the fire department showed up to clear them out). A police officer was observing the stands before the game. Unfortunately, maybe half of the crowd was for the Sooners. (Maybe even more than half.) OK had their own radio announcer under a tent at the top of the stands.

I didn’t get a program. I didn’t even see one as I hustled into the stadium. I didn’t see the Concessions trailer either, though I saw people with concessions. I was lucky to get a seat. I was close to the top and could see the new all-turf Baseball field. It looks great. Coach Rodolph was on the softball field. She went over to the OK dugout and then came over and hugged the umps. That’s probably the friendliest she’s ever been with an umpiring crew. AD Joe Fields was also here.

Aggies huddled up for a long time before the game. The rain started increasing. The proceedings started with a video tribute for Coach Rodolph. She’s a 6-time conference champ, 4 NCAA appearances, and 600 wins. She threw out the first pitch. After that was a message from the New Mexico Lt. Governor. He’s apparently a big softball fan and had scouted Zantelle Rodriguez on the Aggies and helped finance the new videoboard. Pistol Pete was working it for the crowd with a hat toss before the game.

I don’t think the scans truly reflect the condition of these scorecards. They are highly rain damaged. Given the conditions, I did great job of filling these out. It helped that the game was very sharply played, in spite of the rain. I think there was only one play that was a bit strange, but even then, it was what it appeared to be. (I’ve usually said, “If nothing weird happens at your softball game, you should ask for your money back.”)

Jaileen Mancha started for the Aggies. She started off the game with a walk. After a single, Gabbie Garcia came up. She just seemed to make a little slap hit to left, but it popped over the fence. You wouldn’t think the ball would carry in the heavy, wet air. Jai hit the next batter, who was driven in with a single. All nine OK batters came up in the inning before the third out. 4-0 Sooners.

The Aggies punched back in the bottom of the first. The new third baseman, Makenzie Jones (she was new to me, at least), walked. Devin Elam, C-USA Player of the Week last week, was back in the lineup. She hit a shallow liner that the left fielder just missed. Taylor Baca then doubled both of them in with a liner just out of centerfielder’s reach. 4-2 Sooners.

The PA announced it was 72-degrees and partly cloudy in Oklahoma and 65-degrees and raining here. Usually, we have better weather than the visitors, so this announcement backfired. A couple of ballhawk kids were waiting by the entrance. The stands were packed to the pointed that kids would not be running out of their seats for foul balls. Some fans who got concessions came back and reported that there were still people waiting in line outside. They were hoping people would leave, so they’d be allowed in. I hope the fans who didn’t get in were given refunds. (I found out later that people were in the parking lot standing in truck beds to watch the game.)

Jai worked a scoreless second. She was helped out by Makenzie snagging a liner at third, which almost turned into a double play with a runner at first nearly being doubled off. The Whataburger video played and coupons were handed out. That makes the commercial worthwhile. Next time I’m hungry for a burger there, I’m jumping up and waving my arms for a coupon. Kendal Lunar began the bottom of the second with a low line drive home run to center. The Aggies threatened for more with a couple of singles, but a reliever, Audrey Lowry, came in and closed the door. 4-3 OK.

OK got the offense going in the top of the third. After a walk, Isabela Emerling cranked off a massive foul ball to left. She’d have to settle for a single. Ailana Agbayani drove in a run on a single. Tamara Carranza made a nice over the shoulder catch at short for the first out, but then Kai Minor doubled in the runners and chased Jai from the game.

We were getting serenaded with a “Boomer Sooner” chant on these runs. Pistol Pete started a “Let’s go Aggies!” chant. I was sitting some OK fans. They were obnoxious. One of them started in on Pete. He said, “Don’t have a bad time on my account.” She answered with, “I’m having a good time. Look at the scoreboard.” Admittedly, that’s a pretty good burn, but a poor attitude. Arguing with other team’s mascot isn’t going to endear you to your hosts.

Zantelle came in and walked the first three batters, which drove in a run. Garcia then cleared the bases with a double. It still wasn’t over. There was another walk. The Aggies got the second out on Tamara making a nice throw to third from short on a grounder. The Sooners protested this play for some reason, but it seemed like a straight-forward force out. Freshman Kalena Lemus came in and walked her first batter. Agbayani would single in another run, before Lauren Garcia at first made a diving catch to finally end the inning. Damage done, 12-3 OK.

Lauren doubled to start the bottom of the third. Tamara was then hit in the back on a pitch. Kendal came up right after with a massive F-You 3-run blast. That’s how to get revenge. Lowry buckled down and struck out the next two batters. 12-6 OK.

Kalena worked a 1-2-3 fourth. Makenzie made another good play at third with a nice scoop and throw to first. Meanwhile, Pete was having a running fight with OK fans. Finally, he said, “I’m making enough enemies.” The bottom of the fourth began with Nelly McEnroe-Marinas at third making a dive catch on a liner. Devin tripled as the left fielder slipped trying to field it. Keep in mind, it is wet on the field and raining off and on. Lauren walked, but both Aggie runners were left stranded.

The Sooners batted around again in the top of the fifth. Kalena was left in to weather the barrage of 3 homers (including a 3-run shot by Agbayani) and 2 singles (with a pair of walks). An OK fan tried to get Pete to say, “Boomer Sooner” after a home run. At this point, I was hoping for a run rule, partly to get out of the rain, but mostly to get away from the OK fans. The Aggie defense was still good. Taylor made a running dive catch for the first out of the inning. 18-6 OK.

In the bottom of the fifth, the OK fans around me left early. They had something better to do? Bella Clapp singled in the bottom of the fifth, but that was all. Oklahoma wins 18-6 in a run rule. Both teams gathered for a prayer circle after the game. At least I can feel good about the OK players.

Gameballs. For the Sooners, Gabbie Garcia was 3 for 4 with 6 RBI’s and a home run, Ailana Agbayani (that’s a fun name to say) went 3 for 3 with 5 RBI’s and a home run, and lastly, there’s the odd line for Ella Parker and Abby Dayton in right field, who had no at bats and 4 runs scored.

For the Aggies, Taylor Baca was 1 for 3, but had a clutch 2-run double and Kendal Lunar was 2 for 3 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI’s. It was a very clean game for the Aggies defensively. They looked sharper in this game than last week. However, the killer for the Aggies was the 8 walks and 2 hit by pitches. 9 of those free passes scored.

So, damp and chilled to the bone, I went to work. I didn’t have enough time to go home and change. I dried out, but didn’t feel warm again until I was home and went to bed under my blankets. The Aggies did play a nightcap with Montana. The rain probably stopped, but of course, it got colder at sundown. The Aggies won it, 8-3. From the stats, some errors by the Grizzlies gifted the Aggies 3 early runs. It was a good Aggie team effort hitting. Faith Aragon pitched all 7 innings and was 2 for 4 and scored 3 runs. Maybe Coach Higgs should have used her for this game.

Saturday we’re back for more of the Troy Cox Classic.

NM State Aggies vs UT-Arlington Mavericks Softball 2-8-26

I woke up on Sunday morning listening to the Aggie Softball rematch game versus St. Thomas on the radio with Adam Young. (I was at yesterday’s game.) Destiny Perez made her college debut in the circle for the Aggies, but was chased out quickly and left the bases loaded with no outs. Faith Aragon came in and got 2 strikeouts and a groundout. It was 1-0 ST.

Devin Elam was not in the lineup. They didn’t mention her getting injured last night. The Aggies came back to score and tie it in the bottom. In the top of the second, ST blew it open with a 3-run homer, which came after a questionable overturned call on a player tagged out on base. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. Zantelle Rodriguez was brought in, but the Tommies ran it up to 8-1.

In the top of the third, Cassidy Carby hit her second home run of the game and made it, 12-1 ST. By the fourth, the deep Aggie bench was in and playing and it was 15-1. In the fifth and final inning, the Aggies loaded the bases and a run was walked in. ST had to bring in a reliever, who was warming up in the bullpen alongside a UTA pitcher getting ready for the next game. 15-2 St. Thomas was the final. There were 400 in attendance at the game. That’s a pretty good crowd, since the game started at 9:00am.

With that, I took off for the next game at noon against UT-Arlington. In the parking lot, I had an odd encounter with a dippy bird. I had to wait for him to move along before I could park. Walking up to the stadium, I ran into the ST girls waiting to get on their bus. They looked tall and pretty up close.

In the stands, I noticed they finally removed the ball that had been sitting in the outfield netting since the first game on Friday. Coach Rodolph was also there at the scorer’s table. I went over and said, “Hi,” to her. She is officially retired. She’s just there as a fan, but doesn’t have to buy a ticket to get in. I asked about the dog, who wasn’t there. She is a half-doodle that the Coach got after retiring. The Coach was very gracious, as always. I asked who I should talk to about naming the field after her.

From seeing her talking to others, I almost think I could have asked her what happened last year with her being forced out and about Associate Head Coach Cat Hefner getting fired and gotten a long explanation. However, I’m not a player parent or a booster, so I didn’t want to overstep just being a fan. Kathy’s happy. We’ll leave it at that unless something comes up.

It was warm. I quickly figured out that I was overdressed in a pullover and took it off. The crowd increased to 500 and they were pretty lively. Adam was also calling this game on the radio. Devin wasn’t playing in this game, either. She was in the dugout wearing street clothes. I hope that doesn’t mean she’s done for the season? Aggie Baseball was scrimmaging next door.

This was a busy game, as you can see. Jaileen Mancha started for the Aggies in the top of the first. A hit batter started off the game. From there, there was an error at first and a stolen base. A single brought in a run and another single brought in another run, along with a bad throw home scoring a third run. 3-0 UTA. That was a pretty shaky inning.

Violet Redondo singled to start the bottom of the first, but was thrown out taking too wide a turn around the base. Following that, the Aggies had a single, a walk, and moved up on two wild pitches. Lauren Garcia came up and slapped a 3-run homer to left center. The girls lined and made a tunnel in front of the dugout for her. Hailey Lynn Sralik got a second out for the Mavericks, but was taken out after a hitting Taylor Baca on the helmet. She was okay. I think it was an offspeed. I finally noticed her walk up music was Old School with Poison by Bell Biv Devoe.

Madi McDonnell came in in relief for UTA. She faced Kendal Lunar first and we got another tunnel, as Kendal hit a 2-run homer. Even better, after a single, Bella Clapp slapped one out. Make another tunnel! The Aggies batted around in a 7-run inning. It was 7-3 after one inning. Holy cow!

Coach Rodolph left during the inning and came back with her dog. I heard her say that she’d promised to bring in the dog if the team homered. A little later, the Coach took the dog over to meet a toddler. It was sweet.

Sort of like on Friday, with a 1-2-3 inning going to each outfielder, in the top of the second, all of the outs were erased baserunners with a caught stealing ending the inning. Between innings, there was a t-shirt toss. One t-shirt hit a shade umbrella and went to another fan. A single by Skye Johnson started the bottom of the second. There was a strategically questionable sacrifice that did work out. An error at third would drive in Skye. The Aggies loaded the bases with two outs. Joleeanna Hair sent a big flyball to the wall, but it was caught to end the inning. 8-3 Aggies. We’re looking good.

Boom goes the dynamite! The Mavericks batted around in the top of the third. It started with a leadoff homer by Mia McNulty. Jaileen got two outs while giving up a double, but then four singles and two errors brought in 4 more runs and suddenly gave the Mav’s a 9-8 lead.

The Aggies struck back in the bottom of the fourth. A single and a walk were driven in by Joleeanna. She was driven in by Bella to put the Aggies back up, 11-9. Between innings on the video board, they showed a Kelsey Horton highlight reel for her election to the Aggie Hall of Fame. She got a round of applause from the crowd, though, unfortunately, she wasn’t here. (I think she just earned a medical certification.)

These four innings took a while. On the radio, Adam mentioned the game would be running into a travel curfew in an hour. (Not a curfew for the Superbowl later this afternoon.) The Mavericks weren’t going away. They scored two in the top of the fifth. Peyton Holland doubled in the tying run, but was thrown out at third. The Aggies loaded up the bases in the bottom with two outs. Kendal came up. The Coach was yelling instructions and encouragement, but Kendal flied out.

The mortal blow came in the top of the sixth. A walk, a single, and an error, a bad throw on a possible double play, began the inning. A sac fly brought in a run to give UTA the lead. Bringing in a pinch runner paid off there. Coach Rodolph was yelling encouragement to Jaileen, but Coach Higgs was making the decisions and brought in Taryn Bennett.

Taryn has some funky warm up music. Interesting. She walked the first batter. Cameron Cooper hit a comebacker. Taryn got it, but no one was covering first. Fans started yelling at the team to get their heads in the game. Bases loaded, a single brought in another run. The Aggies got the second out on a force at home, but a hit batter loaded the bases and set the table for McNulty’s second home run, a grand slam. Jaileen was put back in to get the final out. Damage done. 19-11 UTA.

Here’s the real tragedy of the inning. That was 8 unearned runs. I had to get multiple explanations on this from two different AI’s. Since the first error occurred before the first out, it made all the runs for the inning unearned. I’ve heard this before, but it seemed inconsistently applied to my understanding. I understood in the third inning when the runs that came in with two outs after an error were unearned. In any case, you get these line scores for Aggie pitching today that read: J. Mancha 14 runs, 7 earned; T. Bennett 5 runs, 0 earned.

Adam’s warnings about the curfew were becoming more persistent. In the bottom of the sixth, Skye doubled in Joleeanna, which avoided the run rule and forced a seventh inning, though the crowd was deserting. (Superbowl food run curfew in effect.) Cooper in left field made a nice rundown on high fly at the wall in the inning.

In the top of the seventh, pinich hitter Camila Spriggs drove in a run. On the next batter, the game suddenly ended on an Aggie error, the sixth of the game. It was 2:20 and with the Mavericks up by 8, the curfew time became hard. Start the PA music and the end the game. UTA wins 20-12.

Gameballs. For the Mavericks, Mia McNulty had 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s, and Cameron Cooper was 3 for 4 with an RBI. For the Aggies, Lauren Garcia was 2 for 3 with a 3-run homer, Joleeanna Hair was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s, and Bella Clapp was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run.

For the most part, this Aggie team can score runs. The question is their pitching and defense. The team scored 12 runs and didn’t even come close to winning. They have a bunch of pitchers, but somebody’s got to step up. If Devin Elam doesn’t come back, I also have to worry about their offense, too. That first game blowout may be a precursor of how they’ll perform against a good pitcher.

I called dad after the game to ask him about me bringing over a meal for the Superbowl. He insisted he was going make hamburgers, which he cooked yesterday and burned and didn’t have buns for. I asked again about getting something, but he wouldn’t hear it and told me to go get something for myself.

Those Whataburger commercials on the new video game worked on me. I went there for lunch and had the Honey Barbeque Chicken Strip sandwich. That was great, at least. The game, however, was the worst Superbowl ever. I actually broke my stylus playing videos on my iPad while the game was on. I’m not watching another Superbowl unless a team I like is playing. As a Cowboys fan, that means I’ll probably never watch another. (Given a dip in ratings for this game thanks to the matchup and the halftime show, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cowboys aren’t placed in next years’ Superbowl.) Today was a bit disappointing, but it was a nice day to take in a game at the ballpark.

NM State Aggies vs St. Thomas Tommies Softball 2-7-26

Since this is the first full Aggie Softball post, I’ll go ahead and address the big controversy. We still don’t know what happened with Coach Rodolph being basically dismissed. However, from reading a news report, we find out that Associate Head Coach Cat Hefner was fired “with cause.” It was something to do with “personal files or student records,” which were not available for public viewing. It’s a mystery.

Coach Rodolph’s contract ran out in June. She stayed through the fall season, but her contract was not renewed by the new athletic director. Her and the university seemed to part on amicable terms, though. Assistant Coach Benet Higgs was named interim head coach.

With the early finish to the previous game, I ended up standing around in the stands for an hour. I was glad I brought a coat, as it was getting colder. We had radio for the game with Duke Keith. He’s likeable, but occasionally confused. I noticed the Aggie girls were still doing their horseshoe dance ritual before the game, so that hasn’t changed with the new coach. The team got an intro video on the new scoreboard, like the Pan-Am teams get. There was a good crowd of 501 present for this game against the St. Paul Tommies. We’ve met this university before in Baseball (5-20-23).

Faith Aragon started for the Aggies. She began by giving up a double. There was a bad cover at first and a single turned into another double. A lady with an adorable fluffy dog came in. Oh my goodness, it’s Coach Rodolph herself! She sat down at the scorer’s table with the players working there. The question is: Did she buy a ticket? Faith gave up another double, which scored 2, and she was taken out for Jaileen Mancha. Bella Clapp at second helped her out by catching a liner and throwing out the runner at second. 2-0 Tommies.

The Aggies came right back in the bottom of the first. After a single and a hit batter, Lauren Garcia drove in the two runners with a single. Bella smacked no doubter to center for a 2-run homer. Her teammates lined up and made a tunnel for her to run through back to the dugout. Suddenly, it’s 4-2 Aggies.

The PA announced it was 65-degrees here and 24-degrees in St. Paul. I admit was fascinated with the dog. The Coach left her dog for a minute with a player who was recording stats. The girl was holding the dog and writing on a chart. In the second, the game nearly came to me with a heads up foul ball into the stands a couple of rows below me.

Jaileen had a quick second, but ran into trouble in the third. She gave up a solo shot and Coach Rodolph started yelling at her. After a double and a single, Grace Nosan would hit a 2-run homer. Freshman Kalena Lemus was called in and made her college debut. She got the final out, but the Tommies had retaken the lead with 4 more runs, 6-4.

A thunderous troop of kids were charging after every foul ball. Games are better with the kids there. The Coach was going around the crowd talking to people, who were maybe player parents or boosters. She was having involved talks with them. Between innings, I saw the home plate ump smile watching fans go nuts for a hat toss into the stands. The Utah Valley team came in to watch the game.

In the bottom of the third, St. Thomas had 2 errors, but the Aggies weren’t able to take advantage of the mistakes. On one error, the shortstop dropped a popup and Taylor Baca took second and collided with the player there. Ruby Moore was shaken up, but stayed in. A few of the kids started hanging out around entrance like ball hawks waiting for the next foul ball.

Kalena worked a scoreless fourth. In the bottom, Madi Bachman got a hustle double before Faith came up and powered a line drive home run to right. Make another tunnel! On the radio, Duke Keith shouted, “More cowbell!” as myself and other fans rang our bells. We were tied at 6.

Ella Cook started the top of the fifth giving the Tommies back the lead on the first pitch with a home run. It was crushed. After giving up a single, Kalena came out and Faith was brought back in. The Coach yelling at her and it worked. Faith got two looking strikeouts to end the inning. 7-6 St. Thomas. The Utah Valley coach came by to chat with Coach Rodolph before leaving with the team to warm up for tonight’s game.

The Aggies threatened in the bottom of the fifth. A single and a double chased out the Tommies’ starter. The St. Thomas DP, Cook, came in in relief. She walked the next batter to load the bases. Devin Elam on third tried to score on a wild pitch, but the ball rebounded too quickly off the wall and she was thrown out. Bella took a looking strikeout and a groundout ended the inning. The fans were upset.

Faith piled up two more strikeouts in the sixth, but a single and an error put two on for Cook, who blasted another home run. It was a 3-run shot to center and put the Tommies up 10-6. Cook was in the middle of it in the bottom of the inning. After a walk, Violet Redondo and Taylor both made bunt singles that Cook wasn’t able to come up with. She was then called for a pitch clock violation. A lady behind me had asked me about a pitch clock earlier. I was talking to her and almost missed Lauren driving in 2 runs with a single, though Taylor was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. 10-8 St. Thomas.

The wheels came off in the seventh. After a walk and a single, Faith was relieved by Taryn Bennett. Pinch hitter, Addison Coffey, greeted her with a 3-run homer. A single followed and then an error on the next batter. The error chased Coach Rodolph from the game. Violet threw out a runner at home afterward, but a double drove in another run. Devin then missed a flyball at the wall for another run. It’d be a 5-run inning for the Tommies. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, the final was a disappointing 15-8 loss for the Aggies.

I’ll hand out some Gameballs. For the Aggies, Lauren Garcia had a great game going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI’s. For the Tommies, Addison Coffey made the most of one at bat in the seventh with a 3-run homer. Ella Cook had an “Ohtani” game going 4 for 5 with 5 RBI’s and 2 home runs and she pitched 3 innings.

The sun finally came out for the sunset just peeking through the clouds on the horizon. I decided to take in the nightcap versus Utah Valley at home over the radio. There were some difficulties with the broadcast and I started listening to the Aggie Men’s Basketball game against UTEP. (I don’t want to talk about it right now or, frankly, ever.) I kept checking back for Softball and eventually the game came on.

Joining the game in progress, Devin hit the new scoreboard with the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. (It seems to be a target more than the old one ever was.) The Aggies would then load the bases. They’d score on a walked-in run, a single, and a hit by pitch. It was 4-0 Aggies. Aggie pitcher Zantelle Rodriguez unfortunately got wild in the fifth and the Wolverines tied it up.

Devin had an error in the sixth and Utah Valley took the lead, 6-4. She made up for it in the bottom of the seventh with a home run to start the inning. The Aggies put two on second and third. Bella put down a bunt that brought in Faith as the tying run. Faith’s short stature helped, as she slid in under the tag. Kendal Lunar walked it off with a winning hit. 7-6 Aggies.

Sort of sorry I missed the game, but I’m not sure I would have made it to the end. I was already cold before the sun went down. This Aggie team has been interesting so far. We’ll see what happens Sunday for the finale of the NM State Invitational.

Utah Valley Wolverines vs UMass-Lowell River Hawks Softball 2-7-26

In contrast to yesterday, it was overcast and cool, but fairly nice anyway.    As I walked up to the stadium, another cheer went up.    I could get used to this.    Actually, it was the conclusion of the morning game between two visiting teams: UMass-Lowell and St. Thomas.    UML won, 10-7.    They’d be playing Utah Valley next, which was the game I’d come for.

I guess I need to explain the picture at the top.    That’s Basia Query, my favorite visiting player.    She played for Utah Valley a few years ago and I mentioned her many times.    It started here in 2017 and finished in 2022, but she is still fondly remembered.    I also sort of wanted to support UV, as their university became famous last year for the worst reason possible.   

The lights were on at the stadium.    Being LED, I think they’ll turn them on whenever it’s slightly dark.    Baseball was practicing next door and playing a game.    Their old-style stadium lights were off.    As the previous game just finished, I was a half hour early for the next game.    I noticed a ball was still caught in the outfield netting from where a player tossed it early yesterday.    The grounds crew worked on the field with the Lil’ Pete robot, which painted the lines.    It started sprinkling for a moment.    I had come prepared for that possibility, but it never started raining.

On the new video board, they ran a promo for the next Aggie Women’s Baseketball game . . . which was scheduled for right now!    Crap!    I saw cars at the Pan-Am Center when I came in.    There was a time change on the game.    If I’d known, I would gone to it.    The original time conflicted with the upcoming Aggie Softball game.    I should have looked that up yesterday.    Sorry, Emma.

It was a sparse crowd, even less than the visitors’ game yesterday.    I remember UV traveling better than this.    The teams were introduced with the theme to the A-Team.    That worked pretty well.    The UML players fist bumped the umps as they were introduced.    I see teams doing this in other sports, too.

Britney Moreno began the game with a leadoff home run that snuck over the left field fence.    1-0 Wolverines.    That was just the beginning of UML’s problems for this game.    After a pair of singles and an out, Avery Spinello-Branch at short laid out and stopped a roller and flipped it to second, who dropped the ball.   

This loaded the bases for Emma Haygood, who looked like a slugger.    She just missed on a couple pitches and slammed them foul out of the stadium.    A little girl was cleaning up on giveaway lollipops from running down the foul balls and bringing them back to the pressbox.    Haygood eventually zeroed in and hit a laser grand slam to right field by the pole.    5-0 Wolverines before the River Hawks even got to bat.   

The PA announced it was 55-degrees in Utah, 23-degrees in Massachusetts, and 60-degrees here.    Moreno made a nice play at short off a deflection off the pitcher in the bottom of the first.    In the top of the second, Thyanais Santiago made a nice play at the wall in centerfield.   

The next batter hit the pitcher, Olivia DeCitise, on a hard liner. Elizabeth Neeld at second made the play on the deflection.    Olivia lets out a squeal when trainer came out to work on her.    She wiped away some tears and stayed in.    (I keep finding more and more exceptions to the so-called “No crying in baseball” rule.)    Olivia then gave up a double and was taken out.    Relief gave up a run-scoring double and then a 2-run homer to left center.    It was 8-0 Wolverines and we were already in run rule territory.

I checked the score at Women’s Basketball.    The Aggies were down, 38-23, to LA Tech at the half.    I felt a little better about missing the game, though this game was even less competitive.    In the top of the third, the St. Thomas team came in to watch the game, but they had to leave after a half inning.   

In the top of the fourth with two on, the UML pitcher made a bad decision on a comebacker and everyone was safe.  The runners kept running and a run scored, though there was also an out at the plate on the play.    It was 9-0 Wolverines on the new scoreboard, except it was actually 10-0.    They put the run on the board next inning. 

In the top of the fifth, a short popup to the outfield was dropped, but the right fielder, Emily Baume, ended up throwing out the runner at second.    There was no song played for the Stretch, which was disappointing.    Marketing Director Nicole Sack came by and I congratulated her on her promotion.    “I’m happy to still be here,” she said in relief, referring to the purge of several of her other co-workers.   

Okay, the game ended, 10-0 Wolverines.    I’ll single out Bailey Marvin for going 3 for 3 with 3 RBI’s and Emma Haygood for going 2 for 2 with 4 RBI’s from a grand slam.    Payge Armendariz and Cam Davis worked 5 scoreless innings for Utah Valley.

LA Tech beat the Aggies in Women’s Basketball, 77-58, so didn’t miss much there.    Let’s hope the ***next Softball game*** with the Aggies is better.

UMass-Lowell River Hawks vs UT-Arlington Mavericks Softball 2-6-26

Opening Day for Aggie Softball today at the NM State Invitational. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the day off for it. I decided to just watch the noon game between two visiting teams, UMass-Lowell and UT-Arlington, before work. It was a wonderful clear, sunny day for a game.

A cheer went up from the stadium as I came to the gate. I appreciated the fanfare. (One of teams might have been celebrating something else, but I’ll take it.) The new posters for Softball and Baseball were available up front. I’d forgotten to bring a rubber band for them. I checked my pockets and actually had one anyway. If I was getting wishes granted today, I should have chosen more wisely.

The outfield was nice and green. You wonder why it’s so hard to do this for Baseball that they had to put in a turf field. They installed a safety bag at first next to the actual base. It was colored brown and I couldn’t see it in action from where I was sitting, so I’m not sure how well it worked.

The new video board looked nice, though they didn’t use it for much during the game other than the score and a Whataburger commercial. Maybe when there’s a full camera crew there, they’ll show replays. At least I can finally get the scoring with the hits and the errors and not have to guess. It didn’t look that expensive. Why can’t they get one for Baseball, which really needs a scoreboard that works in the daylight?

There was a lively little crowd present for the two visiting teams with lots of chatter. I wasn’t sure who dominated the crowd, since both teams had about the same colors. UML had nice white and blue uniforms like the Mariners’ throwbacks. By late in the game though, most of their uniforms were covered in dirt.

I spilled orange juice on these scorecards for breakfast. I dried them out and used them anyway. I guess these are okay for the scorekeeping. Since, it was two visiting teams and the first game of the season, I didn’t really care. Both pitchers were in the batting lineup, along with the DP, so there was a “flex” player in the field, but not batting. (What’s with all of the “Mc’s” in the Mav’s lineup? They had three. That’s an odd recruiting strategy.)

The game started with some good defense for both teams in a scoreless first. The PA announced the temperatures in the home cities of the teams. It was 26-degrees in Massachusetts, 75-degrees in Arlington, and 62-degrees here in Las Cruces.

In the bottom of the second, the PA played Wild One after a wild pitch. That inning began with two walks for UTA. Their dugout was chanting, “Basehit! Ball Four!” Cameron Cooper made an impressive bunt single to load the bases. Pitcher Madi McDonnell helped her own cause by bringing in a run on a fielder’s choice. Likely the smallest player in the game, Marley Neises, jacked a 3-run homer into the new scoreboard to make it, 4-0. I rang my cowbell on runs for both teams. Why not?

Top third, a UML runner, Elizabeth Neeld, was thrown out at home. It looked like maybe seemed like she stepped over the tag and touched home plate. She danced around for a moment before being tagged out. A nearby fan commented on me keeping score and called it a “lost art.” Yep, it’s just the official scorer, the broadcasters, baseball-loving grandmothers, and me doing it. By the bottom of the third, I was getting warm. Marketing Director Nicole Sack was walking around handing out fans. I finally took off my sweatshirt and was still hot.

In the top of the fourth, an RBI double by Julia Rowley for UML made it, 4-1 UTA. Baseball was warming up next door and playing a scrimmage. Some of the guys came over beyond the outfield wall and started taking swings at a large old tire. Thump, thump, thump. I don’t know what that exercise was for.

In the bottom of the fourth, there was a dropped popup on infield that would have been the third out that resulted in a run scoring to make it, 5-1 UTA. In fairness, it was a tough sun out. I looked up a look of times on foul balls into the stands and got blinded, even in sunglasses. The hitter, Dee McClarity, got pegged on the ankle on a pickoff throw by the catcher. She stayed in.

In the bottom of the fifth, we had the scoring anomaly of one flyball going to each outfielder. In the top of the sixth, UML made a nice double play, though there was then a deflected ball at third that the shortstop took a tough error on, as her throw pulled the first baseman off of the bag. A caught stealing ended the inning anyway.

In the bottom of the sixth, a liner hit the fence. The centerfielder caught it off the rebound, but that doesn’t count and a run scored, 6-1 UTA. Hailey Lynn Sralik had a shaky seventh and started getting wild, but finished the game by starting a double play. UTA wins it, 6-1. I’ll pick Marley Neises as our player of the game for her 3-run homer in the second.

Admittedly, I didn’t care about the outcome, but it was so pleasant and I was happy to be out watching a ball game.

Bonus Coverage: NM State Aggies vs UML and UTA

I went to work early afterward and partook of their Superbowl pot luck. I overindulged. There was pizza, mini-corndogs, mini-BBQ weenies, croissants with mini-weenies, and buttery rolls with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni in the middle. I think I also had a donut and something like chocolate pudding. (I’m getting indigested just thinking about it.)

The two Aggie games were on the radio, which I listened to while working. The Aggies played UML first. Devin Elam hit a 3-run homer in the third and had 5 RBI’s overall in a quick, 8-0, run rule win. Taryn Bennett was in the winner with 4 scoreless innings and Zantelle Rodriguez had 1 inning in relief. That was a good start.

The Aggies next played UTA. They went down 5-0 with 4 of those runs unearned. (There was an error with 2 outs.) The Aggies came back in the second with 3 runs, 2 unearned. (I’m seeing a pattern here that will repeat all weekend.) UTA added 1 in the third, but pitcher Faith Aragon and Lauren Garcia both solo-homered to make it, 6-5 UTA. UTA added 2 in the fourth thanks to another error and a steal of home. Aragon was chased from the circle after giving up 8 runs, 3 earned, but not out of the lineup as a hitter.

In the bottom of the fourth, Faith brought in a run on a fielder’s choice. Her cousin, Johnna Aragon, doubled her with another run in the bottom. Reliever Jaileen Mancha, also in the lineup, doubled her in. Finally, Devin homered and the Aggies had an 11-8 lead after a 5-run inning. The seventh was pretty shaky, but Jaileen got out of it with the win, 11-9. There were 5 brutal errors in the game for the Aggies. Still, this was a good start for Aggie Softball.

We’ll be on to Day 2 of the NM State Invitational on ***Saturday.***