ND vs Sac St and NM State vs NE Softball 2-16-24

She earned it.

Welcome to a long weekend of crossed-up sports scheduling.  There are so many softball and baseball games over these four days that this almost feels like work.  (Not quite.  I’m not getting paid, but at least I’m enjoying the spectacle.)  Aggie Baseball is opening their season with four games over four days.  Aggie Softball is hosting the Troy Cox Classic with four teams also over those four days.  I took off for Friday (and await the avalanche of work when I return) and I’ll have Monday off for a federal holiday, so I can potentially show up to watch all four days (though not all the games, since some of them are early in the morning).

 

I had lunch over at dad’s apartment before going off for the Friday noon game.  He fixed hamburgers in his new air fryer.  (And it was tasty.  Buying him the fryer paid off today.)  The weather today was gorgeous in the high 60’s and the forecast is good for the rest of it, too. 

 

At the Softball Complex, I saw a little girl and her dad working on her underhand pitching in the parking lot.  She looked startling good throwing.  Inside, Raising Cane’s had a display set up and a prize wheel.  I took a twirl and won . . . Mardi Gras beads.  Hmm.  I ended up giving them to the little girl later.  Her family were Nebraska fans here to watch a couple of future opponents.  Her and her sister were the only kids in the crowd.  They were good fans and shagged fouls and brought them back to the press box. 

Sac St vs North Dakota Game 2

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks were playing the Sacramento State Hornets on field.  (They’d played an earlier game in the morning with the Hornets winning, 8-0.)  I’d arrived a little late in the first inning.  There was no score.  The crowd was light with parents and some Aggie fans, including our friend, Danny.  I sat down by him and we chatted about some women’s sports mostly.  He very nicely bought me drink later and refused to let me pay him back.   

 

I didn’t keep a scorecard; I just scribbled a few notes on the games.  The Hornets got two on in the bottom of the second, but failed to score.  Hornet pitcher Savannah Wahl struck out the side in the top of the third. 

 

Nebraska showed up around this time.  Their team warmed up nearby.  Their staff set up cameras behind home plate and even on the centerfield perch.  One of the girls sat down by me.  I complimented her red shoes with the Nebraska logo on them.  She said, “Yeah, the branding is a bit much.”  I showed her my Aggie socks. 

 

In the bottom of the third, Lewa Day, I think the Sac State DP, slammed a 3-run homer down the left field line.  Malissa George then drove in two runs with a double.  The Sac State dugout, which was very vocal and spirited for the game, gave her an Indian-style cheer.  (I wonder where that came from.)  5-0 Hornets.

 

In the bottom of the fourth, the ND centerfielder, Kennedy Echols, made a great catch on a deep flyball at the wall.  After, Day drove in Gwen Ludwig from first, as she slid in under the tag.  6-0 Hornets.  AD Mario Moccia walked by with his daughter.  He’d talked about her playing high school softball in an interview.  She doesn’t listen to him shouting instructions on the field. 

Hawk shortstop, Katie Joten, started a nice double play in the bottom of the fifth.  Savannah was still pitching in the sixth.  She had a fastball that really popped.  ND got two on in the inning, but Sav had two K’s and a foul popout to get out of it. 

 

The top of the seventh ended with a great jump catch by Hawk Madison Pederson at first.  ND made a comeback in the final frame.  They loaded the bases with nobody out.  Pederson drove in a run.  A hit batter and a walk drove in two more, before a couple of popups ended the inning.  Sac State wins 6-3.

NM State vs NE Game 1

Before the end of the previous game, a large black handsome service dog came in and stole the show.  Another large black dog came in after.  I think I greeted him at the front gate earlier.  They were both with Nebraska Cornhusker fans.  An Aggie fan brought in an adorable little brown dog and sat down behind me and I got a couple of pets in.  In other words, the game was going to the dogs. 

 

While a little robot, the “Turf Tank,” redrew the lines on the field, Marketing Director, Nicole Sack, came by and gave me a fist bump.  I missed my opportunity with Mario and also with Nicole to question why this marquee double header was scheduled to start at 3:00pm on a Friday afternoon and was crossed up with Aggie Baseball’s Opening Day.  A good crowd was present for the game with a large section of Nebraska fans.   

 

The Aggies looked good with their black uniforms with crimson highlights and white lettering and numbers.  Nebraska made an odd fashion choice wearing dark pink with white stripes.  Danny said they were a preseason #7 in the country, but since the start of the season, they’d lost their star pitcher, a transfer from Oklahoma.  The program didn’t list them being ranked. 

 

Since I didn’t plan on staying, I did not keep a scorecard again.  (A pang of regret follows me typing those words.)  There was radio coverage scheduled for the double header, but it did not materialize.  Oh, well.  There was a new female PA.  I didn’t see her, but she sounded older than a student and had a great voice. 

 

“Go Big Red!” shouted the NE dugout.  Aggie pitcher, Desirae Spearman, was not intimidated.  She had two strikeouts and a flyout to start.  Between innings, Raising Cane’s Frisbees were tossed to the crowd.  (I need that like I need beads.)  In the top of the second, Des smiled after just missing another strikeout, but had another clean inning.  An Aggie hat toss followed. 

 

In the bottom, Des was the first batter and on the first pitch, she hit a line drive shot to left center for a homer.  Kendal Lunar drove the second pitch of the inning to the same place.  Aggies up 2-0! 

 

And that’s when I left.  I wasn’t going to be able to stay for the whole game without missing baseball and I figured I’d need a half hour to get over there and get settled.  I will not keep you in suspense, as I was kept and had to wait until the third inning of the baseball game to hear the final on the radio.  The Aggies win 3-0!  Des not only had the homer and doubled in one of the other runs, but also pitched a one-hitter.  Wow!  And I missed it.  The good news is that I think it was worth it, as I’ll post Aggie Baseball’s Opening Day next.

NM State Aggies vs UTEP Miners Women’s Basketball 2-10-24

 

Unlike yesterday, today’s weather was cold, cloudy, and wet.  It seemingly cleared off when I left for the rivalry match between the Aggies and the Miners in Women’s Basketball.  Aggie Softball was also playing a double header at the same time.  (Great scheduling and its going get worse next week.  Wait for it.)  I didn’t even consider going with the rivalry game on, but since I found out softball would be on the radio, I brought mine along to listen. 

 

I was pretty sure basketball would be over by the time Game 2 would be starting.  Given the cold, I decided against making plans for it.  Also, I wanted to go to Whataburger after the game.  For the Superbowl tomorrow, dad was planning on making something in his new air fryer.  (I’m starting to regret that purchase.)  I wanted something out this weekend.  Amazingly, walking into the Pan-Am Center, there was a Whataburger display.  Attendants were guiding fans in playing a giant fry toss game and a giant onion ring toss game.  There were prizes there and probably coupons, but they were busy and I decided not to stop.  What was I thinking?

 

Instead, I stopped by the merch kiosk.  I thought I’d look for a New Mexico Bowl t-shirt.  I still felt bad that I hadn’t bought one before the game and thought there might be a couple there on discount.  There weren’t any there.         

 

I was surprised entering the arena.  All the seats were now new and crimson.  I knew this was a project they were working on, but it was cool to see it finished.  (Now, they just need to do something with the upper bowl, like more suites.)  Unfortunately, in these new seats were a large contingent of UTEP fans in orange.  Overall, it was a really good crowd at over 1,300.  There were fans in the suites.  Mrs. Hubbard was in attendance wearing a flashy silver jacket with glittering logos in on it. 

 

A fireman played the Anthem on a trumpet after the players all left the court.  Longtime UTEP Coach Keitha Adams and Coach Jody Adams shared a hug before the game.  Coach Keitha was wearing a t-shirt with a sparkling Miner pickaxe on it.  Coach Jody was wearing a crimson plaid business jacket.  On court, UTEP seemed like a tall team.  In particular, Mahri Petree looked like a baller.  I pegged that pregame observation.

 

On the radio, I was curious who would be doing the softball broadcast, as Adam Young was doing TV for this game and Jack Nixon would be doing the Men’s game tonight.  It was the El Paso Chihuahuas’ other announcer, Anthony Rifenburg.  The game between the Aggies and the Abilene Christian Wildcats was delayed slightly for cleaning the field from weather, but started about the same time as the basketball.  

First Quarter

Both teams came out firing.  2-2 and 8’ left in the quarter, Sylena Peterson found Ene Adams wide open under the basket, but she missed.  On the next trip, Molly Kaiser took two shots, but neither fell in.  4-2 Aggies, Sy and Molly tore the ball away from a Miner and got Jaila Harding a layup.  UTEP came back with a brief 4-5 lead on a 3 from Petree.  7’ Jaila got it right back with a 3, 7-5 Aggies.

 

Aggie #42 found Ene under the basket for an easy 2.  #42 then corralled 2 rebounds.  Meanwhile, I’m scanning the program.  There is no “#42” on the Aggies.  Even the scoreboard operator wasn’t identifying her correctly and her long hair was covering the name on the back of her jersey.  Eventually, scoreboard was showing “Gassama.”  Well, that name wasn’t on the program either.  I looked up later that it was Fanta Gassama.  I didn’t recognize the player, but I will in the future after how she played this afternoon.  

 

Molly was taking Purple Hearts.  5’ she took a charge.  4’ she drew another foul.  Lucia Yenes was in briefly and took one shot that missed.  During the first break, she was pulled and the coach chewed her out.  The Sundancers did a performance during the break.  As this was a TV game, these breaks ran long. 

 

The Molly Show continued as she hit a jumper, drew another foul and converted on the free throws, and found Ene for a basket, 15-7 Aggies.  Tylie Jones made a steal on Petree.  This turned into another Molly jumper.  Jaila converted a pair of free throws to make it 19-13 Aggies, which was how the quarter ended.

 

At the softball game, Riley Carley hit a 2-run homer in the first to give the Aggies the lead.  Anthony reported it was drizzling outside, but reported that the crowd was good at 200+.  I don’t entirely trust attendance figures after yesterday, but I could believe this one.    

Second Quarter

Molly was called for a block early and came out.  Sy connected with a 3 to make it 22-13.  Sianny Sanchez-Oliver made a hustle offensive rebound and got the ball to Sy for a layup, 24-14 Aggies.  Timeout UTEP.  In the break, a little girl in a Spider-Man outfit stole the show on Dance Cam.

 

5’ left in the quarter, Sy and Molly were both sitting out.  The Miners started making a bit of a comeback, Ty hit a 3 to get it back to 28-18 lead.  With a 30-20 lead, the Aggies took a timeout.

 

Back at the softball field, the Wildcats walked in a run in the second.  Jillian Taylor hit a 2-run single.  Riley hit a sac fly to make it 6-0.  Desirae Spearman then hit a no-doubt 3-run homer that nearly made it to the next door baseball field.  The Aggies went up 9-0. 

 

Back to the court, Sabou Gueye got a rebound under the basket and the put back, 32-20.  3’ UTEP hit a 3.  Ty made a hustle play to get back and break up a fast break.  Petree made a running layup.  At the other end, Jaila made a 3 as Petree pushed her into the sideline table.  Jaila made the free throw to make it 36-25.  The quarter finished 39-25 Aggies with Molly and Sylena missing most of the action.

 

Halftime

Mrs. Hubbard was on court.  They put her to work drawing a name for a $1K scholarship.  Surprise!  Pistol Pete won.  Good for you, Pete.  I noticed later, former Volleyball stars, Molly Johnson and Tatyana Battle were sitting by Mrs. Hubbard at courtside and chatting with her.  I was wondering if Molly was working there at the Press Table. 

 

A large troop of little girl cheerleaders performed.  I noticed one of the girls was using a walker.  She seemed to have some kind of MS.  After the performance, she got some help getting up the stairs, which was probably more work than the cheering.  God bless her.     

 

While the teams were warming up, the video screen was showing the team’s academic report.  Oh, oh.  Wait, it’s okay.  A bunch of the girls have a 3.0 average.  Loes Rozing actually has a 4.0.  She got a big cheer from the crowd. 

 

At the softball field, they were in the fourth.  The Wildcats had hit a home run to make it 9-1.  The Aggies had put in several reserves by this point.

 

Third Quarter

Molly and Sy were back in.  6’ left in the quarter, Molly lost the ball on a play, but stole it back, but UTEP got it right back got it down court for a layup, 41-30 Aggies.  Molly broke the Aggie drought with a pair of jumpers, 45-34.  Timeout UTEP.

 

It was now raining at softball with the wind blowing.  I was feeling really good about my decision to come here.  4’ Ene fought off two defenders for a layup.  3’ Petree came back with a layup and a foul, 47-37.  Jaila came out of the game.  The coach gave her a long talk on the sideline.  I didn’t see the cause of that.  Ene made a layup to make it 49-39 for the quarter.  Sy took a tumble afterward and came up limping, but she was okay to keep playing. 

 

In the fifth inning and trying to avoid being run-ruled, the Wildcats attempted a suicide squeeze with two on.  It was blown up.  Aggie Softball won 9-1.  The game went an hour and 24 minutes. 

 

Fourth Quarter

Molly drew a charge to start the quarter.  Right after, she tried to lobby her way out of a foul.  She put her around the female ref and chatted with her very friendly-like.  Petree hit a 3.  Sy answered with a 3, 52-42 Aggies.  8’ Fanta made a scoop shot to make it 54-42.  Timeout UTEP.

 

PA Ed announced the Softball score and got a cheer out of the crowd.  Back to play, Molly was called for a travel.  She pointed to herself, “Who?  Me?  Really?”  She put her arm around the ref, “Let’s discuss this for a moment.”  Molly may have career options with the Harlem Globetrotters or perhaps acting in general.  I’m loving it.  Molly got the ball back on a steal attempt on Petree and a jump ball.

 

More seriously, Fanta fouled out.  She left the game with 11 rebounds.  Very impressive.  4’ Molly finger-rolled one in to make it 56-46.  The Miners came back with a furious defensive set and got a steal.  They got a layup and a foul and the Miner fans piped up and got loud, 56-51.  Timeout Aggies.

 

Jaila hit a 3 coming right out of the timeout to make it, 59-51.  UTEP answered with a 3, 59-54.  The Aggie fans started chanting.  Molly popped a jumper and got everyone fired up, 61-54.  Molly was then fouled hard going for the basket.  With that, Jane Asinde fouled out for UTEP with 11 points (and was pretty intimidating at 6’2” with a bald head).  Molly made a free throw to make it 62-54 with a minute-and-a-half left.  UTEP timeout. 

 

The Miners made a 3 coming out of the break, 62-57.  Sy made a free throw after a foul, 63-57, with a minute left.  The Miners were intentionally fouling.  Petree wrapped her arms around Tylie at midcourt.  She then stood there with a look of total regret and shock on her face.  That was her fifth foul.  Mahri Petree fouled out with 18 points.  She was the high-scorer of the game.  Ty made her free throws and the game would finish 66-59 Aggies.

That was a heck of a game.  Molly Kaiser finished with 15 points, Jaila Harding with 16 points, and Ene Adams with 14 points and 12 rebounds.  This was a clutch game for the Aggies.  Their rebounding was exceptional.  They had 20 second chance points and 12 more rebounds.  You knew the Miners were going to come back at some point.  Lucky for the Aggies, the Miners lost two of their best scorers at the end.  This might be my last Women’s Basketball game of the season due to scheduling conflicts with baseball and softball (and some questionable themes for upcoming basketball games), so this was a great way to go out.

 

I ran into Tatyana on the way out and asked if she was taking good care of Mrs. Hubbard.  She was.  Game 2 for the Softball double header started before the end of the basketball game.  Des was pitching.  Anthony was giving some ominous weather reports, so I was sort of prepared before I went back outside.  It was cold and windy with nothing but dark clouds overhead.   

 

After I made it made it back to my truck, the deluge started.  I was lucky there, but I quickly abandoned the thought of going out to eat.  I made a short, nervous drive back home in the pouring rain.  It let up just after I pulled in like five minutes later.

This obviously affected the softball game.  They’d just finished the first inning.  There was no score as an Aggie runner had been thrown out at home.  The game went into a delay.  I kept the radio on for updates.  Anthony reported the grounds crew was working to make the field playable again.  (I don’t think they have a tarp.)  The girls on both teams went out to help clear the water.  He said that their uniforms were going to need heavy duty cleaning tonight with all that mud.    

  

In the third, Jillian Taylor drove in the first run.  In the fourth, Kayla Lunar tripled in 2 runs to make it 3-0.  (Myself and Anthony were confused by the Home Depot theme music being playing during an opposing pitcher change.)  Des had 10 K’s over 6 innings.  No wonder Coach Rodolph is calling her the best two-way player she’s ever seen.  The Wildcats got lots of traffic on the bases, but didn’t get anything over.

 

Laurali Patane came on in the seventh.  She let two on and one scored on a single, but Jillian threw out the trailing runner at home from centerfield.  Emily Dix came was brought in after a walk, but the game ended with Kendal Lunar throwing out a runner at third after a wild pitch.  Aggies win 3-0.  Attendance was officially 273 and, with the delay, the game went over three hours.  That was a hard won victory, mostly over the elements.

 

Finally I have to report the last Aggie game of the day.  I joined the Aggie Men’s Basketball game versus UTEP in El Paso at the half, as soon as Softball ended.  The Aggies were down and never recovered.  They lost 74-49.  I found out the Miners went up 12-0 to start the game.  The team has had some incredibly exciting victories at home this season and are 11-1 at the Pan-Am Center.  On the road, they’re 0-10.  Coach Hooten had no explanation and seemed lost.  I hope they figure it out before the end of the season. 

 

It’s pretty rare that all of the Aggie teams win on the same day.  Overall, I’m happy with the games I got to see over the last two days and just a bit disappointed about dinner. 

NM State Aggies vs Monmouth Hawks Softball 2-9-24

Yikes!  My last Aggie post was in the middle of December.  There was winter break and some road games in-between.  I had the opportunity to go to a Women’s Basketball game a couple of weeks ago, but I’d gone out in the morning with dad and didn’t want to go back out.  I was given two tickets to the Men’s Basketball for the “Pack the Pan Am” event” last week.  I couldn’t find anyone else to go with and didn’t want to go by myself.        

Once again, I’m preempting a post with Football news.  It wasn’t a very Merry Christmas for Aggie Fans.  News came a week after the New Mexico Bowl that Coach Jerry Kill had stepped down.  Further developments were that he was retiring from being a head coach, though he’d be open to work as an analyst.  Add to that, quarterback Diego Pavia had entered the transfer portal.  Ho, ho, ho.

 

AD Mario Moccia had seemed so upbeat earlier in the week.  I don’t think he had any idea it was coming.  He’d just raised $1.1M to sign Kill to a new contract (which may have also included paving the parking lot).  Mario, in an interview, flat out said he’d tried to talk Kill out of leaving.  He was also uncharacteristically feisty and pledged to not let the program backslide.  For now, Tony Sanchez, the wide receivers coach, has been promoted to head coach.  He’d previously been a head coach at UNLV.  Mario had said it was too late to start a national search for a new coach.  

The team had already lost its offensive coordinator to Vanderbilt before the announcement and is still losing more players to the portal after it.  We also wonder how many committed players have now changed their minds.  I think the fans will stand behind the team, at least for next season.  How good the team will be depends on who’s left on it.  Regardless, it’s been a great two years for Aggie Football.  Thanks, Coach Kill.

 

I wrote that football stuff in December and have been sitting on it the whole time.  I’m feeling a bit less hurt now.  Pavia signed with Vanderbilt, along with his backup, Blaze Berlowitz.  (Former starting quarterback, Gavin Frakes, also left.  That’s three of four quarterbacks on the team.)  As mentioned, the offensive coordinator went there to be their new head coach, along with another coach.  Coach Kill, who is still living in Las Cruces right now, will also be working for them.  I saw a Vanderbilt article wondering how their football program got taken over by New Mexico State.  Offensive line standout, Shiyazh Pete, has committed to staying.  I put Twitter to good use and sent thanks to him.        

 

The worst was yet to come.  I lost my home Internet connection two weeks ago.  I won’t go into details.  I’m considering reconnecting, but haven’t decided.  I’ve also lost the will to live without Twitch at home.  Thankfully, I can still get it at work.  The bottom line is that this is going to put some delays in posting about games, since I can’t look up stats and names right afterward. 

 

This brings us up to date.  Today was Aggie Softball’s opening day.  They were starting with a double header that would begin at 2:00pm.  I thought I could probably sneak Game 1 in before having to go to work.  Though it’s early February, the weather was only partly cloudy and cool.  I ended up wishing I’d brought my sunglasses for the glare.  I was also hiding from the sun for part of the game, but it was actually pleasant.  I was bundled up, but ended up taking off the coat and scarf quickly.

 

I picked up the nice new team poster up front.  The stands were full for the game, amazing for a Friday afternoon game.  Monmouth even brought a section of fans.  Officially, it was 257, but that was way low count.  There were some ladies sitting around me that seemed to work for the university.  One asked a friend if this was Coach Rodolph’s last year.  She didn’t know.  On the team, my favorite, Jillian Taylor, was still on the roster.  Unfortunately, pitcher Aydenne Brown was gone.  She’s now with SFA.  Kendal Lunar and Riley Carley were picked as a preseason all-conference.  That’s all of my scouting. 

I’m not sure if these scorecards really add up.  When I had a minute at work, I checked them against the official scoring and changed some calls without questioning them.  That sort of takes the fun out of it.  If the scoreboard at the park was better or if the PA would always give the line at end of an inning, I wouldn’t have any problems (theoretically). 

 

Emily Dix started for the Aggies.  She gave up a walk with two strikeouts in a scoreless first.  During the frame, an ump motioned for a strike without a pitch.  I think this was a penalty strike.  The fan ladies had mentioned that pace-of-play rules were now in effect for softball.  Coaches’ timeouts seemed to be limited in this game, as opposed to constantly going to the circle.  Also, Coach Rodolph was sending pitch calls electronically instead of shouting out in code.       

Billie Kerwood started for the Hawks.  She was cute and screamed like a tennis player when she released a pitch.  I almost think the Aggies were caught off-guard by the noise.  They went down in order with two strikeouts.  Newcomer, Desirae Spearman, hammered one foul.  The dugout shouted, “Hit it that way,” while pointing at the outfield.  Des struckout on a good offspeed pitch.

 

Dix gave up a double in the second, but got out of it with a strikeout and two grounders.  In the bottom, Kerwood let on two Aggies with a single and an error, but a double play from a line out and a doubled off runner ended the inning.  There was a t-shirt toss to the crowd between frames, nearly causing a riot.  The crowd was also instantly on the ump over a couple of close calls. 

 

The third inning started with Kayla Lunar (Kendal’s sister) making an errant throw on a bunt to third, which sent the runner to second.  The next batter also hit it to Kayla.  She threw out that runner at first.  The runner at second unwisely tried to take third and was gunned down for a double play.  Kayla made the third out on another grounder.  She came off the field pumped with her teammates congratulating her.

 

In the bottom, Savannah Bejarano came up as the number nine hitter.  After a couple of bad swings, the coach took a timeout to talk to her.  Sav promptly singled.  Good talk.  However, the Aggies still didn’t score.  The fourth began with a walk.  Coach Rodolph took another timeout and Dix came back with a strikeout and two groundouts.  Another good talk.  Kerwood gave up a single in the bottom, but that was all.  She seemed to be getting louder.   

 

The Hawks went down in order in the fifth.  During the souvenir toss, I was hit twice, but didn’t pick up either of them as they were grabbed around me.  They were “Slap Sticks,” which turned out to be inflatable thunder sticks, which some of the fans quickly made use of.  There was no Stretch.  I don’t know if they forgot or got rid of it for pace-of-play.   

 

Kayla started the bottom of the fifth with a single.  Jayleen Burton got on via an error and advanced to second with a stolen base.  Sav laid down a bunt next for some reason, which only resulted in an out.  Dezianna Patmon came in to pinch hit.  Her grounder drove in Kayla for the first run of the game.  Jayleen was thrown out trying to take third afterward to end the inning.  The scoreboard did not show the run.  The ump motioned for it to count.  Perhaps a new crew was running the scoreboard.  It took them a couple of minutes, but they finally had to reset the whole scoreboard to put the run up.  The crowd cheered.  1-0 Aggies.

 

Dix gave up a single to start the sixth, but no further damage.  In the bottom, the Organ Mountain Softball team came in and sat down around me.  Some came in with blankets, so they were prepared for the night cap game.  Des came up and hit a hustle triple.  Riley came up next and hit a grounder that hit the third baseman in the face.  Des scored and Riley was safe at first and then stole second.  Devin Elam drove them with a double, but was then thrown out trying to take third.  (The team was very aggressive on the bases.)  Kendal came up and slapped a home run to left to make it 4-0 Aggies.

 

Before the seventh, the ump and Kendal spoke for a moment.  She flashed him a big smile that I had no trouble seeing through her mask.  There was a liner hit into the Aggie dugout that nearly hit one of the coaches.  The high school girls had a little discussion about the times they’d hit coaches with foul balls.  It’s apparently a pretty common occurrence. 

 

The next batter doubled.  Jillian made it a close play at second with her throw.  The next batter singled.  Jayleen threw out the lead runner when she tried to advance on the play.  After a hit batter, pinch hitter, Ana Rodriguez doubled in the Hawks’ first run, but on the play, Jayleen again threw out the runner going to third.  This ended the game.  Aggies win 4-1!

 

Emily Dix gets an easy gameball for going the distance, only giving up 6 hits and 1 run with 5 strikeouts.  Billie Kerwood was sort of a hard luck loser, as she matched Dix through five innings, but had that bad sixth inning.  Devin Elam went 2 for 3 with an RBI.  Kendal Lunar went 1 for 3, but that one was a homer. 

 

I was pleased.  This was a nice tight game.  I think it only took an hour and 45 minutes.  I made it to work in plenty of time.  I was even early and ate a couple of pieces of pizza from the Superbowl potluck before starting work. 

 

I was a bit less pleased later when I checked in on the stats for Game 2 and suddenly realized there had been radio coverage for the games.  (That wasn’t on the schedule when I’d written down the games last month.)  If I’d had Internet, maybe I would have caught that before I left.  I’d missed Game 2’s coverage, but the Aggies had won that one 10-3.  Desirae Spearman got the win pitching and hit a homer in the game.  I was okay with missing freezing out at the night game and happy with the softball I’d gotten. 

Sketch Dump: The Random Pad 15 AI Takeover

And then this happened.  I came into work after taking pictures of all the sketches a couple of weeks ago.  Mike, whose smart phone I'd used to take the pictures, told me he'd run a couple of my sketches through an AI drawing program.  (I'm guessing it was a slow day.)

Here's my original crappy sketch of Twitch streamer, Dizzy Kitten.

Here's what the computer did with it.

Here's Twitch streamer, Galadriex.  (I thought this sketch actually looked pretty good.)

Here's what the computer did with it.

I'm not sure what the AI was thinking exactly compared to the original, but I can definitely say it did it much better than I did.  Honestly, this was a bit devastating to my ego and I didn't need less confidence in my drawing skills.  I'm tempted to sketch these AI drawings, but it seems so meta.  Anyway, I'm going to keep drawing, though I don't know why.   

Sketch Dump: The Random Pad 14

A bunch of thumbnails.  Not worth noting each one.

Singer and TV presenter, Minerva Borjas and Mexican actress, Mayte Perroni.

 An unidentified singer from Twitch and actress, Xochitl Gomez, anime-style.

Wonder Woman (and a hand).

Game streamer Avori.

Frivvy (Youtube, Twitch).

Yeah, I should have trimmed the number of pictures down more.  I should probably also stop putting names to these pictures unless they actually look like the people I'm drawing.  Anyway, I'm still drawing and have started another sketchpad, but on an irregular schedule.  I really hope to figure out how to draw better.

Sketch Dump: The Random Pad 13

A couple of Patrick Nagel inspired sketches.

Streamer Dizzykitten.

Another one of Dizzy and one of Frivvy (Youtube, Twitch).

These are two of Anna Luther, a singer on Twitch.  She's such a sweetheart.

 Actress Miranda Cosgrove.

Sketch Dump: The Random Pad 12

A couple of sketches of Alex Morgan from an SI photoshoot.

This might be the best of the bunch from this sketchbook.  Streamer Galadriex.  

I was getting desperate by this point late in the sketchbook.  I went back did some Patrick Nagel drawings from an artbook that I'd gotten in the 80's.