Local love story steals show at HRDX: Albuquerque

The fans may have lined up around the block for former MLB stars like Manny Ramirez and Jonny Gomes or donned tee-shirts and jerseys for women's softball and baseball stars like Jocelyn Alo, Alex Hugo and Ashton Lansdell. But on Friday night at Rio Grande Credit Union Field, home of the Albuquerque Isotopes, it was a local love story that stole the show.

On the other was her fiancee, Jared Mang, a former UNM baseball star who was drafted by the Tigers in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, donning the uniform of the Green Chile Cheeseburgers.

Here they were: Two star-crossed lovers facing off with the HRDX title on the line. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, though, this one didn't end in tragedy: Andrea Howard and her Lobos walked away with the trophy in a 63-46 victory.

"At home, I'll probably never hear the end of it," Mang said with a laugh. "Honestly, I'm extremely happy for her. I'm proud of her. She's worked her tail off for this and just to watch her out there, just get to enjoy it and be a superstar like she's always been. It was pretty incredible."

Howard, who put up 26 points on 15 home runs across her two rounds, didn't hold anything back, either: While her fiancee was up at at the plate as the last batter, hoping to bring his team back as he did in the first round, she made a deft sliding catch on one of his very first line drives.

"I had to do that because he did it to my teammates," Howard said while holding the HRDX trophy, a smile on her face. "So I was just protecting my teammates. But we both made great catches, great hits, so it was a great event."

It took an unbelievable performance by Mang in the semifinal to even set up this matchup. With thousands of fans wearing special Manny Ramirez Mariachis giveaway jerseys, Ramirez, all-time NCAA HR leader Jocelyn Alo, and two-time Pecos League HR leader Jared Gay built up an imposing 25-point lead when Mang came up as the Cheeseburgers' last hitter. Most believed the Mariachis had this in the bag: How could anyone except a superstar, a household name, pull off the comeback?

Mang got into a groove though and went off, posting a remarkable and game-best 27 points to give his team the walk-off win. With nearly 30 seconds still on the clock, had Mang not delivered the walk-off victory, he likely would have broken the HRDX record single-round record of 28 points.

"I was completely locked in," Mang said after the game, his performance earning him the orange MVP bat despite the loss. "I knew we were chasing a bunch. I was just trying to be efficient and make good, solid swings. I was so locked in I almost forgot to call for the hot streak. I was glad I remembered and that I got a little help down from the side judge."

It meant that Gay's 23 points -- tied with former Nationals legend Ryan Zimmerman for second-most on Friday night -- was sadly relegated to the notes section.

"When he hit his first five swings and they're just perfect 380-foot line drives out? I'm like, 'He's gonna destroy this,'" Gay said. "27 points? I think he put up one of the greatest rounds ever. If they let him keep hitting, he would have broken 30."

Howard started off the finals strong, putting up 16 points. Gene Trujillo, a riising sophomore at UNM, then added 18 points before the rain came, leading to the first HRDX rain delay in the tournament's three-year history. Though he's known more for his bat, Trujillo also showed off his glove in the outfield, making multiple leaping catches to rob points from the Cheeseburgers.

"I play first," Trujillo said with a laugh when asked about his defense. "I was out there with my first base mitt making plays. Hitting is definitely my strong suit."

Zimmerman then added 10 more points, giving the Lobos the same 25-point lead that Mang erased in the semis.

Unfortunately, with a slick stage, Mang pulled an oblique early into his at-bat. He tried to gut his way through it, pausing briefly to catch his breath, but with a minute left and a 20 point gap, even having Jonny Gomes tag his way back in wasn't enough.

"I slipped a little bit on the stage. My oblique started to go on me, and I wanted to finish it, but I had a couple swings after that, and I knew that I was either going to hurt myself really bad or hurt the team, so I just figured get Jonny in there."

It was too little, too late though: The Lobos ran away with the victory.

After the event ended, Mang, Howard, and the rest of the local players were mobbed by the Albuquerque fans, dozens of children thrusting baseballs through the netting with hopes of getting an autograph.

"I've spent the last, gosh, almost 10 years of my life here, eight years of my life here," Mang said. "I call Albuquerque home now and I coach youth baseball in the community, so just getting to see all these people out here, see the kids get to enjoy it, man, I couldn't be happier."

"It's something I didn't even dream about," Howard said. "But I'm so grateful that I have this opportunity. I just love representing the University of New Mexico, and I'm gonna do it for as long as I possibly can."