Softball in Boca - UConn - W

[psycHOGlogist]

Seems like we are off to a late start down in Boca. Will post the lineup here as soon it goes up. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, a little bit about UConn. They are currently 2-4 on the year with wins over IUPUI and UT-Chattanooga and losses to Radford, Kennesaw St, Kentucky (4-2 yesterday) and FAU (5-0 yesterday). Their whole first weekend was canceled due to weather, so they haven't played as many games. Their roster looks very young, with lots of Fr and So on it. They had a pretty poor season last year -- 19-33 overall, 4-12 in the AAC conference. I hope that means that they aren't very good again this year, but the losses to Ky and FAU were at least reasonable. They have not been run-ruled yet this year.

Ok, while I was typing all that, the lineup went up. Looks the same as yesterday, with Storms back to the circle.

1. Canfield - CF
2. Hiers - C
3. Schroeder - RF
4. Warrick - DP
5. Cooper - LF
6. Diaz - 1b
7. Belans - SS
8. Yannetti - 2b
9. Russell - 3b

Storms - P

[psycHOGlogist]

T1
We're the "home" team today, so UConn up first.

Storms gets the first batter swinging, 1 down.
Second batter, same result. 2 down.
3 hitter singles up the middle, runner on 1st, 2 outs.
Storms plunks the 4 hitter.
The next hitter bounces one up the middle for a single, and the runner from second scores on a very close play at the plate. It looked like the throw beat her. Wondering if Hiers dropped the ball.
Next batter grounds out to Storms.

Not a great start - 1-0 bad guys on two hits and a HBP.

Due up in B1 - Top of the order.

[psycHOGlogist]

B1
UConn is throwing a Fr LHP from CT. She is having trouble controlling her rise ball - over the catcher's head a couple times.

Canfield grounds out to 2b.
Hiers walks.
Visit to the mound to try to talk to the P. More high rise balls. (The first inning is being periscoped)
Schroeder bloops one just between the SS and 2b, it falls, and everyone is safe. Runners on 1/2 for Warrick, 1 out.
Warrick K's swinging.
Cooper grounds out to 2b to end the threat.
UConn up 1-0 after 1.

Due up for the Huskies: the 7-8-9 hitters.

[psycHOGlogist]

T2

Storms walks the first hitter. Getting some interesting ball/strike calls, it seems.
CT is trying to bunt and play small ball, but Storms strikes the hitter out. 1 down.
Next hitter gets the bunt down, but Russell makes a great play to get her at first, runner advances, 2 out.
Next batter hits a nubber to P, who guns her down. Storms looks like she fields her position well!

Due up for the Hogs - Diaz, Belans, Yannetti.

[psycHOGlogist]

B2

Diaz flies out to RF. Not good contact.
Belans plops one out to short RF for a single.
Yannetti hits a can of corn out to CF on a 3-1 pitch. 2 outs.
Russell puts down a beautiful bunt and literally no one is covering first. Single, runners on 1-2 for Canfield, 2 out.
Canfield drills one right at the first baseman, who bobbles it. No play anywhere. They gave her a single??? Looked like E3 to me. If it's a single, that's her 200th career hit. Bases loaded.
Ugh. Hiers check swings at a pitch at her eyes and hits and soft roller to 2b for the 3rd out.

Need better clutch hitting than that.

On to T3, UConn up 1-0. Due up for Storms: 2-3-4 hitters.

[psycHOGlogist]

T3

First hitter singles through left side -- good piece of hitting.
Next batter grounds to Russell, who gets the lead runner at 2b. 1 out, runner on 1.
Next batter grounds into DP - 6-4-3. (Though softball twitter says it was 4-6-3, not sure who's right.)

Due up for the Hogs - Schroeder-Warrick-Cooper.

[psycHOGlogist]

B3

Schroeder gets plunked, takes her base. Beringhele PR for her.
Warrick flies out to CF.
Cooper pops out to SS. 2 down.
Diaz's doubles to RC, scoring Beringhele! (Weird, the pbp initially had her flying out to CF? Maybe an illegal pitch call?)

ETA - RazorbackSB twitter confirms it was an illegal pitch, giving Diaz another swing. Nice! (*pats self on back for good guess)

Belans up with runner on 2nd.
Belans K's swinging.

But the Hogs tie it up! 1-1 heading to the T4.


Due up T4 to face Storms: 5-6-7 hitters.

[psycHOGlogist]

T4 -
Leadoff hitter singles to LF. (Storms has to work on not letting leadoff hitters get on.) PR at first.
More small-ball from UConn. SB moves runner to 2b, 1 out.
Next batter hits a chopper to Diaz, easy play at 1b, but runner advances to 3b, 2 down.
Storms gets an easy bouncer to Yannetti to end the inning.

Due up B4 - Yannetti, Russell, and Canfield.

[psycHOGlogist]

B4

Yannetti hits a blooper that drops in front of CF who over runs it a bit, and Yannetti ends up with double!
Parr on to PR.
Russell hits a fly to deep R, caught, but Parr advances to 3b.
And Canfield does the same to deep left for a Sac Fly RBI! Hogs now up 2-1. 2 outs no one on for Hiers.
Hiers can't lay off another rise ball and K's swinging.

But the :razorback: are now up, heading to T5.

Due up for UConn: 9-1-2

[psycHOGlogist]

T5

Sigh. First batter hits chopper to SS, and Belans throws it away, runner advances to 2b.
C'mon, defense.

UConn SB moves runner to 3b, 1 out.
And UConn ties it up on their own Sac Fly to deep(ish) RF. 
Bases empty, 2 outs.
Clean-up hitter grounds to deep short, Belans with the nice throw to get her.

Tied up 2-2 on an unearned run, headed to B5.

Due up for the Hogs: Schroeder, Warrick, and Cooper.

[psycHOGlogist]

B5

Schroeder walks.
PPock on to PH for Warrick. Have to assume she's bunting.
But when you assume ... she hits a single right up the middle!!!
2 on, no outs for Cooper.
Cooper grounds out to 1b, advancing the runners. 2nd/3rd, 1 out, for Diaz.
Diaz drills one right at the CF, no one advances. 2 outs.
Belans draws a 4-pitch walk. Bases loaded, two outs for Yannetti.
Yannetti makes the pitcher work, but fans on a rise ball. We really have to have better discipline against rise ball pitchers.

Headed to T6. Due up for UConn: 4-5-6
Moll to the circle to pitch.

[psycHOGlogist]

T6
Moll K's first batter, way in front of the change. 1 down.
Moll gets a K the same way on the next batter, 2 down.
She K's the side after blowing one right past the hitter.

Due up for the Hogs in B6 - Russell, Canfield, Hiers.

[psycHOGlogist]

T6

Russell hits a tapper back to P, 1 down.
Canfield hits a bouncer to 2b, 2 down.
Hiers hits an easy chopper to 3b, nothing doing.

T7 due up: 7-8-9

[psycHOGlogist]

T7

Belans makes a nice play on a chopper, 1 down.
Another chopper to Belans, 2 down.
Moll gets the 3rd out on her 4th K.

Due up on B7: Schroeder, Warrick/PPock, Cooper.

[psycHOGlogist]

B7

Schroeder pops out to 1b. We keep hitting under the rise balls (or missing them).
Pocklington, who stayed in, K's swinging.
Cooper fouls out to RF.

On to the 8th.
International tiebreaker in place - runner starts on 2b for each team.

[psycHOGlogist]

T8
UConn SB moves runner to 3rd, 1 out.
They apparently try to steal home, runner out, 2 outs.
(ETA - what happened was that the runner tried to advance home on a WP, but Hiers fielded it quickly and tossed it to Moll covering the plate, and they got the runner.)

Moll walks next batter.
Next batter singles, runners 1st and 2nd, 2 outs. First hit UConn's gotten in a while.
Runners advance on a WP. Sigh.
Moll walks the bases loaded. Double sigh.
Yes! We get the third out on a grounder to Russell! No damage done.

On to B8, where we'll get a runner on 2b.
Due up Diaz, Belans, Yannetti.

[psycHOGlogist]

B8 - Cooper placed on 2b. Bugarin comes in to PR for her.

Diaz lays down the Sac Bunt -- way to go, Ashley!!! 1 down, Bugarin on 3b for Belans.
And the rise ball control problems FINALLY do in the UConn pitcher. She throws one over the catcher's head and Bugarin scores on the WP!!!

WPS!  :razorback: s win 3-2 in extras.

A little disappointed we didn't have more offense, and that our defense gave up another unearned run, but the W is the W!!!

9-1 on the year.

We won 10 games total last year, for purposes of reference.

[flippinhogmana]

HARD FOUGHT game

[flippinhogmana]

what was the deal with Cooper being "placed on second"?

[psycHOGlogist]

Sometimes they play "tiebreaker" rules in order to prevent games (like those at tournaments) from going on forever, so they "goose" the offense by starting the inning with a runner on 2b. The last hitter to make an out from the previous inning is placed there (but can be pinch run for, as we did). Games usually end quickly that way.

Not all competitions use that rule, and it's unique to softball.

Next game is Memphis, which starts in around 15 minutes.

[pigture perfect]

Glad to hear we won. Thanks for posting it.

[flippinhogmana]

Sometimes they play "tiebreaker" rules in order to prevent games (like those at tournaments) from going on forever, so they "goose" the offense by starting the inning with a runner on 2b. The last hitter to make an out from the previous inning is placed there (but can be pinch run for, as we did). Games usually end quickly that way.

Not all competitions use that rule, and it's unique to softball.

Next game is Memphis, which starts in around 15 minutes.

thought it might be something like that.  thanks for the pbp for both games!