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Shocker with 4 straight singles in bottom 2 to take a 2-0 lead
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Man, I was beginning to wonder if the apathy of this program had reached its peak when there was no in-game thread about the start of the AAC play with Memphis. You're probably wondering, "then why didn't you start one?" Simple, I was performing a social experiment to see how long it would go before someone chimed in. -
After 5 .4-0Comment
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Bottom of 6th, bases loaded, no outs.
Walk 1 run in. 5 - 2
Stuck out swinging.Comment
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Hey I found it! 6-2. Sound is terrible...but the crowd looks worse.Comment
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I remember when i couldnt buy a blue seatComment
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Considering Memphis has gotten their lead off batter on in each of the 1st 7 innings, twice on doubles, Shocker pitching has done pretty well holding Memphis to 2 runs in those 7 innings.Comment
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This is a team we should destroy even in our terrible state.Comment
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Shox Win Shox Win
Oh wait, we played Memphis.
Good start to the weekend.Comment
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Shox are undefeated in conference play! Let's enjoy it while it lasts, which probably will be tomorrowComment
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Carver starting tomorrow.Be nice to win this series and we probably don’t win many in the AAC this year.Comment
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Man, almost all negative....probably won't win many, oh wait it's Memphis, probably end tomorrow. Sad to me. I realize I'm the only one, or one of very few.
I keep going back and forth about the game last night. In some ways I felt like 2 steps back. Couple of WP (more without runners on) couple of HBP, We were gifted most of our runs. Snavely probably with his worst outing so far, stuff wise. Left a bunch on, failed to get runners home from 3rd with less than 2 out more than once. Struck out 9 times.
But then, they win in a game that they never really sweated. Snavely worked into the 6th and battled through not having his best stuff giving up nothing until the 6th. Only walked 3 and only 1 outside of the mess of the top of the 6th. Peters, Segal and Walters were really sharp minus Peters first 2 batters. Brady Slavens returned to form going 2-4, raising his average to .319. Not bad for a kid that should be getting ready for his first game of his senior year in high school right now. Bottom of the lineup did their job. Everyone got at least one hit sans Gibby who gets a pass for ending the Ku game.
Can't sweep the series if you don't win the first one, something we struggled with mightily all last year. Hopefully Cal can keep the TIgers off balance today and they can go to 2-0 in league.Comment
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Doc, I'm glad the Shocks won. Unfortunately, this series won't tell us much from a positive outlook. The Tigers were picked to finish last, we were picked 7th with Cincy in between us, and we're at home. How big a plus will a sweep be? Great for confidence and a little more time to work on things before the schedule gets more difficult. On the other hand, not sure what a 3-1 split will tell us. Anything less would not be a good sign.
We dodged a few things last night as well. They put the leadoff batter on 7 straight innings. We also had a faux pas when we missed catching that foul ball at a key time in the game, but no damage.
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For the first time this season the Shocks have pitched effectively in 3 consecutive games. Admittedly you might say it wasn't against the toughest part of the Shocks schedule but in the 3 games prior to the last 3 a relatively light hitting Rhode Island team had scored a total of 26 runs. In the last 3 games against Rhode Island, Kansas and Memphis the Shockers have allowed only 6 runs. I guess it remains to be seen whether this improvement can be more or less sustained especially after we get through this long home stand when the schedule gets tougher. But you have to start somewhere. It will be interesting to see if Cal Carver can validate his excellent start against Rhode Island with another quality start today.
Preston Snavely is an interesting pitcher especially for a #1 guy. Not dominating and consistently seems to be working with runners on base, often in scoring position. At the same time he seems to always be able to go 5 or 6 innings (but generally no more than that) while usually keeping the Shocks in games.
The Shocks are still at the bottom of the AAC pitching stats as a team as they are 9th in ERA at 6.03 (although this has dropped from 7.21 after the last 4 games), 9th in opposition batting average, hits allowed, runs allowed, earned runs allowed, walks allowed, and they lead the AAC in number of wild pitches.
OTOH, the offense has actually been pretty good. The Shocks are in the top 4 in the AAC in team batting average, slugging percentage (despite only being 7th in home runs), on base percentage, runs scored and hits. The Shocks are far and away leading the league in get hit by pitches at 41 with Tulane next at 29.
Jordan Boyer is leading the league with a.424 batting average and Luke Ritter is 4th at .393.
Obviously, if the Shocks are going to be successful this year the pitching needs to continue to show improvement especially when the schedule strength picks up in April and May. That's when the rubber needs to be ready to hit the road.Last edited by 1972Shocker; March 23, 2019, 10:54 AM.Comment
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Cal gave up a solo homer to lead off the 2nd inning, a ball the cleared the center field fence and Jacob Katzfey's glove by only the slimmest of margins. In fact, at first I though Jacob caught the ball. Cal gave up back-to-back singles to open the 3rd inning and his day was done as Tommy Barnhouse is brought on in relief. Seemed like a pretty quick hook.
Memphis tried to sacrifice the runners to 2nd and 3rd but ended up getting a bunt single to load the bases.
Tommy got away with a hanging breaking pitch and then got a strike out on a high fast ball at or above the letters. Tommy got 2nd strikeout after getting ahead in the count and now the Shocks have good shot of getting out of the inning. Tommy jumped ahead 1-2 before going to a full count and gave up a 2-run single to left to make it 3-0 Memphis. Tommy may have him the hitter struck out on a check swing on a 2-2 pitch but the infield ump said he did not go around. No replay so I can't say for sure but it looked like it could have gone either way in real time.
A Noah Croft single and stolen base followed one out later by a Jordan Boyer home run to left center cuts the Memphis lead to 1 at 3-2 after 3 innings. Shocks seem to be getting some good swings off of the Memphis starter.
In the bottom of the 6th the Shocks are playing station-to-station ball. With 1 out the Shocks have strung together singles by Mason O'Brien, Paxton Wallace, Ross Cadena, Brady Slavens and Alex Jackson each only advancing 1 base on each of the 5 hits but scoring 2 runs. Jacob Katzfey broke the string of hits but his sac fly to right plated the 3 run of the inning as the Shocks move ahead 5-3 at the end of 6.
A walk, sac bunt, wild pitch and 2 out infield single in the top of the 7th makes the score 5-4 but in the bottom of the inning the Shockers answered that run with a 1 out walk to Luke Ritter followed by a double to left field by Mason O'Brien to mover their lead back to 2 at 6-4 at the end of 7.
Eric Segal walks the first 2 Memphis batters in the top of the 8th. Mitchell Walters comes in and gets two strike outs and a 2-hopper to Jordan Boyer to get out of the inning unscathed.
In the bottom of the 8th back-to-back doubles by Alex Jackson and Jacob Katzfey at the bottom of the order produce an insurance run. A Jordan Boyer fly to right moves Jacob to 3rd and then Jacob scores on a Hunter Giboson ground out to 2nd to put the Shocks up 8-4.
Mitchell Walters back out to pitch the 9th for the Shocks. Mitchell gives up a 1 out Charmin single to right just out of the reach of Mason O;Brien at 1st base but gets a 6-4 force out at second and strikes out the Memphis DH to end the game. Not sure what the Memphis DH wore today but he struck out 5 times. A platinum fedora perhaps.
Shocks now positioned to go for the sweep tomorrow.Last edited by 1972Shocker; March 23, 2019, 06:12 PM.Comment
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