MVC Softball Tournament

[flyingMoose]

Missouri State hosts this year's tournament in Springfield. The tournament is a single-elimination, double-bye format with the winner of the 5-8 seeds game playing the 4 seed and the winner of the 6-7 game playing the 3, all on Thursday. Friday has the 1 seed playing the 4-5-8 winner and the 2 seed playing the 3-6-7 winner. The winners of the Friday games play on Saturday for the championship. The tournament has a live video feed.

The Shockers first game is at 130pm on Thursday against Creighton.

http://www.mvc-sports.com/softball/news/2010-11/5185/2011-state-farm-mvc-softball-championship/

The Shockers may be in line for some individual awards. Gert is hitting .462 (all stats are conference only) with a 1.066 OPS. Jamie is .293/.866. If there are newcomer/freshman awards, Erin is .317/.847, most of it as a DP.

[flyingMoose]

Re: MVC Softball Tournament

The Shockers may be in line for some individual awards. Gert is hitting .462 (all stats are conference only) with a 1.066 OPS. Jamie is .293/.866. If there are newcomer/freshman awards, Erin is .317/.847, most of it as a DP.

http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=61321&SPID=2845&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205149709&DB_OEM_ID=7500

Gert is first-team All-Conference, and Sammie is second team.

[flyingMoose]

Game One

Missouri State 3-0 Bradley

Natalie Rose tosses a four-hit shutout and the Bears score three in the fourth to advance to a game with Northern Iowa later today.

Yes, the Bears' catcher still has the yips. Interestingly, the plate umpire used a scissors stance, something you see in baseball, but very rarely in softball.

[flyingMoose]

Game Two

Creighton 8-1 Shocks

KA starts this one, Erin is in right replacing Danika and Holly is the DP. Becca Changstrom is the starter for Creighton, a pitcher we did not see in the conference series.

Two illegal pitches to Kiersten in the first at-bat, and she walks. Jamie's ground ball advances her to second, but the threat ends there.

After a strike out, Katie smacks a batter in the mask to put a runner on. Creighton follows with a double down the left field line, a single down the right field line to score two, a chopper through the 5-6 hole and a double steal, but two ground outs get the Shocks out of the inning. Creighton leads 2-0 after one.

The score is unchanged after three with Kiersten in the first inning being the only Shocker runner to this point.

In the Creighton fourth, a single and a sac gets a runner in scoring position. Hurrying to try to get the runner going from second to third, Jamie's misses Sammie's throw off a ground ball for an error. A sac fly plates the runner from third. Creighton leads 3-0 after four.

In the fifth, Creighton has a two-out single, a stolen base and another single to score their fourth run. Sloan is in. A walk, and a soft single to right center scores one. Another soft single to center scores another. A single to right scores the fourth run of the inning for Creighton. The Jays lead 7-0 after five.

Changstrom retires seventeen in a row until Kiersten walks with two outs in the sixth. Jamie follows with a triple to right center, the Shocks' first hit of the day, to score Kiersten and the Shocks trail, 7-1.

Sloan comes out for the sixth. I had hoped Breezy would have the chance to end her career in the circle. After an out and a walk, Breezy is in. She gets an out with a stolen base during the at-bat. A single scores another for Creighton, and we are on to the seventh.

A walk to Sammie is the only noise in the seventh. Changstrom pitches a one-hitter, spotting the ball very effectively, and Creighton advances to play Southern Illinois later today.

For the first time under Perniciaro, the Shocks lose the first-round game in the tournament.

[flyingMoose]

Game Three

Northern Iowa 0-2 Missouri State

Natalie Rose throws her second shutout of the day, a three-hitter, to lead the Bears into the second day of the tournament. A sac bunt becomes a bunt single, one of their two hits in the game, to key the two runs they scored in the sixth. Missouri State faces Illinois State tomorrow.

There have been a myriad of Bears fans at these games, most of them dressed as seats.

[flyingMoose]

Game Four

Southern Illinois 4-0 Creighton

The Salukis lead in this game 4-0 after five innings, but it has been suspended due to weather and will be completed tomorrow morning.

Southern Illinois completed their win over Creighton this morning. Danielle Glosson threw a three-hitter for SIU, and three Creighton errors led to three unearned runs. The Salukis play Drake later today.

[flyingMoose]

Game Five

Illinois State 2-4 Missouri State

The Bears rode the hot arm of Natalie Rose who struck out nine to the finals of the Valley Tournament with a win over the top-seeded Redbirds.

[flyingMoose]

Game Six

Drake 4-1 Southern Illinois

Brynne Dordel relieved Pitcher of the Year Jenna DeLong in the first and allowed two hits the rest of the way to lead Drake to the finals of the Valley Tournament against Missouri State.

[flyingMoose]

Game Seven

Drake 4-7 Missouri State

Natalie Rose holds on in the circle, scattering twelve hits, and the Bears score four in the sixth to take a 7-1 lead as they win the Valley Tournament. Missouri State had eleven hits themselves, causing Drake to make two pitching changes.

Missouri State will get the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Will they will be a four seed in that regional? Will the conference receive other bids?

[flyingMoose]

Missouri State will get the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Will they will be a four seed in that regional? Will the conference receive other bids?

Missouri State goes to the Oklahoma (#9 national seed) Regional to play Tulsa. Iona is also in this Regional. Illinois State also makes the tournament in the Missouri (#5 national seed) Regional where DePaul and Indiana are also playing. The Redbirds open with Missouri. As with volleyball, there are geographical considerations in assigning teams to Regionals.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/softball/2011-05-15/participants-named-ncaa-field

[1972Shocker]

Glad to see ILS make the tournament. Picking your NCAA representative with a single-elimination tournament is not a good way to go IMHO, especially in a sport like Softball. ILS was the MVC's most deserving team.

Good luck to both ILS and MSU in the tournament.

[flyingMoose]

Jamie is named to the All-Tournament team.

http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=61321&SPID=2845&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205151138&DB_OEM_ID=7500

[WuDrWu]

Jamie is named to the All-Tournament team.

http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticl...DB_OEM_ID=7500

Did she transfer to another school in mid-tournament?


Seriously, happy to see any Shocker get the spotlight, but when your team is beat 8-1 (or something like that) in the first of 2 play in rounds, I'm not sure your team is worthy of All Tourney consideration. Did she make a great defensive play or something?

[1972Shocker]

15 players on the All-Tournament team. Each one of the eight participating teams had at least on player selected.

Jamie, who will be missed greatly next season, was our chosen player by default (meaning no one else on the Shocks did anything in our one loss). Jamie had a triple and our lone RBI of the tournament.

I guess it's a feel good honor (maybe) but certainly not a worthy performance.

Not sure this broad brush feel-good approach doesn't diminish the honor for all, even those who had worthy tounament performances.

Now the MVP, won buy Natalie Rose of MSU was a well-deserved and well-earned honor that she can be proud of.

[flyingMoose]

Missouri State will get the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Will they will be a four seed in that regional? Will the conference receive other bids?

Missouri State goes to the Oklahoma (#9 national seed) Regional to play Tulsa. Iona is also in this Regional. Illinois State also makes the tournament in the Missouri (#5 national seed) Regional where DePaul and Indiana are also playing. The Redbirds open with Missouri. As with volleyball, there are geographical considerations in assigning teams to Regionals.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/softball/20...med-ncaa-field

Missouri State fell behind 6-2 against Tulsa, rallied to take a 7-6 lead, but eventually lost 9-7. Natalie Rose did not pitch at all in this game, leading one to suspect an injury resulting from all the innings, and I do mean all, that she pitched in the Valley Tournament.