Shocker SB at 2/2 Oklahoma

[flyingMoose]

The Shockers play the Sooners a single game in Norman on Wednesday with a 5pm start time.


Oklahoma, back-to-back National Champions, have a record of 34-2 and were a preseason pick for first among the seven schools playing softball in the Big 12. They are 9-1 against teams who were RV or better in the Coaches’ Poll including a run-rule of Nebraska and a shutout of Ohio State.

The stats available for Oklahoma are part of the Big 12 stats and then only if you are in the Top 10 - none are to be found on OU’s site. Their offense is led by freshman Jocelyn Alo with an OPS of 1.612 and seventeen homers. Sydney Romero with an OPS of 1.337 and Caleigh Clifton at 1.032 are also above the 1.000 mark. Romero and Nicole Pendley have nine home runs. Alo has been National Player of the Week and twice been Big 12 Player of the Week. Romero has achieved that latter honor once.

The top three ERAs in the Big 12 all belong to Sooner hurlers. Paige Parker, who has been National Pitcher of the Week and Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, has an ERA of 0.35 and a WHIP of 0.61. She has about half of the innings. The other two starters are Paige Lowary (0.79 and 0.86) and Mariah Lopez (1.30 and 0.70). Who knows - we may see still another pitcher - there are two more on the roster.


The record for the Shockers is now 22-14.

Bailey’s recent rough outings have raised her ERA to 3.07 with a WHIP of 1.31. BaileyK numbers are now down to 2.98 and 1.55.

The highest OPS on the team are Laurie at .975, Paige at .961 and Ryleigh at .941.

[flyingMoose]

Bailey and - Wow! - Paige Parker get the starts. Maybe she needs a lot to work to stay sharp. Or is just going a few innings. With both teams having conference series starting on Friday, it will be interesting to see how the coaches manage their pitching staffs.

[flyingMoose]

A walk to Mackenzie and a stolen base with two outs gets her in scoring position in the first, but that is as far as she gets.

The Sooners get three singles in the bottom half, but a line drive double play wipes out the first of those singles.

Two walks in the bottom of the second, but a ground ball double play erases the threat.

With one out in the Shocker third, Mackenzie's infield single and Asea's double put two runners in scoring position. Laurie then follows with a three-run jack. With two outs, Ryleigh reaches first when strike three is a wild pitch. Paige then singles and Caitlin hits her own three-run homer. Mariah Lopez is on to pitch for the Sooners.

Parker had allowed three home runs in 104 innings before this game.

Shocks lead 6-0 as we go to the bottom of the third.

[1972Shocker]

Paige Parker came into the game leading the nation with a 0.40 ERA. I wonder if she has ever given up 6 runs in an inning in her collegiate career. All 6 runs are scored as earned even thought the 3rd strike wild pitch, which is not technicallly an error in the scorebook, to Ryleigh can with 2 outs.

[1972Shocker]

Sometimes sports are just inexplicable. What kind of odds could you have gotten if you told someone you wanted to bet that Shocker Freshman Caitlyn Bingham with only 51 collegiate at bats under her belt and hitting .235 coming into this game would have a single and a 3-run home run agains Paige Parker.

[flyingMoose]

Has she given up six runs in a game! in her collegiate career. Well, probably, but still ...

[flyingMoose]

Sooners get a runner to third in their half of the third, but don't score. On to the fourth with a 6-0 Shocker lead.

Shocks lead off the fourth with Bailey being hit by a pitch and a bunt single by Mackenzie, but cannot score. Three up, three down in the Sooner fourth.

6-0.

Ryleigh lead off the fifth with a single and advances on the throw (they threw to third? who knows), but can go no further.

Have to leave :( . Check on it when I get back. Will we be in first place in the Big 12 with a 3-0 mark?

[1972Shocker]

Interesting. BaileyL hits the leadoff batter in the bottom of the 5th. On the next batter she went to a 3-2 count before getting a fly ball out to CF. At the point HCKB moved BaileyL to RF and brought in Caitlyn to pitch. On the 2nd pitch she made a line drive to Laurie at SS and a throw behind at 1st ended the inning on the Shocks 3rd double play of he game.

Caitlyn walks the 1st two batters in the bottom of the 6th. Come on coach don't mess around with this one. A wild pitch advances the runners to 2nd and 3rd with no outs. That does it for Caitlyn. BaileyL moves back into the circle from RF. Not sure what the heck HCTB was thinking bringing Caitlyn in to pitch in the 1st place. Bailey finishes off the walk to the inherited batter (not sure what the count was when Bailey entered) than walks another batter forcing in a run. OU now down 6-1 but have the bases loaded and no outs. The Shocks get one out on a 4-6 fielders choice at second and OU scores again to make it 6-2. OU makes it 6-5 with a 3-run homer of their own. i have to say that I am a bit irritated and not with the players. BaileyL follows that up with another walk. Apparently, she has totally lost her rythm after being moved to RF for 3+ batters. BaileyK is now on in relief of BaielyL. BaileyL walks the 1st batter she faces, the 9-hole hitter, and now we are back at the top fo the lineup with runners on 1st and 2nd and one out. A single to left on an 0-2 count loads the bases. Shocks are in deep, deep trouble. A single to right center scores 2 runs and OU leads 7-6. Finallly, a pop up to 2nd and a foul fly to LF mercifully ends the carnage most of which was self-inflicted.



.

[mjbaker84]

Pathetic so far. They are going to give this game away.

[1972Shocker]

One more at bat for the Shocks but they have to be really, really, really, really down in the dumps at this point.

Paige Lowary and her 0.75 ERA on for OU to pitch the 7th.

Bailee Nickerson grounds out 5-3.

Ryleigh Buck out at first LF to 1B. I have no idea on that one?

Paige Luellen grounds out 6-4.

Game Over. #2 OU 7 - WSU 6.

Perhaps this isn't fair but my gut tells me that HCKB needs to wear this one as much, if not more, than her players.

It wasn't a game you expected the Shocks to win going in especially with Paige Parker pitching but to lose it this way is very difficult. Especially coming off a tough, tough loss at home to Tulsa. I guess this one moves ahead of LSU last year on the Painful Loss list.

[Mr. Pickle]

Man. That's gonna be a tough one to swallow.

[flyingMoose]

Not sure what the heck HCTB was thinking bringing Caitlyn in to pitch in the 1st place.

Twice through the lineup and she made the change. I doubt this is a formula to save Bailey for this weekend, but a philosophy.

[1972Shocker]

Obviously it wasn't to save Bailey for the weekend or she would not have brought her back in 1 OU hitter, a Shocker at bat and 2+ OU hitters later.

[flyingMoose]

Yes, why I doubted it, but who knows, maybe there was a change of mind when the relievers were not effective. The coaches have done the "twice through the lineup" thing before. I think (I could look it up, but won't) it was in a similar situation - playing a strong P5 team.

Just playing OU is good for the RPI and winning would have been even better, but unless the pitching gets better, the Shockers will not finish high enough in the conference tournament for their RPI to come into play on Selection Sunday. My opinion which could well be wrong.