Shocker SB v Creighton

[WuDrWu]

Check PM 1972Shocker

[flyingMoose]

Game Three

Bailey is in the circle again. No Caitlin to this point in the weekend.

[1972Shocker]

Another windy day for the 3rd game of the Creighton series except today the wind is out the NW. Will make hitting all those home runs more difficult exept maybe to right field. Video stream is available for today's game. No announcers but a lot of wind noise.

[1972Shocker]

Bailee Nickerson hits a fly ball to the edge of the warning track in left in the bottom of the 1st with 2 outs that would have been a grand slam yesterday. Creighton LF nearly misplayed in the wind but managed to catch it.

2 on, not out and bases loaded 1 out in the 1st for the Shocks. Perrigan with an infield pop up and Lolo with a stirkeout were the key at bats in that inning. Bailee almost bailed them out but not quite. Hope the Shocks don't regret letting that scoring opp get away.

[flyingMoose]

Shockers load the bases in the first with one out on a single and two walks but cannot push anyone across. No score after one.

In the top of the second, a two-out, run-scoring hit-and-run double is negated when the runner left first early. LiveStats may eventually figure it out.

Ryleigh singles and moves to second on a sac bunt but moves no further. No score after two.


-Gone for the duration-

[1972Shocker]

In the top of the second, a two-out, run-scoring hit-and-run double is negated when the runner left first early. LiveStats may eventually figure it out.

Big break for the Shockers. Live stats operator didn't quite know what to do with that. Looks like they now have figured it out.

In the top of the 3rd the batter who lost her RBI double into the left field corner due to the runner on 1st leaving early was back up. This time she doubled to left-center to lead off the inning on a ball that was probably out. Bailey worked out of that with a strikeout, gourndout, strike out.

This ump has wide strike zone but has been consistent. Bailey took advantage of that in the top of the 3rd and I think both pitchers have figured that out. Between the wind and ump this will probably be a low scoring game. I wonder if this ump made a conscious decision that we would not have a repeat of yesterday. Of course, that's unlikely anyway with the wind from the north.

Addison Banard led of the Shocker 3rd with a single to left but was caught in a run down when she attempted to stretch it into a double and was tagged out by the Creighton 1B. Nelieigh walked but Butters and LoLo struckout. LoLo has struck out twice swinging at pitches that looked to be out of the zone high. In the first any the bases were loaded at the time.

An infield single,r an Addison erro at 2B and a sac bunt gave Creighton runners at 2nd an 3rd with 1 out in the top of the 4th.. Creighton tried to play small ball an bunt a run home but the bunt was popped up to BaileyL and whe doubled he runner off of 3rd to escape the jam.

In the Shocker 4th Bailee walked on a full count and Ryleigh walked on a 10-ptich at bat to open the inning. 8-hole hitter Bailey Urban moved the runners over to 2nd and 3rd with a sac bunt. Jesscia Garcia pinch hit for Lauren Lucas and singled sharply to left scoring both runs with Jessica taking 2nd when the throw home got away from the catcher. Sydney McKinney attempted a drag bunt but sent to straight back to the pticher for an easy out at 1st with Jessica taking 3rd with 2 outs. Addison grounded out to 2nd to end the inning.

BaileyL cruises through the top of the 5th with 2 strikeouts and a gound ball out to 2nd.

Butter drives one to left that would been long gone yesterday but just a long fly out today to lead of the Shocker 5th. Neleigh turns on one and takes it out down the line right near the corner. Fortunately, the wind did not blow if foul. That one cut across the wind and really needed no help. Shocks up 3-0. BaileyL pinch hit for LoLo and grounded out to 2nd on a check swing. BaileeN lined a single to center. BaileeN probably has had the best swings overall today for the Shocks. Creighton making a pitching change. Ryleigh pops one up down the left field line off the handle and the wind helps knock it down just fair for a bloop double moving BaileeN to 3rd. BaileyU strikes out looking on a change up that froze her to strand the two runners in scoring position.

BaileyL cruises through tthe top of the 6th although she did have to make a very nice snag of a sharply hit one hopper up the middle to get the lead off batter.

After Lauren Lucas was abused by the home plate umpire and struck out Sydney delivered a home run to right center to put the Shocks up 4-0. Kaylee Huecker who had replaced Addison at 2nd base reached safely on a 2 base error when the Creighton CF dropped her fly ball. Butters grounded out slowly to 3rd and Neleigh struck out after also being abused by the home plate ump.

Creighton got an infield single to lead of the 7th and then got the next two batters wlithout advancing the runner. She got ahead of he next batter 0-2 but then ran the count full. A low line drive up the middle looked like it mitght be ticketed for CF but Sydney laid out for a nice diving catch to end the game and the series sweep.

I'm sure HCKB is thrilled with the series sweep since she was 1-7 against Creighton prior to this year. BaileyL with the complete game 4 hit shoutout used the umps expansive strike zone and her changeup effectively. The Shocks were able to overcome the wide strike zone to score 4 runs on 8 hits, including the 2 solo home runs but they did leave 9 runners on base. Sydney was 2-3 and Ryleigh was 2-2 plus a walk as the only Shocks with more than 1 hit.

A tough day to hit. Mostly due to the strike zone. The wind was a factor but not nearly as much as the strike zone. The wind probably cost the Shockers a couple of home runs to left (one of which would have been a grand slam by BaileeN in the first innng) but also helped knock down a couple of bloop hits and it also cost Creighton a solo home run as well.

I don't mind the ump giving pitchers some room off of one side of the plate or other but this guy was giving them the edge of the batter boxes on both sides of the plate creating a clear advantage for the pitchers and a disadvantage for the hitter. He seemed okay at top and bottom of the zone but anything between the batter boxes was in his stirke zone. Neither of the coaches complained probably because he was helping their pitchers. Creighton sure wasn't going to complain about it and after the Shocks got the lead no reason for HCKB to say anything either.

Offensive play of the game IMO was Jessca Garcia's 1-out, 2-run RBI single in the 4th to break the scoreless tie.

[flyingMoose]

Bailey gave up four hits and one walk in pitching her shutout. She struck out eight.

Among the eight hits for the Shocks were a homer and single for SydneyMcK, a homer for Neleigh, and a double and single for Ryleigh.

[flyingMoose]

This ump has a wide strike zone ...

I definitely had the same impression. Not dugout-to-dugout wide, but plenty wide by D-I standards.

[1972Shocker]

I watched the video replay of Saturday's doubleheader with Creighton, I was mostly interested on how much the Shockers 11 home runs were wind aided fly balls. Most of those home runs were very well struck and most would have been out on a calm day. How any of those would have stayed in the park on Sunday when the wind was blowing in from or maybe from the left field corner to the right field corner at times is hard to say. No doubt that on Saturday Wilkins was a launching pad for balls hit in the air to left. I would think at least a few, maybe as many as 5 probably would have.not gone out had they been hit on Sunday. It wasn't the greatest video so it's a little hard to judge that well.

One home run that I did not think was effected much at all by the wind on Saturday's game was Fr. Jessica Garcia's 2-run homer in the bottom of the 4th to close out the scoring for the Shocks in Game 1 of the doubleheader. It was more of line drive to dead center that I am not sure was high enough to be greatly helped by the wind. It probably was helped some but it pretty much stayed straight as an arrow and probably did not get more than 20 feet above the ground (if that). What impressed me about that is Jessica is listed on the roster at 5-4 so she packs a punch in a small package.

Here is the link to the video for Saturday's doubleheader: https://goshockers.com/watch/?Archive=2770&type=Archive

Note that when you start the video it is showing video from one of the Shocker-SMU volleyball matches. Then they show all the pre-game softball warm-ups and field prep. You need to forward to about the 54:30 mark to get to the start of play in game 1 of the doubleheader. There is also a little stretch of a blackout during the top of the 1st of game 1.

[flyingMoose]

Fr. Jessica Garcia's 2-run homer in the bottom of the 4th to close out the scoring for the Shocks in Game 1 of the doubleheader. It was more of line drive to dead center that I am not sure was high enough to be greatly helped by the wind.

Took forever to find it on the video. You certainly can't use the score on the video to help you figure out where you are in the game. Yes, that ball did not take long to get out at all - and on the first pitch!

[1972Shocker]

Yes very difficult to search around on that video. And yes on the score being any guide.

[1972Shocker]

Fr. Addison Barnard Tabbed American Player of the Week - Bailey Lange Makes 2nd Straight Honor Roll

https://goshockers.com/news/2021/3/1...-the-week.aspx

[flyingMoose]

Bailey in the Round House