RV/RV Shocker SB at Tulsa

[flyingMoose]

The Shockers close out their AAC regular season with a series in Tulsa this weekend. Due to weather concerns, the format will be 2-1-1. The Friday DH starts at 3 pm with the single games on Saturday at 2 pm and Sunday at noon.

The Golden Hurricane have a record of 21-10 and 12-3, a tie for first in the conference. They have a loss to Oklahoma State as their only non-conference action against ranked teams. In conference play, Tulsa took three of four from UCF, one of three from USF, and swept Memphis and ECU. They close their conference series against Houston next weekend.

The leading hitters in conference play for Tulsa are Kylie Norwood (OPS of 1.114), Haley Morgan (1.082), and Alexis Perry (1.069). The team has only homered six times in AAC games, but the pitching has only given up four.

Leaders in the circle are Chenise Delce (ERA of 1.25 and WHIP of 0.97) and Samantha Pochop (1.44 and 1.26).

The Shocks are now 34-9-1 and 15-4-1. Leading hitters are Sydney (1.366 and four homers), Addison (1.171 and nine), Butters (1.064 and six), and Neleigh (1.063 and three).

The primary starters recently are Bailey (2.44 and 0.94) and Caitlin (1.56 and 1.31).


The other conference matchup of interest, USF at UCF, is next weekend.

[shocks02]

USF 5-0 over ECU today. Giorgina Corrick with a 71 pitch no-hitter.

[shocks02]

6-0 Shox after a Perrigan blast! Top 2nd. Huge start to a pivotal series.

[Kel Varnsen]

Looks like it probably should have been an out, but the SS #6 is on the struggle bus. And Tulsa's coach ain't happy with the umpires. 8-0.

[Kel Varnsen]

[1972Shocker]

Run rule games for both the Shocker baseball team and softball team today in game 1 of the 4-games series with the AAC leader. Not exactly the same outcome though. Let's see which game will I watch tonight on the ESPN+ replay?

I guess the Lady Shocks game is not officially run rule result yet.

You know things are going your way when Lolo gets a triple.

Final Line Score:

Shocks 11-12-0
Tulsa 1-5-2

[1972Shocker]

Sydiney hit the 1st pitch of the game over the centerfield fence but Tulsa has put up a 4-spot in the 2nd to take a 4-1 lead. Tulsa getting some great swings on Caitlyn in their 4-run 2nd.

Apparently, HCKB did not like the look of those swings Tulsa was getting on Caitlyn and Erin McDonald is in the circle in the 3rd inning. Erin gave up a run in the 3rd but no runs in the 4th and 5th. Tulsa leading 5-1 after 5.

Tulsa pitcher Chenise Delce was on cruise control after Sydney's 1st pitch of the game home run then with 2 out in the top of the 6th Bailee Nickerson doubled to left center, Ryleigh doubled down the left field line scoring Bailee, Camryn was hit by a pitch, then Kaylee homered to left to tie the game at 5-all.

Tulsa puts runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the bottom of the 6th. Bailey Lange comes on in relief of Erin. A single drives in the runner on second and Tulsa leads 6-5 after 6 innings.

Shocks have one more shot with Sydney leading off the 7th. Kassidy Scott on to pitch the 7th for Tulsa. Sydney reaches to lead off on an infield single. Addison reach on an error by the 2nd baseman with Sydney advancing to 3rd but Addison is out trying to advance to second on a poor decision. Madison grounded out to 3rd with Sydney holding. Tulsa brings Chenise Delce back into the circle. Neleigh bails out Addison and Madison with triple down the right field line to tie the game at 6-all. Bailee NIckerson walks. Now Tulsa bringing in Sara Howell to pitch to Ryleigh. A wild pitch scores Neleigh with the go ahead run with Bailee taking 2nd. Ryleigh pops out to right but the Shocks lead 7-6.

Bailey walks the lead off batter in tehe 7th on 4 pitches. Something she seems to do every now and then but not something you want to doin this situation. Shocks get a break. Delce singles to shortstop with Perry beating the throw to 2nd. But Perry must have thought she was out wondered off the bag and was tagged out by Kaylee. Bailey declines the good fortune and walks the next batter to put Tulsa runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. A grounder to Kaylee gets a force out at 2nd. Runners at the corners with 2 outs. Freshman Kylee Nash pinch hits. Swings and misses on a drop ball, takes a change up for a strike and swings and misses on a rise ball out of the zone and the Shocks hold on for a double-comeback win.

Shocks 7 - Tulsa 6.

[jdmee]

That wasn't good base running to get thrown out at second for the first out.

[jdmee]

Can the Shocks hold on in the bottom of the 7th.

Need to throw strikes if they are going to hold on. 6 straight balls to start the inning.

Walk, infield single (runner going to second thought she was out and left the base to head to dugout and was then called out) walk. FC out at second.

Runners 1st and 3rd 2 outs.

Strike out swinging. Shocks win.

[1972Shocker]

That wasn't good base running to get thrown out at second for the first out.

Yeah. I have thought Addison has taken unnecessary risks on the base paths this year at times but this one almost cost them dearly. However, Neleigh to the rescue.

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks certainly made that 7th inning interesting.

[jdmee]

I thought the single was to third and I think the out was due to Perry leaving the bag while the pitcher had the ball in the circle.

[jdmee]

They most certainly did.

Thanks for the write ups. You do a great job with them.

[1972Shocker]

I thought the single was to third and I think the out was due to Perry leaving the bag while the pitcher had the ball in the circle.

Could have been. I did not have the sound on and only caught the replay (without the sound on). In any case, she apparently thought she was called out as the reason for leaving the base. A huge break for the Shocks.

[1972Shocker]

Went back and looked at the highlights from Friday's game 2.

The home run Sydney hit to lead off the game was a high rise ball at about her armpits. Not sure how she managed to get on top of that ball wiith enough power to drivie it over the fence.

Talk about a "Rally on 2 Like We Awlways Do" the Shocks 4 run rally in the 6th epitomizes a "Rally on 2". Delce was cruising after getting Butters on a pop up to the catchers and striking out Neliegh for the first 2 outs of the inning. She had Bailee (with 2 e's) Nickerson looking at an 0-2 count. Bailee ripped the next pitch pretty much on a line to thetop of the fence stripe in left center.for a 2-base hit. Ryeigh hit the 2nd pitch she saw sharply down the line that was just barely touched by Tulsa 3rd baseman on it's way to the left filed corner for another 2-base hit driving in Bailee to make the score 5-2. Camryn worked the count to 3-2 before getting it by a pitch to put 2 runners on base. Kaylee Huecker, with 2 e's in both her first and last names and who wears 2 sevens on her jersey, took a very good pitcher's pitch on the outside corner at the knees before fouling off the next pitch to fall behind 0-2. After fouling off a 2nd ptich Kaylee she hammered a pitch on the inner half just above the knees over the fence near the 200 foot sign in the left field corner. All three base hits in that inning were very well hit especially Bailee's double and Kaylee's home runs that were absolutely frozen ropes and got to and over the fence in a hurry. Both of those balls took about 2.5 seconds to get the outfield fence. Not sure those two are capable of hitting the ball any harder. Also of note was that the back half of the lineup produced this big rally.

More 2-out work for the Shockers in the 7th. Having taken the lead at 6-5 Tulsa brought in Kassidy Scott to pitch in the 7th. A huge error on ground ball by Addison as the Tulsa 2nd basemen allowed to go betwenn her legs allowed Sydney, who had beat out what looked like a routine grounder to short leading off the inning, gave the Shocks the opening they needed. However, Addison almost blew it trying to take second on that ball fielded by the Tulsa center fielder in short center. Maybe Addison assumed the throw would be going to 3rd to try to get Sydney. In any case Addison was out easily at 2nd. Butters was unable to deliver and the Shocks were faced with a do or die 2-out situation with Neleigh hitting. In an interesting move, Tulsa went back to their starter Chenise Delce to face Neleigh. Probably because she had struck out Neleigh 3 times over the first 6 innings. Neleigh lined a 1-0 pitch not down the right field line but exactly on the right field line for a triple scoring Sydney with the trying run. After walking Bailee, Tulsa replaced Delce with their 3rd pitcher of the inning who on her 2nd pitch to Ryleigh uncorked a wild pitch to allow Neleight to score the go ahead run. By the time that pitch got to the catcher it was in the back outside corner of the left handed batters box.

Here was the call on that wild pitch:

On the craziness in the Tulsa 7th, Perry was clearly safe on the throw form her knees after a diving stop by Ryleigh at 3rd and the umpire clearly called her safe. Kaylee threw the ball back to Bailey in the circle. No one called time out and Perry just walked off the bag toward the Tulsa dugout and was called out for leaving the base with the ball held by the pitcher in the circle. Had to be that Perry thought she had been called out. The ump made a very clear safe signal but I don't think Perry saw it. What his verbal call, if he made one, sounded like to Perry is hard to say. The ump was wearing a mask. Perry did slide into the base very hard and seemed to be hurt a little bit and maybe disoriented by that and perhaps the contributed to her momentary mental lapse. She was limping as she walked back to the dugout after the call. Maybe she thought she had called time but there was no indication that happened. Bailey walked the next batter. So Tulsa would have had (assuming the same things transpired) the bases loaded with 1 out. As it was they stilled had runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.

Bailey Lange ended up the winner in both games for her 18th and 19th wins of the season with the 19th win perhaps being the most unlikely win of the season. A crazy finsih to a pretty mundane game for the most part through the first 5 innings plus 2 outs into the 6th.

BTW, Bailey won 20 games in 2018 which is #7 on the All-Time Shocker Top 10. Margo Pruis won 20 games in a season twice plus she had a 23 win season as welll in her Shocker career. Katie Malone also holds the #1 spot for wins in a season at 26 wins in 2017 when she was about all the Shockers had. Katie also won 19 games in 2015. I don't think Bailey will be catching Katie but maybe she can get to 22 or 23 wins which would put her at #3 or #4.