Shocker SB at Missouri State

[1972Shocker]

The Lady Shocks continue their 10-game road stretch with a DH at Missouri State (18-18 , 6-8) this afternoon beginning at 4:00 pm.

The Shocks are coming off an unexpected 3-game sweep at Evansville following 2 losses at Kansas during this stretch of 10 consecutive games on the road.

The Shockers sweep of Evansville moved them out the the MVC cellar into 9th place (yeah I know, whoopee, but it is at least upward progress) and a game behind 8th place Evansville. The top 8 finishers qualify for the MVC Tournament. A split with the Bears today would be helpful in attaining that goal.

MSU behind primarily Sr Natalie Rose (2.17) and Fr Chelsea Jones (3.38) have a team ERA of 2.79 compared to the Shockers rather lofty 6.00 team ERA. OTOH, the Shocks held Evansville to 1 run in their 3-games sweep of the Aces last Saturday and Sunday. I suppose we will find out if they have figured something out or if that was just a fluke.

Offensively, neither team hits much with the Bears having a 0.232 team BA vs the Shocks .228. However, the Shockers are trending upward as their younger players seem to be improving.
MSU averages only 3 runs per game and the Shocks only average 3.24 runs per game.

Natalie Rose is 4th in the nation in fewest walks per game which means she will make the Shocks earn everything they get. The Lady Shocks pitchers need to reciprocate.

Here are the MSU game notes which include a link to GameTracker:

http://www.missouristatebears.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/041712aab.html

Go Shocks!:poster_wu:

[flyingMoose]

This is "travel-partner" DH-Wednesday for the Valley, except for Evansville (4-13) who dropped a pair to SIU yesterday. Evansville also plays Creighton and Drake later this month and finishes with Indiana State. Bradley (6-8), tied for sixth with Missouri State, plays UNI, Illinois State, the Shocks and closes the season with Southern Illinois. The Bears finish the conference schedule with UNI, Indiana State and Creighton in addition to us.

The Shocks (3-12) finish with Indiana State, Bradley and Drake plus the Bears.

[flyingMoose]

Katie and Natalie Rose, a bit of a nemesis for us, are in the circle. Uh, not at the same time, of course. :)

[flyingMoose]

GT went dead in the bottom of the second. The audio link is here.

There is no score in the middle of third with the Shocks having four singles to this point and the Bears hitless. Two of the singles came in the top of the third, but Erin fanned for the third out.

In the bottom of the third, the Bears plate a run with a walk, sac bunt, ground out and bloop single over Hayley at short.

Shockers 0-1 Missouri State, after three complete.

[flyingMoose]

Shockers 0-1 Missouri State, after four complete.

Hayley singled in the fourth, and the Bears still have only the run-scoring single.

No base runners in the fifth. Rose has eight strike outs.

[flyingMoose]

Two more strikeouts for Rose in the Shocker sixth, including Erin for the third time. Bears coming to bat in the bottom half.

[flyingMoose]

Game One

Shockers 0-1 Missouri State

After a three-up, three-down Bear sixth, Hayley leads off the seventh with an infield single. But two strikeouts and a groundout later, the Bears win.

Rose strikes out twelve, a season-high for her. Katie allows the one hit with three strikeouts and one walk who came around to score.

[flyingMoose]

GT for Game Two.

[1972Shocker]

Game One

Shockers 0-1 Missouri State

After a three-up, three-down Bear sixth, Hayley leads off the seventh with an infield single. But two strikeouts and a groundout later, the Bears win.

Rose strikes out twelve, a season-high for her. Katie allows the one hit with three strikeouts and one walk who came around to score.

Holy cow, you just hate to lose a 1-hitter. But it is amazing how often those leadoff walks come back to bite you. In any case, sounds like a great effort from Katie.

[flyingMoose]

Game Two

Shockers 5-1 Missouri State

The Shockers gain a split of the DH behind Sloan's gutty pitching early and bats that came to life late.

Sloan pitched out of a bases-loaded, one out jam in the first and, in the second, got out of a jam with runners at second and third with one out. She gave up a double in two of the next three innings before the Shocker bats woke up.

Having only two hits to that point, the Shocks scored two in the sixth. Danika led off with a single and advanced to third on an error on Sydney's sac bunt, Sydney reaching second. Hayley singled up the middle with two outs to plate two unearned runs. The Bears scored in the bottom half on a squeeze, but the Shocks put the game away in the seventh. With two outs, Holly had a pinch-hit single followed by another single by Danika. Natalie Rose came on in relief, and Sydney greeted her with a three-run homer. Sloan closed with a three-up, three-down bottom of the seventh.

Perhaps the question of @1972Shocker: has been answered, and the pitching has turned a corner.

Bradley split with Northern Iowa, Indiana State split with Illinois State and Drake split with Creighton. We are now tied with Evansville for eighth in the Valley, but of course, picked up no ground on anyone else with a Wednesday full of split DHs.

[1972Shocker]

Shocks get the split with a 5-1 win in Game 2.

Sloan goes the distance allowing 6 hits and 1 unearned run but she had to work out of a few jams including a bases loaded 1-out jam in the 1st and a runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1-out in the 2nd.

The game was scoreless through 5 and the Shocks only had 2 hits at that point.

The Shocks broke through with 2 runs in the the 6th. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs but it took a 2-out, 2-run single up the middle by Haley Temple to plate the runs. MSU answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the 6th. With 2-outs in the 7th Holly Eckert, pinch-hitting for Kaitlyn Carey, and Danika Miller singled with 2-outs and Sydney Stuever put the game away with a 3-run homer as Sloan retired the Bears in order in the bottom of the 7th.

All of a sudden Katie and Sloan have become kind of stingy when it comes to giving up runs. They have allowed only 3 runs in the last 5 games. Again have they found something or is it due more to the offense (or lack thereof) from Evansville and MSU.

In any case, the Ladies picked up a good win at Missouri State.

Edit: @flyingMoose: I came in from mowing the lawn and was surprised I didn't see a game recap from you. We must be on the same timetable today.

[1972Shocker]

Write up and game photos from the Springfield News-Leader