Shocker SB at Blues City Classic (Memphis)

[flyingMoose]

This weekend, weather permitting, the Shockers head to Southhaven, Mississippi, (just across the state line from Memphis) to play in the Blues City Classic. I say weather permitting, because the forecast is for rain all day Thursday. The games are being played at a Parks and Recreation complex, so the fields almost certainly will not be tarped, but hopefully there will be bodies to work them.

There are twelve teams at this tournament, including Indiana State, but I will only give some background for the four Shockers opponents.

They open the tournament with games on Friday against Wright State and Detroit, both members of the Horizon League. Wright State (Dayton, as you might guess) is a preseason pick for seventh in the eight-team league and Detroit is the pick for eighth. The WSU Raiders (hmm, maybe that should be lower case) opened their season two weekends ago at a UCLA-hosted tournament, losing all five games. Among their opponents were a ranked UCLA (twice), losing one of those games, 1-0, and a ranked Texas A&M.

The Detroit Titans are 1-4, also opening their season two weekends ago. They played at a tournament hosted by UNC-Wilmington, playing the likes of Iona and Nebraska-Omaha.

On Saturday, the Shocks face Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are picked fifth in the seven-team Western Division of the SEC. They have a 6-3 record, going 6-2 against non-descript competition in two tournaments they hosted and being run-ruled by Louisiana-Lafayette in a mid-week matchup.

We close out the tournament on Sunday against Samford, members of the Southern Conference, where they were a preseason pick for eighth among the nine teams. (This is the conference where Georgia Southern rules the roost.) These Bulldogs have a record of 3-5 with two of the losses coming against USF and Michigan, both ranked teams.

Here is the Tournament Central link.

[flyingMoose]

... weather permitting ...

The start of tomorrow's games have been moved back four hours. The Shocks now play back-to-back games beginning at 1pm.

[flyingMoose]

Shockers 2-3 Wright State

GT link. Katie is in the circle for this game.

Three up, three down for the Shocks in the first. After Laura's error, KA get two Ks to end the Raider first. No score after one.

Wright State scores in the second after two outs on a hit-batter and two singles. Raiders, 1-0 after two complete.

The Shockers tie the game in the third. Melanie walks, steals second and advances to third as Ali reaches on a fielder's choice. Melanie then scores on a throwing error by the catcher as Ali stelas second. 1-1, after three.

Brittany leads off with a double in the fourth, but the Shocks cannot score her.

Melanie scores again in the fifth for the Shockers: walk, steal of second, steal of third and a sac fly by Ali. But the Shocks give it back in the bottom half. With two outs and a runner at first, an error by Megan McCracken at first (our third error of the game) sends the runner to third, and she scores on a single. 2-2, after five.

In the seventh, Molly Baker, pinch running after Brianne's leadoff walk, reaches third on a sac and ground out, but Ali fans. The Raiders score in the bottom of the seventh to get the win. A leadoff single, sac bunt and wild pitch get a runner to third with one out. After a ground out, a single to the gap in right center ends the game.

The Shockers had only the two hits. Katie gave up two earned runs, six hits and three walks while striking out four. Pitching is still good enough, but the offense and defense are not.

[flyingMoose]

Detroit 4-13(5) Shockers

GT link. Sloan is in the circle.

In the Titan first, a single and walk are wiped off the bases with a caught-stealing at third and a pickoff at second. Fortunately, because a solo homer follows. In the Shocker half, Melanie reached on an error, Ali doubled her home and Megan followed with a homer, our first of the year. Shocks lead, 3-1 after one complete.

Detroit gets two doubles in the second inning, the second resulting in a throw out at the plate, Brittany relaying to Hayley. Sloan has given up four hits and two walks in two innings. The Shockers make their doubles count. Erin doubles, Danika walks and they advance on a passed ball. Melanie then scores them both with her double. Shocks lead, 5-1 after two complete.

The Titan first baseman gets her second homer of the game in the third. The Shockers score three more in the bottom half. They load the bases on a Layne double, a walk to Brianne, (pitching change here) and a single by Danika with a fielder's choice mixed in. Brittany then clears the bases with a ringing double. Didn't you hear it? Shocks, 8-2 after three.

Hunter comes in to start the fourth for the Shocks. She gives up a leadoff single, but gets the next three outs. In the Shocker fourth, Erin singles in Hayley who had doubled. Shocks, 9-2 after four.

The Titans claw two back in the fifth. After Danika drops a ball in left for a three-base error, that runner scores on an illegal pitch. A single, walk and double scores one more.

The Shockers in the game in grand fashion in the bottom of the fifth. Brittany walks, Melanie has an infield single and Ali's fielder's choice with an error loads the bases. Megan follows with a grand slam, her second homer of the game. Shocks win, 13-4.

Eight of the Shocker's eleven hits are for extra bases: Megan's two homers and doubles by Erin, Layne, Hayley, Ali, Melanie and Brittany. There were three with multiple RBI: Megan six, Brittany three and Melanie two. Since it is a five-inning game, I believe Sloan gets credit for the win though she did give up six hits and two walks in her three innings. Hunter gave up three hits and one walk in two innings.

The Shocks play a single game tomorrow, a 4pm matchup with Mississippi State.

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks unleash the McCracken!

Nothing like a walk-off, run-rule, grand salami to finish your day off with 2 homers and 6 RBI.

[1972Shocker]

The Shockers had only the two hits. Katie gave up two earned runs, six hits and three walks while striking out four. Pitching is still good enough, but the offense and defense are not.

I hope this doesn't end up being one of those years where Katie has to sue for lack of support.

[Hovpen]

I hope this doesn't end up being one of those years where Katie has to sue for lack of support.

I are extremely happy for Katie that she is throwing as well a she is. They have been in a position to win each game she has taken the mound.

[flyingMoose]

Friday scores recap (only games of Shockers and future opponents)

Wright State 3-2 Shockers
Shockers 13-4(5) Detroit
SIU-Edwardsville 4-2 UMKC. We host the 'Roos on 13 March.
Indiana State 3-1 Wright State. The Sycamores, the last place pick in the MVC preseason poll, only had two hits in this game, both in the two-run third.
Memphis 2-1 Indiana State. And only three hits in this one. Memphis scored twice in the bottom of the sixth, both runs being walked in, for the lead and, eventually, the win.

The goshockers write-up of the day.

[Hovpen]

Need to enjoy this one for about eight more hours or so. How many times the past years can the Shockers end the game on a walk off homer by a run rule.

[flyingMoose]

I are extremely happy for Katie that she is throwing as well a she is. They have been in a position to win each game she has taken the mound.

Well, not the season opener against UC Santa Barbara, but all of the other five games.

[flyingMoose]

Mississippi State 4-0 Shockers

GT link. KA gets this start. Normally one of Erin, Megan and Laura are out of the lineup because of the positions they play, and because Brianne has been the DP of late. In an attempt to generate more offense, Laura is in right, replacing Danika in the outfield, with Megan and Erin in the infield.

The Bulldogs score in the first on a single, sac bunt and double. The Shocks get a runner to third with no one out on Brittany's double and a wild pitch, but Melanie, Ali and Megan all go down swinging. Mississippi State, 1-0 after one complete.

State scores again in the third on a single, ground ball, single and squeeze bunt. Brittany has a one-out double, but again, we cannot score her. The Shocks have now fanned seven times in the three innings. Bulldogs, 2-0.

Katie is scrapping, but this is not her best result. State scores another in the fourth on a hit batter and double. They score in the sixth on a walk, stolen base, ground out and single. The Shocks have now K'd thirteen times through six innings. State, 4-0.

In the top of the seventh, Melanie throws out her third caught-stealing of the game. In the bottom half, the Shocks strike out twice more for a total of fifteen. State wins, 4-0.

Brianne was the only Shocker to escape the journey from the plate back to the dugout and drew the only walk of the day for the Shocks. Brittany's two doubles were the only hits. Katie gave up seven hits and four walks, all runs being earned.

The Shockers finish the tournament in the morning against Samford who is 2-0 in the tournament.

[flyingMoose]

Saturday scores recap

Mississippi State 4-0 Shockers
UMKC 5-3 Indiana State
Nicholls State 3-0 Indiana State
UMKC 4-3 Belmont

[flyingMoose]

Samford v Shockers

GT link.

[WSU2011Parent]

The MSU pitcher offered a steady diet of rise-balls and had a filthy-breaking change-up, though she only threw it 4 times. Seemed like more - or she had a helluva drop and took something off of it.

We were told Brianne's walk was the pitcher's first this season.

[1972Shocker]

Another reasonably solid outing from Katie. She will eventually be rewarded (I think).