had to have this win, and we got it!

Wasn't pretty but we even up the series. Maybe we'll bring our hitting shoes tomorrow.

Ottomatic

(04-02-2016 06:26 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Wasn't pretty but we even up the series. Maybe we'll bring our hitting shoes tomorrow.

Way to go Owls.

(04-02-2016 05:37 PM)Leoguy Wrote:  Rice now at 15 consecutive scoreless innings at MTSU ...
The team may be built on pitching and defense but at minimum, one run per game is necessary to win.

You called it

Congratulations to the Owls!
Just enough to win :)

1 run through 2 games and still have a chance to win the series . . .could be worse.

(04-02-2016 07:37 PM)MJY Wrote:  1 run through 2 games and still have a chance to win the series . . .could be worse.

On five hits.

(04-02-2016 05:37 PM)Leoguy Wrote:  Rice now at 15 consecutive scoreless innings at MTSU ...
The team may be built on pitching and defense but at minimum, one run per game is necessary to win.

What the heck? Do the base paths there run uphill in the top halves of innings?

(04-02-2016 05:33 PM)I45owl Wrote:  For any soccer fans out there, Gareth Bale was robbed...

RM won anyway. CR with the winner in stoppage.

Fox and Otto.....

Yet another nail biter but unlike last night, blame this one on just bad luck. One in our group said it was like the twilight zone-- MTSU was getting infield hits on balls not reaching the infield dirt, and we were hitting line drive after line drive (or hard hit ground balls) right at MTSU fielders. It's like they had a magnetic field gun that was attracting the balls into the fielders gloves. By my count, we had 7 line drive or well hit balls that resulted in outs, and that doesn't include the 2 - 3 shots just foul. Really exceptional defense today, as well, in particular from Dane Myers, who must have made 5 - 6 outstanding plays at 3B....but also Ford Proctor, Hunter Kopycinski, Connor Teykl and Charlie Warren.

Game Ball #1: Blake Fox (W, 2-4, 7.0 IP, 6 hits (3 infield hits), 0 runs, 3 BBs, 1 HBP, 5 Ks)-- had one of his best games as an Owl, and clearly got stronger as the game progressed. First half of the game he was pitching out of jams every inning, but had the poise to perservere.

Game Ball #2: Charlie Warren (2-2, 2 BBs, SB, run scored)-- for both his offense and critical, fence climing circus catch of the foul ball from their best hitter with two men on base.

Game Ball #3: Glenn Otto (Save #5, 2.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 BBs, 3 Ks)-- total domination when we needed it most. 6 up, 6 down to preserve the win.

Offense better wake up tomorrow as we have a very short bullpen, with Otto obviously not available, and Myers questionable (since he appeared to hurt his back on his ground out in the 8th inning).

We'll be going against another southpaw, one with the best stats amongst the three weekend starters....but a guy who has struggled mightily with his control...

J.Wyrick (JUCO, LHP): 5 starts, 7 app, 2-2, 22.0 IP, 3.68 ERA, .241 BAA, 15 BBs, 22 Ks, 1 xtrabase hit

...let's be a bit more patient and not help this guy out.

Let's find a way-- any way-- to win tomorrow and take our fifth consecutive weekend series. Let's get it done. Go Owls!

Great gut check win for the guys this evening. Mitsu stranded a bunch of base runners early, but aBout the fourth inning, Wayne turned over the pitch calling to the battery, consequently Blake immediately found a groove, and the mtsu offense did nothing the rest of the day, thanks also to a door slamming closing job by Otto. They never touched him. Nice to have a 1-1 split after two games where we went 16 innings having collected only four hits and zero runs (against decidedly middling pitching). Frustrating to watch, as we were slapping the ball all over the park, but always, it seemed, right at somebody.

Great steak dinner tonight presided over by Hizzoner Walt, who makes these baseball road trips extra special, in his own inimitable way. I think the mtsu fans who were listening in on our group's chatter seated in the home plate boxes thought we were a rather puzzlingly strange bunch a' nerds.

I blew my stack and popped off loudly when Big Jon walked off the mound Friday and not a single mtsu fan even faintly clapped, and yelled something like, "You clowns! We real fans know to clap,when an opponent walks off the mound after pitching like that! Hillbillies!!" and suddenly there were three or four MT fans surrounding me, gritting their teeth and clenching their fists, while saying nothing.

When the mtsu starter left the mound today, we gave him a big, cheering round of applause. Hell, even the Aggies do that. Kind of dull, unfriendly folks around the ball park here, but friendly enough service at the post game watering hole.

Am sure Walt will give/will have given you a more substantive game report. Now, just win Sunday, and we're fine....

(04-02-2016 10:05 PM)Ricefootballnet Wrote:  Hell, even the Aggies do that.

Speaking of the Aggies, they lost again at Florida today, 7-2.

And Florida Atlantic and East Carolina each won their weekend series today, too, @Old Dominion and vs. U. Houston, respectively.

(04-02-2016 10:05 PM)Ricefootballnet Wrote:  Great gut check win for the guys this evening. Mitsu stranded a bunch of base runners early, but aBout the fourth inning, Wayne turned over the pitch calling to the battery, consequently Blake immediately found a groove, and the mtsu offense did nothing the rest of the day, thanks also to a door slamming closing job by Otto. They never touched him. Nice to have a 1-1 split after two games where we went 16 innings having collected only four hits and zero runs (against decidedly middling pitching). Frustrating to watch, as we were slapping the ball all over the park, but always, it seemed, right at somebody.

Great steak dinner tonight presided over by Hizzoner Walt, who makes these baseball road trips extra special, in his own inimitable way. I think the mtsu fans who were listening in on our group's chatter seated in the home plate boxes thought we were a rather puzzlingly strange bunch a' nerds.

I blew my stack and popped off loudly when Big Jon walked off the mound Friday and not a single mtsu fan even faintly clapped, and yelled something like, "You clowns! We real fans know to clap,when an opponent walks off the mound after pitching like that! Hillbillies!!" and suddenly there were three or four MT fans surrounding me, gritting their teeth and clenching their fists, while saying nothing.

When the mtsu starter left the mound today, we gave him a big, cheering round of applause. Hell, even the Aggies do that. Kind of dull, unfriendly folks around the ball park here, but friendly enough service at the post game watering hole.

Am sure Walt will give/will have given you a more substantive game report. Now, just win Sunday, and we're fine....

This supports my contention that pitchers perform better when they have shake off ability. Letting the catcher call the game not only enables the pitcher to throw what they are feeling but also moves the game along and let's them get in a rhythm. There is not longer that long delay from coach to catcher to pitcher. The quality of the pitch is way more important than the pitch selection.

Didn't know about who was calling pitches, but early in the game it looked like Blake was nibbling and making a lot of pitches. Later he got very aggressive and started going right after the hitters and got into a great groove. By the way, Warren's catch was good, but he took 2 or 3 steps before going over the fence. They replayed it several times.

(04-03-2016 11:19 AM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  Didn't know about who was calling pitches, but early in the game it looked like Blake was nibbling and making a lot of pitches. Later he got very aggressive and started going right after the hitters and got into a great groove. By the way, Warren's catch was good, but he took 2 or 3 steps before going over the fence. They replayed it several times.

Midway through the game Graham let catcher and pitcher call pitches. I have been calling that out for 2 years. This isn't a video game. Let the players play. I doubt Graham was calling pitches two decades ago when he won national championships. Why change now.

(04-03-2016 12:28 PM)Howlomaha Wrote:  

(04-03-2016 11:19 AM)bobreinhold1 Wrote:  Didn't know about who was calling pitches, but early in the game it looked like Blake was nibbling and making a lot of pitches. Later he got very aggressive and started going right after the hitters and got into a great groove. By the way, Warren's catch was good, but he took 2 or 3 steps before going over the fence. They replayed it several times.

Midway through the game Graham let catcher and pitcher call pitches. I have been calling that out for 2 years. This isn't a video game. Let the players play. I doubt Graham was calling pitches two decades ago when he won national championships. Why change now.

The Junior College game is really a different animal but if I were to guess I'd say that he wasn't letting the freshmen and sophomores at San Jac call the pitches.