Due to the weather in Houston, the schedule has been changed and the first pitch for the Friday game is 2:00 p.m. (weather permitting).

If I hear anything further, I will post asap.

How are we looking? Big series.

Game is underway. 0-0 after two innings

Canterino's throwing lots of pitches ... 60 through 3 innings.

In the first 2 innings, he have 3 swinging Ks, a walk and HBP.

In T3, he walked the #9 hitter (3-0 to 3-2, then a just-low ball 4). 2nd batter tried to bunt, but K'd instead (foul, called strike, wiff). Next batter got to 3-2 count ... then hit a fly to left-center, just out of reach of sliding Cox. It bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, saving a run. For the time being ... grounder to first, bobbled, but 3U out made at first ... run scores.

1-0, USM. 2 outs, runner at 3rd.

2-2 pitch ... groundout to Cruz (6-3).

B3: Frazier hit a 1-out, shoulder-high 1-2 pitch opposite field into the right-center gap ... bounced to the for a double. Yay!!

But the other three Owls up in the inning struck out:

Cox looked at an impressive, big-breaking 1-2 curve ball;
Beaulaurier saw five pitches out of the strike zone, but wiffed at three of them.
Comeaux fouled off quite a few pitches, but succumbed to a pitch way low and outside.

1-0, USM ... after 3.

Then Wallner blasted the first pitch of T4 over the right-field wall ... his 15th dinger of the year.

JP: "That's when you want to face Wallner, leading off an inning."

2-0, USM.

Canterino gets the next three Eagles out: F-9, K, F-7.

2-0, USM ... heading to B4.

... which went by so quickly, it's not worth its own post: Popups to 3rd & 2nd bookending Cruz's lineout to Wallner down the RF line.

2-0, USM ... after 4.

After routine 3-up, 3-down T5, Owls made a threat in B5:

Collins bounced a single up the middle on 2-1 pitch.

Gneiting barreled up quite a few of the 8 pitches he saw ... but foul. Settled for a walk. Yay!

Cox hit a lovely bunt toward 3rd ... the USM pitcher matadored it, and the 3rd baseman was too deep to make a play. Bases loaded and no outs!

Frazier wiffed on 1-2 pitch. Grrr.

Beaulaurier ... wiffed on off-speed pitch; then looped a little single into center ... 2 runs score!! WooHOO!!

2-2 ... 1 out, runners at the corners.

B5, cont'd:

Comeaux ... started 0-2 ... worked the count to 2-2 with takes and fouls ... then plunked!! Bases loaded!!

Edwards smacked his first pitch hard ... but right at the 3rd baseman ... steps on the bag and throws to first for the 5-3 inning-ending double play. Bummer.

2-2 ... after 5.

T6:

Canterino walks the first batter on 4 pitches! Grrr.

Wallner wiffs then takes the first two strikes ... but doesn't offer on the next four pitches (3 low, the last very high).

Two on, no out.

First-pitch bunt executed well by both batter and Comeaux. Runner move up; 1 out.

Bloop single into left center ... 2 runs score. GRRR!!

4-2, USM

New Owl pitcher coming in.

T6, cont'd

Blair Lewis in to pitch.

Collins double-clutches his throw, but still nails USM runner trying to steal 2nd. Yay!!

2 outs.

USM's Danny Lynch bounced a 3-1 pitch off the right-center scoreboard. Arrrgh!!

5-2, USM. 2 outs.

First pitch high fly to shallowish LF.

Heading to B6.

B6:

Cruz scorches 1-1 pitch to 1st baseman. Good play to make the 3U putout.

Dunlap smacks an 0-2 pitch into right field for an opposite field single.

But Collins hits into an around-the-horn, inning-ending double play. Sigh.

5-2, USM ... after 6.

T7:

A just-inside 3-2 curve ball gives USM a leadoff baserunner.

Beaulaurier makes a nice diving catch of sinking line-drive to center.

Hard single up the middle -- "Lewis had to duck out of the way of that one!" -- puts Eagles at the corners.

High heat nails the USM batter in 9-pitch AB.

Wallner walked intentionally ... bases loaded ... 2 outs!!

"Rare that you see that, but it just happened."

First pitch roller to Cruz ... routine 6-3 putout. WooHoo/Whew!!

5-2, USM ... heading to B7.

Time for a big-time rally, Rice!!!

(Walt and friends are among the fans shown in the between-innings, 7th inning stretch video.)

B7:

Gneiting hits 0-1 pitch sharply into RF for a leadoff single. Yay!

Cox JUST held up his swing on a just-low 3-2 pitch. 2 on!! Rally time!!

Or not. Frazier hits 2-2 pitch to 3rd baseman ... who hustles over to the 3rd base bag and then just throws Frazier out at 1st. Arrrgh!!

Beaulaurier Ks on 3 straight pitches (called, wiff, wiff). Sigh.

5-2, USM ... after 7.

T8:

Greenwood now pitching.

> Swinging strikeout on 4 pitches. (LeBlanc's 3rd K today.)
> Good play by Edwards to get to grounder in the right-side hole ... 4-3.

"Greenwood pitching better than his 9.27 ERA would indicate."

> 1-2 pitch ... liner to RF ... "hanging up for Gneiting." Caught. Yay!!

5-2, USM ... heading to B8.

NOW we need an Owl Rally!!

B8:

Comeaux: First pitch hit hard to 3B. Knocks it down. Makes the throw to 1st. 5-3.

Edwards: First pitch can-o-corn to his counterpart in RF. Sigh.

Cruz: Take one, then wiffs ... takes ball 1, low ... takes ball 2, just high ... called strike 3 on the outside paint.

7-pitch inning. GRRR!!!

5-2, USM ... after 8.

T9:

> 1-0 pitch lofted over the RF fence. Grrr.

6-2, USM

> 0-1 off-speed pitch lofted right at Beaulaurier. F-8.

> 2-1 pitch hit sharply to Edwards. 4-3.

> 3-pitch wiff!! Yay!!

6-2, USM ... heading to B9.

"Rice with some work to do."

Well there is always the next one...

B9:

Dunlap: Called strike. Then high fly to center field ... caught near the warning track.

Collins hits first pitch high into the RF corner. Double!!

Gneiting: Fouled back ... Fouled high down the left side ... Ball, outside ... Short fly to left-center ... bounces just in front of the center fielder. Double! Collins to 3rd. (Had to hold up, in case it had been caught.)

Cox: Called strike ... Check swing, ball ... Foul ... Ball 2, high & inside ... Ripped to SS. 6-3 ... RBI.

6-3, USM ... Runner at 3rd, 2 out.

Frazier: Called strike ... Called strike (foul, perhaps? It hit the catcher in collarbone or neck!) ... Ball ... Then the 1-2 pitch was "lined softly to third base. And that's the ball game."

6-3, USM ... FINAL.

Sigh.

A little lucky to get that one today. Y’all barreled up Powell and Stanley but hit a lot to the wrong spot. Canterino is a hell of a pitcher. Looking at his numbers, extra base hits are definitely his Achilles heel. That was true today.

Not sure how the rest of this series goes. Our pitching staff is basically Powell and a bunch of short to middle relievers who are decent but inconsistent.

Powers has a torn up shoulder but has been our Saturday guy because we have no better options. The guy who usually starts Sundays (Strickland) has a sore arm and stayed back in Hattiesburg. He’s not that good anyway.

(05-10-2019 05:04 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  A little lucky to get that one today. Y’all barreled up Powell and Stanley but hit a lot to the wrong spot. Canterino is a hell of a pitcher. Looking at his numbers, extra base hits are definitely his Achilles heel. That was true today.

Not sure how the rest of this series goes. Our pitching staff is basically Powell and a bunch of short to middle relievers who are decent but inconsistent.

Powers has a torn up shoulder but has been our Saturday guy because we have no better options. The guy who usually starts Sundays (Strickland) has a sore arm and stayed back in Hattiesburg. He’s not that good anyway.

As always, you guys play sound fundamental baseball-- both at the plate (working the pitch count and fouling off pitches) and defensively. Canterino did not have his best stuff today, but it was the free passes that did him in. Three of the four runs he allowed were on walks and HBP. You just cannot do that against quality teams and get away with it.

As for our offense, yes, we squared up on a lot of balls, but only had one clutch hit the entire game.

(05-10-2019 05:24 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(05-10-2019 05:04 PM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  A little lucky to get that one today. Y’all barreled up Powell and Stanley but hit a lot to the wrong spot. Canterino is a hell of a pitcher. Looking at his numbers, extra base hits are definitely his Achilles heel. That was true today.

Not sure how the rest of this series goes. Our pitching staff is basically Powell and a bunch of short to middle relievers who are decent but inconsistent.

Powers has a torn up shoulder but has been our Saturday guy because we have no better options. The guy who usually starts Sundays (Strickland) has a sore arm and stayed back in Hattiesburg. He’s not that good anyway.

As always, you guys play sound fundamental baseball-- both at the plate (working the pitch count and fouling off pitches) and defensively. Canterino did not have his best stuff today, but it was the free passes that did him in. Three of the four runs he allowed were on walks and HBP. You just cannot do that against quality teams and get away with it.

As for our offense, yes, we squared up on a lot of balls, but only had one clutch hit the entire game.

As you can tell from our fielding percentage, sound fundamental baseball is not exactly characteristic of this team. But they fielded the ball well today.

Agreed on the approach at the plate today. This isn’t our best hitting team...but they have done a good job all year of working counts to force walks or mistake pitches.