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Baseball game notes - Samford @ ETSU 5-20 and 5-21
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frankenheimer Offline
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Baseball game notes - Samford @ ETSU 5-20 and 5-21
Game 1 - 5/20 Bucs win 11-1
Until today I had no idea there was a mercy rule in college baseball. An internet search says that conferences can implement a 10-run rule after 6 1/2 or 7 innings. The Bucs won in 7 innings (OK, 6 and a half) 11-1.

Zack Kirby had a superb outing, pitching all 7 innings. He had no walks, although he did hit one guy. The one run was on a homer by, as I found out, the SoCon leader in homeruns. The defense behind him did well, with 2 double plays and a caught stealing.

Offensively, the bats really woke up in the 4th and 5th innings. I find it weird that a single hit can start some offensive momentum, and Hodge's double to start the 4th was that single hit. The Bucs had 7 hits, a sac fly, and 5 runs in the 4th inning. They added 6 hits and 5 runs in the 5th, aided by two walks and a hit batsman.

I headed home happy that we had all our pitchers available for the double-header on Friday.

Game 2 - 5/21 Bucs win 7-3
All the Buc offense happened in the first two innings. Kyle Richardson hit a grandslam homer in the first, helped by a hit batsman and a walk. In the second, Ethan Cady and Bryce Hodge hit back to back homers, resulting in 3 more runs. The Samford starter was replaced at the start of the third and the replacement, Long, pitched excellently, holding the Bucs to a single hit and walking only one the remaining six innings.

Colby Stuart managed to work 7 innings. He had 2 earned runs (and an unearned one), 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. Matthew Bollenbacher (Matthew, you need an easier-to-spell last name - I always have to look it up!) no-hit the last two innings and allowed no runs. Although the defense did have two errors, they did provide 3 double plays.

There was a nice moment in this game in the 8th inning. Jake Madole entered the game as a pinch hitter for his first plate appearance of the year. I'm no Buc baseball insider, but it looks like he had a serious knee injury and couldn't play this year. I also assume that this is his last season. There was a bunch of cheering when he came in; unfortunately, he struck out. But....the story continues in the next game, so keep on reading.

Game 3 - 5/21 - Bucs lose in 10 innings 7-6
Apparently, a starter on Samford had some trouble with the heat. Thankfully, he appeared to be OK, but had to be replaced in the lineup. His replacement went 4 for 5, with 2 singles, a double and a triple. He also was responsible for two RBI.

Pitching-wise, Samford hit quite well, with 16 hits in their 10 innings. Nathanial Tate was roughed up, but managed to pitch 6 innings, allowing 11 hits and 5 earned runs. Seth Chavez struck out the side in the 7th, but was pulled for Tucker Rogers in the eighth, in which the game-tying home run was hit. Matthew Mercer pitched admirably in the 9th and 10th, but allowed a single and the RBI double in the 10th that ultimately won the game for Samford. Although there were 16 hits, the 4 pitchers allowed no walks, no hit batsmen, and no wild pitches; that part of the pitching performance kept the Bucs in the game.

Offensively, the Bucs had a better than average game, with 10 hits and 6 runs. Ashton King and Ethan Cady had back to back home runs in the 5th, which knocked out the Samford starter. Unfortunately, the replacement, Hurst, kept the Bucs off the bases in his 2 2/3 innings, including 5 strikeouts. The Samford manager replaced the right-handed Hurst with 2 outs in the 7th only because he wanted a lefty-lefty matchup when Cady was up to bat next. An error allowed Cady to reach and a Hodge double and Kearney single gave the Bucs two more runs and the short-lived lead, 6-5.

Now the rest of the Madole story. After Kearney's single, Madole pinch hit for David Beam. Jake hit a single up the middle, again to cheers, and replaced by Hanvey to pinch run. So his last plate appearance was a hit.

As Brad Pitt's Billy Beane in "Moneyball" says, "How can you NOT be romantic about baseball?"
05-22-2021 08:20 AM
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