Softball vs. Georgia - game 3

[WarTiger 3,901]

Veach pops up to the pitcher to end the top 7th.   Auburn leads 4-3.

[WarTiger 3,901]

chopper to 2nd and McCrackin can't field it.   That's ok.  sets up another double play.  Let's go TIGERS!!

[MDM4AU 332]

Umps screwed Auburn on that at bat. 

[GBAU83 212]

error at second and what should have been a strike out but, no Georgia has two on and no outs

Come on ladies!

[jared52 4,354]

Radio guy incensed they didn't call the check swing. The SEC has GOT to do something about the quality of the officiating. Start by firing the head guy. 

[saminbama 740]

The SEC is really hurting for decent umpires.  This crew is a joke.

[WarTiger 3,901]

Carlson gets a big strikeout there.  1 out. (should be 2).

[WarTiger 3,901]

ground ball to 2nd, McCrackin stops it stays with it and gets it to Fagan to get the force.   2 outs.   runners on 1st and 3rd now for georgia. 

[AlaskanFAN 1,666]

Boom

[MDM4AU 332]

Tigers Win!!! Sweep the Dawgs!!

[WarTiger 3,901]

Ground ball to McCrackin and she fields makes the throw to Veach and its a FINAL.   AUBURN WINS 4-3 and SWEEPS georgia on the road.  Auburn moves to 31-5 on the season.

[GBAU83 212]

Glad McCrackin got to end the game - she had a rough one in the field today.

 

WAY TO GO LADIES!

[AUBwins 10,075]

Always good to sweep Georgia! Such a gritty series by Auburn this weekend.  Proud of these ladies.  Glad the non call on the strikeout didn't kill it for us.  Real impressed with Rivera's play in the outfield the entire weekend.  What a shot on the throw out at home! Had to be perfect and it was.  Kudos to Shea for blocking the plate enough to give a little more time for the ball to get there.  Cooper is starting to see better pitches but looks like she has lost herself a little.  The 2 for 23 stat in SEC play is a bit alarming.  Hopefully the slight dropoff in competition in the coming weeks will help her string some hits together.  Overall fantastic series to win on the road in Athens for the first time. 

[jared52 4,354]

Huge road sweep. Love overcoming the adversity. 

[OlderWhiskey 953]

2 hours ago, jared52 said:

Huge road sweep. Love overcoming the adversity. 

Damn right on both accounts.  Opponents get 11 hits, we flub a few in the field, and the umps contribute a couple of homer calls, and we still win?  How many games have we ever lost when we had 11 hits?  Can't decide on a series MVP between Wallace and Veach; thankfully I don't have to.  I do think we will be seeing lots more of Ms. Rivera in right field.

[The Plainsman 948]

War Eagle. 

[jared52 4,354]

Just went back and watched the check swing on WatchESPN since I was just listening on the radio and wow. W. O. W. Wow. That wasn't even close. You had to WANT to miss that call. I don't watch other games so I don't know if it's just bad luck for AU or if there is a conference wide issue with the umps, but some of the things that have happened this weekend and last have me scratching my head. I know the umps are human, but they have the ability to get the call right if they confer and talk it out. Balls and strike are one thing (and man, is that an inconsistent mess at times), but the phantom bobbled ball call and the interference call on Wallace these last two weeks are just inexcusable mistakes. 

[tgr4lfe 220]

23 hours ago, AUBwins said:

 Cooper is starting to see better pitches but looks like she has lost herself a little.  The 2 for 23 stat in SEC play is a bit alarming.  Hopefully the slight dropoff in competition in the coming weeks will help her string some hits together.  

Just think about how much better teh AU offense will be with Cooper back in her hitting groove.  I think a LOT of it is frustration over not getting any decent looks, then mix in some questionable strikes called, and she is/has been visibly frustrated at the plate.  I think she knows what she can do and wants to do it some bad, but no one is really giving her the opportunity, which I understand if I'm the other team.  IF AU can keep hitting like it did Saturday night and give other teams no reason to pitch around Cooper then AU will be better off offensively.    

[tgr4lfe 220]

14 hours ago, jared52 said:

Just went back and watched the check swing on WatchESPN since I was just listening on the radio and wow. W. O. W. Wow. That wasn't even close. You had to WANT to miss that call. I don't watch other games so I don't know if it's just bad luck for AU or if there is a conference wide issue with the umps, but some of the things that have happened this weekend and last have me scratching my head. I know the umps are human, but they have the ability to get the call right if they confer and talk it out. Balls and strike are one thing (and man, is that an inconsistent mess at times), but the phantom bobbled ball call and the interference call on Wallace these last two weeks are just inexcusable mistakes. 

Perfect summation of the bad umpiring this weekend.  

[saminbama 740]

One thing needs to be clarified on the missed strike call.  While the overall performance of the umpires this weekend was horrible, starting with the female's interference call on Wallace, she wasn't at fault on this play.  Umpires are taught on a swing appeal to never make that call unless you are in position on the 1st or 3rd base lines.  As a high school umpire, we were told that some coaches would test you and if you were positioned in the middle of the infield and made a strike call, the coach would write you up.   Umpire mechanics, when using a three person crew and a runner at first, calls for the third base umpire to be positioned behind second base.  She was properly positioned in the middle of the infield and made the correct call.  That being said, earlier this season I saw an umpire make that call, which was just as bad as this situation.  On this play, Emanuel committed so much, the plate umpire should have made the call.  I don't know how it is now, but 10 years ago, SEC umpires were paid a flat fee for a 3 game series.  Out of that fee, they had to pay all of their expenses.  Travel, hotel, and meals.  10 years ago the fee was $500, and at first, it sounded appealing until you realized all the expenses came out of that.  Because of that, I never really considered taking a shot at being an SEC umpire.  Watching most of the games this year, the lack of decent umpires is really shocking.  The conference really needs to address this, and the first place would be to attract quality umpires by paying a decent stipend.  None of these people are in it for the money, but staying in a motel every weekend and being possibly hundreds of miles from home would be more palatable with higher compensation and would attract better candidates. 

[jared52 4,354]

I don't doubt they don't pay a ton for softball umpires, but the plays you mentioned should be easy enough for a volunteer at your local fields to make. The check swing should have easily been seen by the home plate umpire. If the umpire in the field can take make the call, then the home plate umpire should indicate there is no appeal in that case instead of forcing another umpire to make an incorrect call.