OlderWhiskey

Sucks to lose the game on that obstruction call.

An unbiased eye wouldn't see much difference between MSU and Auburn. We're both 7-8 in the conference. We won 5/6 from aTm and USCe, they won 5/6 from Mizzou and Ole Miss. Both teams took a game from Florida (theirs in Gainesville). BTW, Phoebe Florian is on their roster, along with Allison Florian (sister?). Neither has played much, Phoebe has 4 ABs with a triple, seems to be a pinch runner. They have 61 homers and Mia Davidson has 18 of them. We really need to win this series.

Great job by Penta today. Sydney Cox leading the way on offense. Frustrating that we couldn't get our 5th straight run-rule. Falisi was on 3d in bot 5 when a grounder went to second. Looked like she should've tried to score there. Too bad Abbey Smith is nursing an injured arm. Then in the 6th, I think Dean sent Roach on a ball that was too shallow, because Falisi didn't go the other time. Mocs outfielder made an excellent throw to nail her. Part of Dismukes' problems in T7 can be attributed to that pop fly behind second that should have been caught. Had Packer been in the game, it would have been; but Schmidt was in center, and I think Carlee thought she (Carlee) should take it, as she had taken one behind first that was probably the RF's ball the previous inning. Anyway, we won the game, and a lot of people have gotten experience the past 5 games.

Nice job with the bats in that 4th. I did see Bryant, Peralta and Lowe during or after the game. Didn't see Packer, but I wasn't really thinking of it at the time. , Glad to see players like Roach, Schmidt, and Geraghty get some time.

Yarbrough somehow seems to occasionally deliver the superb outing as noted above, but has never been consistent. As a freshman at South Alabama in 2019, she had a 6-9 record on a below .500 team, with an ERA of 6.05. My impression was that she was brought in to provide support for Swindle and Dismukes, along with Handley. Bilodeaux and Harris had transferred out, and Martin had graduated. So, I never really expected a lot of her. Here is a link to the stats page at USA for 2019, if anyone is interested: https://usajaguars.com/sports/softball/stats/2019

I believe Dean has earned this contract extension. The SEC looks quite different now, even from a few years ago when Myers was coaching. Arkansas was a joke then. Deifel has done a great job there. BTW, did anyone else watch Arky-UK last night? I turned it on to have something to watch while I ate dinner, then couldn't turn it off. Hogs went up 7-1 with Haff pitching, then UK had a 6-run inning to tie it, then won it with 3 in the 7th.

It was J. J. Jackson on the call. Like others, I had thought it was Beth Mowins originally, but he identified himself at the end.

I think the bigger problem is losing Lowe. She was our dominant pitcher last year with 165 innings. Penta had 88 and Dismukes 60. She had a 1.48 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00. If she can't regain last year's form, we're going to struggle. I hate losing Denver, too. She was having a great year.

Never know what's gonna happen. We lost 17 SEC games last year. 4 runs would have won eight of those. Is Lowe still hurt, or have things gone psychological?

Think you nailed it. Arkansas isn't that different from us regarding pitching. If we can get more hits and with ROB, we have a decent chance at the series.

Midway through the SEC schedule, I thought I'd take a look at the conference-only hitting stats. I was surprised by the results. We are being out-hit by our SEC opponents .292 to .254; but, we are out-homering our opponents 23 to 9. That's right, we have hit more homers in 12 SEC games than we hit in all games last year. By comparison, our upcoming SEC opponent, Arkansas, is hitting .289 in conference play with 13 homers (55 overall compared to our 58). And the leading hitter in conference play? Nelia Peralta at .324. Nelia has 12 hits; a single, 7 doubles, and 4 homers. In fact, three of the top four hitters are freshmen, with Blaine at .303 and Ellis at .273. I think Ellis is hitting better in conference than non-conference. Bryant is the only non-freshman in the top 4 at .318, with McCondichie at .269 and Packer at .257. I guess I need to stop talking about the freshmen becoming accustomed to SEC pitching.

Yep. I love our girls, but we're going to have to be patient as they grow to accommodate the SEC. We have Arky and Miss. St. on the road, with Georgia at home, then finish with Tennessee on the road. Breaking even those 12 games would be reasonably good. Interesting game tomorrow night - the rubber game of UGA vs Alabama, Georgia won the first game, had a 3-1 lead in Game 2, but collapsed to a 9-3 loss. UGA is 31-6 with 66 homers. Fouts will probably pitch for the tide.

The other reason for leaving Dismukes in might be to give her experience. We're accustomed to thinking of Dismukes as the #3 pitcher, but if Lowe's condition continues to trouble her, Dismukes may be #2 with Lowe coming for short stints in relief. Wondering who is pitching for UAB, as Oklahoma beat them only 2-0 today (6 hits). Also, Georgia beat alabama 5-3 in Tuscaloosa.

That was a significant win for Auburn. Clint Myers never got a Game 1 or series win against them. We almost had the series in 2017, but a Texas Leaguer caromed off McCracken's glove in bot 7, scoring two for the Florida win. Great pitching by Penta and Lowe. Lowe's composure is other-worldly. Can you imagine being in the circle with bases loaded, one out, and Hannah Adams up? I wouldn't be able to get it on the correct side of the batter. Really glad Amanda Lorenz was coaching first and not batting. I wouldn't bet against Lowe even then. There was a lot of pressure on. I watched the game on replay, knowing we won, and was chain-smoking in the 7th. On the bunt to Penta, it seemed to me the ball got to Penta before Cox could get there. I didn't see Cox check up. Maybe she just didn't get a great jump.

And with that, we have exceeded our win total from last year.

Not sure Packer was really out, but have to say I'm impressed with the improvement in the ASU program. Their fielding especially looks great. And now the leadoff hitter singles in top 6.

I thought Packer was safe anyway, but I don't get to call that.

Both Peralta and McCondichie fumbled their chances, but recovered in time to get the runners. Peralta was lucky she had a slow runner.

Didn't really see this coming. Cox, Peralta, and Roach are all fielding in the mid-80s. Peralta has 15 errors, and Cox has 7, which equals her total from all last year. I think most of Peralta's came at short. We have a game tonight vs. Ala. State, unless the storm front cancels it. Will be interesting to see what Dean chooses to do.

That is horrible news, she was enjoying the season so much, as well as having outstanding performance. Hope she can make a complete recovery and return to the team next year. Heart thoughts going to her. This probably means that Cox will return to second.

Cox fielded at .953 last year, and Bryant at .813 on limited chances (16). Makenna Dowell was also at .953. So it's inexplicable that suddenly she can't field the softball. ??? Also, Taylon Snow never played second for us, always shortstop. She's played second and currently first for OU.

In case anyone else wonders, it's 10-8 Auburn going to bot 7.

Man, I hate that. Thought we had this one. Would have been a very good road win. Not sure why Cox is having so much trouble. Didn't she play second all last year? . . . Had UK's runners been on 2d and 3d, I'd definitely walk Abernathy. Can't do it with them on 1st and 3d. 5 errors hard to overcome.

Just for fun (and apropos of nothing on this thread), I checked the roster and stats of Louisville. Carmyn Greenwood is still there, playing as a graduate, and leading the team offensively, hitting .417 with 8 homers. Her sister Cassady has only appeared in 6 games and has no hits. Chardonnay Harris is 6-6 on the year (Louisville is 17-12) with an ERA of 5.25.

Thanks to Grogan for the PBP. I was on the road. Kentucky is probably better overall than we are right now. With Lowe at her best, that might not be true. I'm sure she is more disappointed than anyone that she has been unable to produce the type results she got last year. Hopefully, CMD is working with Lowe and the team doctor to execute the best plan possible for her and the team. If we can take one game from UK, that is probably a win for us now. Note Oklahoma beat them 9-1 like swatting a fly. Also see alabama came back to beat SC 7-5.