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Game Thread: Easton Bama Bash

I knew Elissa Bryant was out with a broken hand. But Claire Jenkins is wearing casual street clothes, carrying a clipboard.

Anybody know the story there?
 
major tidefan said:
Claire had an ACL injury back in October and will miss the entire season.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. I wasn’t aware of that.

But DANG.....how many key injuries to how many key players in how many programs does one school have to endure?

The last six months have been beyond ridiculous in football, men’s basketball, and softball.

My goodness..........where does it end?

Sorry for the pity party. It’s just immensely frustrating to think where all these programs would be with just average injury luck. Looking forward to the reversion to the mean....which will mean 5+ years with no meaningful injuries at all.
 
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This weekend was the Easton Bash Tournament, with Alabama, Wichita State, Louisville, and Penn State.

Mrs. Basket Case and I attended Alabama’s games against Louisville and Penn State Saturday, and today’s game second against Louisville.

In Saturday’s first game (Louisville) Lexi Kilfoyl, the highly recruited freshman pitcher, took an inning to settle down. But once she did, she was lights out. She’s young, but has an extremely bright future.

But the best indications for the rest of the season were from Saturday’s second game, this one against Penn State.

PSU got incredibly lucky in the top of the 1st, scoring 5 runs, and putting us in a hole.

We dropped a third strike, and the runner got to first. Then a walk. Then our RF lost a hard line drive in the low late afternoon sun, and two runs scored. Then, after a clean single, maybe the weirdest play I‘ve ever seen. PSU hit a long fly to left field. Alexis Mack (the transfer from Oregon) ran it down, and caught it just before it went out of the park. Then, with arm extended and ball in glove, she smacked the wall.....and lost the ball over the other side. Home run PSU. 5-0, and we haven’t even been up to bat.

To their credit, the team never quit, chipped away for a couple of innings, had some big innings, and ended up run-ruling PSU 14-6 in the 6th.

Besides scoring 14 of the next 15 runs, other good news against PSU was that Krystal Goodman handled the really bad luck in the first inning (detailed above) well. Allowed only one run the rest of the way.

On Sunday, again against Louisville, Montana Fouts scattered (I think?) 6 hits in a shutout. Louisville never really threatened to score, and the bagel was nice. But something’s missing. Fouts wasn’t the dominant pitcher we saw at the end of last year. I have absolutely no inside information whatsoever. Still, in combination with getting shelled in the start before last, I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else going on there.

Another side note: After Reagan Dykes’ graduation, we had a gaping void at catcher. All is well. We’ve found our catcher for the next 4 years. Abby Doerr is a freshman from Eugene Oregon. She worked really hard to get eligible a year early (would normally be in the spring semester of her senior year of HS now), and has already cemented the job.

She got eligible only a few games ago, and I can’t help but wonder if she could have made a difference in the disappointing start to the year. But that’s history now, and we can look only forward.

The opposition the past week wasn’t the greatest, but we needed the wins, and are starting to jell.

I like this team, even though there isn’t a ton of power. Lots of singles and doubles, but in contrast to last year, not many HRs (Skylar Wallace’s walk-off HR today notwithstanding).

Opponents are clearly pitching around our one true power hitter, Bailey Hemphill. They throw low percentage pitches to corners, and just aren’t going to give her anything to hit. If she walks (and she walks a lot), she’s not a speed merchant on the bases, and opposing teams are making rational risk management decisions on how they pitch to her.

Slow start acknowledged, I still expect them to be in OKC come May. If the team’s there, Mrs. Basket Case and I will be, too.
 
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4Q Basket Case said:
This weekend was the Easton Bash Tournament, with Alabama, Wichita State, Louisville, and Penn State.

Mrs. Basket Case and I attended Alabama’s games against Louisville and Penn State Saturday, and today’s game second against Louisville.

In Saturday’s first game (Louisville) Lexi Kilfoyl, the highly recruited freshman pitcher, took an inning to settle down. But once she did, she was lights out. She’s young, but has an extremely bright future.

But the best indications for the rest of the season were from Saturday’s second game, this one against Penn State.

PSU got incredibly lucky in the top of the 1st, scoring 5 runs, and putting us in a hole.

We dropped a third strike, and the runner got to first. Then a walk. Then our RF lost a hard line drive in the low late afternoon sun, and two runs scored. Then, after a clean single, maybe the weirdest play I‘ve ever seen. PSU hit a long fly to left field. Alexis Mack (the transfer from Oregon) ran it down, and caught it just before it went out of the park. Then, with arm extended and ball in glove, she smacked the wall.....and lost the ball over the other side. Home run PSU. 5-0, and we haven’t even been up to bat.

To their credit, the team never quit, chipped away for a couple of innings, had some big innings, and ended up run-ruling PSU 14-6 in the 6th.

Besides scoring 14 of the next 15 runs, other good news against PSU was that Krystal Goodman handled the really bad luck in the first inning (detailed above) well. Allowed only one run the rest of the way.

On Sunday, again against Louisville, Montana Fouts scattered (I think?) 6 hits in a shutout. Louisville never really threatened to score, and the bagel was nice. But something’s missing. Fouts wasn’t the dominant pitcher we saw at the end of last year. I have absolutely no inside information whatsoever. Still, in combination with getting shelled in the start before last, I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else going on there.

Another side note: After Reagan Dykes’ graduation, we had a gaping void at catcher. All is well. We’ve found our catcher for the next 4 years. Abby Doerr is a freshman from Eugene Oregon. She worked really hard to get eligible a year early (would normally be in the spring semester of her senior year of HS now), and has already cemented the job.

She got eligible only a few games ago, and I can’t help but wonder if she could have made a difference in the disappointing start to the year. But that’s history now, and we can look only forward.

The opposition the past week wasn’t the greatest, but we needed the wins, and are starting to jell.

I like this team, even though there isn’t a ton of power. Lots of singles and doubles, but in contrast to last year, not many HRs (Skylar Wallace’s walk-off HR today notwithstanding).

Opponents are clearly pitching around our one true power hitter, Bailey Hemphill. They throw low percentage pitches to corners, and just aren’t going to give her anything to hit. If she walks (and she walks a lot), she’s not a speed merchant on the bases, and opposing teams are making rational risk management decisions on how they pitch to her.

Slow start acknowledged, I still expect them to be in OKC come May. If the team’s there, Mrs. Basket Case and I will be, too.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed update for those of us several states away. Getting first hand info is great. RTR
 
4Q Basket Case said:
This weekend was the Easton Bash Tournament, with Alabama, Wichita State, Louisville, and Penn State.

Mrs. Basket Case and I attended Alabama’s games against Louisville and Penn State Saturday, and today’s game second against Louisville.

In Saturday’s first game (Louisville) Lexi Kilfoyl, the highly recruited freshman pitcher, took an inning to settle down. But once she did, she was lights out. She’s young, but has an extremely bright future.

But the best indications for the rest of the season were from Saturday’s second game, this one against Penn State.

PSU got incredibly lucky in the top of the 1st, scoring 5 runs, and putting us in a hole.

We dropped a third strike, and the runner got to first. Then a walk. Then our RF lost a hard line drive in the low late afternoon sun, and two runs scored. Then, after a clean single, maybe the weirdest play I‘ve ever seen. PSU hit a long fly to left field. Alexis Mack (the transfer from Oregon) ran it down, and caught it just before it went out of the park. Then, with arm extended and ball in glove, she smacked the wall.....and lost the ball over the other side. Home run PSU. 5-0, and we haven’t even been up to bat.

To their credit, the team never quit, chipped away for a couple of innings, had some big innings, and ended up run-ruling PSU 14-6 in the 6th.

Besides scoring 14 of the next 15 runs, other good news against PSU was that Krystal Goodman handled the really bad luck in the first inning (detailed above) well. Allowed only one run the rest of the way.

On Sunday, again against Louisville, Montana Fouts scattered (I think?) 6 hits in a shutout. Louisville never really threatened to score, and the bagel was nice. But something’s missing. Fouts wasn’t the dominant pitcher we saw at the end of last year. I have absolutely no inside information whatsoever. Still, in combination with getting shelled in the start before last, I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else going on there.

Another side note: After Reagan Dykes’ graduation, we had a gaping void at catcher. All is well. We’ve found our catcher for the next 4 years. Abby Doerr is a freshman from Eugene Oregon. She worked really hard to get eligible a year early (would normally be in the spring semester of her senior year of HS now), and has already cemented the job.

She got eligible only a few games ago, and I can’t help but wonder if she could have made a difference in the disappointing start to the year. But that’s history now, and we can look only forward.

The opposition the past week wasn’t the greatest, but we needed the wins, and are starting to jell.

I like this team, even though there isn’t a ton of power. Lots of singles and doubles, but in contrast to last year, not many HRs (Skylar Wallace’s walk-off HR today notwithstanding).

Opponents are clearly pitching around our one true power hitter, Bailey Hemphill. They throw low percentage pitches to corners, and just aren’t going to give her anything to hit. If she walks (and she walks a lot), she’s not a speed merchant on the bases, and opposing teams are making rational risk management decisions on how they pitch to her.

Slow start acknowledged, I still expect them to be in OKC come May. If the team’s there, Mrs. Basket Case and I will be, too.
Click to expand...


Fouts's problem is that she tried out for the Olympics team in the Summer and she didn't make the cut. Murph shut her down for fall practice, so she is just now starting to pitch again. Give it time, and she will be back in the groove. It also doesn't help that she faced 3 top 10 teams out the gate.
 
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81usaf92 said:
Fouts's problem is that she tried out for the Olympics team in the Summer and she didn't make the cut. Murph shut her down for fall practice, so she is just now starting to pitch again. Give it time, and she will be back in the groove. It also doesn't help that she faced 3 top 10 teams out the gate.
Click to expand...
Actually trying out for the Olymics didnt wear on her. Playing for the Junior National Team did.
 
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