The toughest losses to swallow are the ones where one reversed play makes a big impact:
1. Before the series I wrote that the games would be low scoring which put a premium on the fundamental things of productive outs, bunting execution both on offense and defense, two out hits. In that context the better team clearly won. We didn't have a hit with runners in scoring position all night. Solak popping up the bunt was expensive as the first out in the 8th. Poor Will Smith had about as awful a night in that capacity as you could have had...the Lonnie Smith gaffe on the warning track flyball to right where I think the RF is still drifting back, the out by a mile double play to end the 7th. Probably the one that everybody is going to overlook though was his passed ball that took first and second and turned it into 2nd and 3rd and made their cleanup hitters at bat with two outs one that could tie it instead of cutting it by a run. That one was really expensive and you could see when McDonnell went out to the mound to make the pitching change that he was really upset with it.
2. I'm not a fan of the term choke...but I thought we spit the bit. He had to lift Rogers because he was trying to reign in his emotions after the 7th and you could see he couldn't amp back up and was probably a little embarrassed if I could judge body language taking the hill in the 8th and talking to the homeplate ump heading to the mound. That was a really expensive episode because the way he was dealing from the start I thought there were eight automatic outs in the lineup and with a two run lead that wasn't going to be overcome by CSF. Putting Harrington in with minimal work in a month and a half plus to face Olmeda-Barrera doesn't happen if Rogers kept his composure. Putting Henzman in midcount doesn't happen and fatefully putting Burdi in an inning early doesn't happen. Walks crushed us all weekend.
One thing you saw last night is that college baseball is a game where momentum does matter; it's unlike the majors in that way and the little things added up to a Colossus as a result. Our fate really was sealed long before Olmeda-Barrera's 2nd homer. We didn't capitalize on four errors by CSF.
3. Alot of hand wringing over Summers getting thrown out but it was the right call by McDonnell; ask yourself what is more likely...Hairston singling in Summers from second going on any contact or Summers coming around from first with the outfield playing deep to cutoff any extra basehits? That would require then two hits from the bottom of your order and I really don't care that Logan Taylor and Hairston were the hottest hitters in the lineup; upcoming were three consecutive hitters without extra basehit power over the course of the season against their ace. He's not going to walk anybody and your number of pitches to hit would be small. The stolen base attempt was the percentage play like it or not; the fact is we were shortstacked and had to do it.
Tough loss to a fine year. In the end I think we ended up being a bat short in our lineup and that cost us the two losses at home.
1. Before the series I wrote that the games would be low scoring which put a premium on the fundamental things of productive outs, bunting execution both on offense and defense, two out hits. In that context the better team clearly won. We didn't have a hit with runners in scoring position all night. Solak popping up the bunt was expensive as the first out in the 8th. Poor Will Smith had about as awful a night in that capacity as you could have had...the Lonnie Smith gaffe on the warning track flyball to right where I think the RF is still drifting back, the out by a mile double play to end the 7th. Probably the one that everybody is going to overlook though was his passed ball that took first and second and turned it into 2nd and 3rd and made their cleanup hitters at bat with two outs one that could tie it instead of cutting it by a run. That one was really expensive and you could see when McDonnell went out to the mound to make the pitching change that he was really upset with it.
2. I'm not a fan of the term choke...but I thought we spit the bit. He had to lift Rogers because he was trying to reign in his emotions after the 7th and you could see he couldn't amp back up and was probably a little embarrassed if I could judge body language taking the hill in the 8th and talking to the homeplate ump heading to the mound. That was a really expensive episode because the way he was dealing from the start I thought there were eight automatic outs in the lineup and with a two run lead that wasn't going to be overcome by CSF. Putting Harrington in with minimal work in a month and a half plus to face Olmeda-Barrera doesn't happen if Rogers kept his composure. Putting Henzman in midcount doesn't happen and fatefully putting Burdi in an inning early doesn't happen. Walks crushed us all weekend.
One thing you saw last night is that college baseball is a game where momentum does matter; it's unlike the majors in that way and the little things added up to a Colossus as a result. Our fate really was sealed long before Olmeda-Barrera's 2nd homer. We didn't capitalize on four errors by CSF.
3. Alot of hand wringing over Summers getting thrown out but it was the right call by McDonnell; ask yourself what is more likely...Hairston singling in Summers from second going on any contact or Summers coming around from first with the outfield playing deep to cutoff any extra basehits? That would require then two hits from the bottom of your order and I really don't care that Logan Taylor and Hairston were the hottest hitters in the lineup; upcoming were three consecutive hitters without extra basehit power over the course of the season against their ace. He's not going to walk anybody and your number of pitches to hit would be small. The stolen base attempt was the percentage play like it or not; the fact is we were shortstacked and had to do it.
Tough loss to a fine year. In the end I think we ended up being a bat short in our lineup and that cost us the two losses at home.
