Road to the 2023 NCAA Championship

[_MIA_]

I believe one of them was hit over the fence, too.

I don't want to speak for Bill, but my understanding is that you're more likely to get the K with a rise, but you're also more likely to give up home runs (especially if you miss your spot and don't get it high enough). So Fouts throwing rise balls with a two-run lead and nobody on could be worth the risk. A solo homer doesn't kill you, and you're going for those strikeouts.

But with a three-run lead, two outs, and two runners on? OU would've needed multiple non-home run hits from that point on to tie the game. And both hits in that inning were little bloop hits. They weren't making solid contact. Just seems too risky.

Maybe it was her “off speed rise”.. whatever the hell that is

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Maybe it was her “off speed rise”.. whatever the hell that is

Thank goodness someone else said this. I hate when people say that.

 

[RADcatcher]

Thank goodness someone else said this. I hate when people say that.

Change-UP better lol...

 

[Lobster Birch]

Maybe it was her “off speed rise”.. whatever the hell that is

I think it was actually an "off speed low rise ball" that missed high.

 

[Gtrips07]

I think Montana Fouts throws riseballs in the 6th and 7th inning.

Fouts throws a high fastball that people chase. This is per Montana herself. She also gets in trouble with it as when she overthrows, she loses some spin on it and she says it is easier to hit when the spin is less.


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[CoachJD]

Fouts throws a high fastball that people chase. This is per Montana herself. She also gets in trouble with it as when she overthrows, she loses some spin on it and she says it is easier to hit when the spin is less.

Her location on the final strike of the third game was just perfect. Up and in to the lefty, out of the zone. She's either swinging and missing or taking the pitch. There's just no real way to do damage on a pitch like that.

 

[schwabach]

All I can say about Alabama for sure it that they aren't going to win much unless they can start scoring a lot more runs.

 

[Tatonka]

LOLOLOL, thanks for checking on me. I didn't see it but I had heard about it. All I can do is shake my head. One of the Ten Commandments of pitching is: you don't throw riseballs past the 5th inning with a 1 or 2 run lead. You just don't. Can an HR be hit off a dropball? Of course. But, for the 6th and 7th, the pitcher should just be counting outs in their head. 6 to go, 5 to go, etc. Percentage wise, the ball stays in the yard on dropballs. Almost everything about this game is about playing those percentages. Again I didn't see it, but from what I was told, the Clemson pitcher kept the ball down the entire game throwing only a few riseballs. Then, the plan changed somehow. I don't get it. lol

That was absolutely one of the craziest scenarios you could imagine! I was thinking about how good Cagle was doing with keeping the ball down in the zone (for the most part) that whole game, her heavy dropball was working for sure (and her bat was definitely hot). That 0-2 pitch, at that point in the game with runners on just had to be a mistake? A very costly mistake that I'm sure she wished she could have taken back as soon as it left her fingertips! Give credit and big props to Hansen for being ready and able to capitalize on it rather than watch it go by in disbelief.

 

[CoachJD]

I cannot take "backdoor curveball" from the announcers anymore. A right-handed pitcher cannot throw a backdoor curveball to a right-handed hitter! It's not possible! By definition, a backdoor curveball comes from off the plate to hit the outside corner. It's like these idiots heard a term once and just started using it without ever bothering to understand what it actually means.

Amanda Scarborough (I think that's who said it) should know better.

 

[Cougars]

All I can say about Alabama for sure it that they aren't going to win much unless they can start scoring a lot more runs.

Well, they scored a few runs today at least.