scoring from 3b

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May 4, 2009
874
18
Baltimore
I'll bet it never happened. Who would practice something like that? If it did happen it wasn't orchestrated. The runner on third was probably going when she thought it was ball four.
 
Mar 2, 2009
311
16
Suffolk, VA
CoachFP: I'd like to bet a Case of Beer! He planned it, we talked about it in practice and not really any practicing involved. It was simple; on his signal (he yelled something out), all girls knew that on Ball 3, they all would start walking to the next base, including the batter.. EVEN coaches didn't pick up on tagging runner from 3B, just griped it was ball 3. They were confused, we all agreed it was ball 3, but ALL runners that advanced STAYED at their bases being it was a live ball and the batter had to come back to the plate.

*** you want to know when you try this? with a batter that you have little confidence in hitting a pitcher. EVERYONE of us has seen a #9 batter (or an experienced batter) that you KNOW your pitcher should beat at the plate, get walked! she gets 2-2 ball to make ball 3, TAKE a chance!
 
May 4, 2009
874
18
Baltimore
CoachFP: I'd like to bet a Case of Beer! He planned it, we talked about it in practice and not really any practicing involved. It was simple; on his signal (he yelled something out), all girls knew that on Ball 3, they all would start walking to the next base, including the batter.. EVEN coaches didn't pick up on tagging runner from 3B, just griped it was ball 3. They were confused, we all agreed it was ball 3, but ALL runners that advanced STAYED at their bases being it was a live ball and the batter had to come back to the plate.

*** you want to know when you try this? with a batter that you have little confidence in hitting a pitcher. EVERYONE of us has seen a #9 batter (or an experienced batter) that you KNOW your pitcher should beat at the plate, get walked! she gets 2-2 ball to make ball 3, TAKE a chance!

So all the girls knew in advance that this was a play? Young girls have trouble remembering things that are routine let alone something that was thought up in practice and never done before. I see how it could work but I would think that this is overcoaching.
 
Mar 2, 2009
311
16
Suffolk, VA
Again, I have never done this myself. Team I helped coach did and it was planned in advance, and did work. (honestly, it was fun to see everyone's reactions except the other coach who thought it was a BS move.)
** Personaly - I prefer to to teach my girls to be great baserunners, very good bunters and good batters. I like them to understand the game and I whole heartedly agree - I don't like gimick plays., BUT it worked a couple games, not much different then 1st & 3rd situations where you run trick plays. -We ran one where 2B intercepts ball from catcher and FLIPS behind her to SS covering. I WATCHED a team in San Diego run a play on 1st & 3rd situation where Pitcher intercepts the ball, FAKES an OVERTHROW to SS who JUMPS up like the throw went over her head and CF runs in like she is getting overthrow....... in hope to get runner at 3B heading home on overthrow..
** these are just fun plays - did you see Florida on offense with 1st and 3rd? runner from 1st fakes she falls (slides to draw a throw??)
 
Jul 28, 2008
1,084
0
Bush league stuff that can confuse the younger players, but as you face older and better teams it won't work. Same with taking 2nd base on a walk with a runner on 3rd. You can do it at 10U and 12U, but against good teams it's a double play.
 
Mar 2, 2009
311
16
Suffolk, VA
1) the play works
2) I mentioned a couple times I won't run it, only because I don't have the NERVE to l(well coached team will tag the runner from 3B and a badly coached team or team w/ little experience shouldn't need to run that play)
3) trick plays aren't ALL "Bush League", though I understand where you are coming from..... really do......
4) Florida runs a play w/ runners at 1B & 3B, where runner at 1B starts to steal and SLIDES a few steps into the steal to DRAW a throw from the catcher, this is U of Florida who just played for the National Championship. not bush league, just a trick play
5) our girls have never been confused from running that play. We also had 15 girls in 3 years that were either All County or All Conference.... I don't think they were confused!
*** I agree that running goofy plays against good teams generally won't work..... yeah, I get aggrevated when our 16U 1B coach runs the batter that walks all the way to 2B when we have a runner at 3B AND the defense doesn't even react...... ticks me off becuase realistically a well coached team would throw her out and the runner at 3B if she were to go...... I don't agree with that either, but honestly, that doesn't confuse the girls either - though I'm afraid it WILL cost us a game against a good defense.
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,649
0
Bush league stuff that can confuse the younger players, but as you face older and better teams it won't work. Same with taking 2nd base on a walk with a runner on 3rd. You can do it at 10U and 12U, but against good teams it's a double play.

We were Men's A div National Champs and we used plays like that alot, however, we NEVER saw them as 'Trick plays'. We saw tham as forcing the other teams to make hurried mistakes and we capitalized on them.

One other one that I dont think was mentioned.

Third strike swing and miss, always sprint to first and ASSUME the catcher dropped the ball. Dont wait and look to see, just RUN. If the catcher throws the ball, your 3b runner scores. If done quickly with NO HESITATION at all, it works. At least once in the game. Then, after that, the catcher will have a slight hesitation before throwing a batter/runner out. That hesitation might give the BR the half second they need to make it to first safely.
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,399
63
Northeast Ohio
I just like calling "angle down" where the runner at 3 is reading the bunt attempt. Runner takes a nice agressive lead expecting to go but reads the batters attempt. At first sign that the ball is angling down and not poping up the runner is going. I'm guessing the defense has about 2.0 - 2.5 seconds to successfully field the ball, flip it and make a good tag. It puts a lot of pressure on the D without commiting...Suicide. This relies a bit more on execution and instict than chance or trickery. Chance and trickery odds start to favor the opponent if they are a good team. If they are not you should already be winning by a bunch.
 

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