SB vs. FAU (4/12-14/24)

[Matt from A700]

Huge series that will determine first place in the conference. We swept FAU in Boca last year and now have the homefield advantage.

• We take outright possession of first place if we sweep the Owls again.
• FAU just needs one win this weekend to hold their footing over us in the standings.
• It'd be nice for Tulsa to lose a game or two this weekend at home against ECU to avoid further confusion in the standings. They're 10-5 in conference like us.

Come out and support the ladies this weekend! I'm trying to make it to all three... there will be a drone show after tomorrow's game.

 

[Matt from A700]

Short outing for Childers in Game 1. Four walks in 1+ innings of work. Tied at 1 after FAU scored on a wild pitch and we scored on a sac fly in foul territory by Mikayla.

[Matt from A700]

An hour and 5 minutes to get through three innings. 2-2 tie.

[Matt from A700]

Mean Green snap a four-game losing streak to beat FAU in Game 1, 4-2. Wagoner came in and completely dominated. Tatum Sparks hit a go-ahead homer to dead center in the bottom of the 4th and we scored an insurance run in the 6th on a throwing error trying to catch a runner stealing 2nd scored the runner from 3rd.

[SUMG]

Nice win by the gals. Some great pitching by MackWags.....to save the day. And some huge hits. Tatum Sparks was the offensive star....but some other big hits, as well. Nice to see Kat with that double. I think some of our bats are coming around.....Lexi has been hitting well for a while now. 

The drone show was superb. And that's the first night game I had been to.....love the little light show that happens....when we win. GMG!

[Matt from A700]

5 hours ago, SUMG said:

Nice win by the gals. Some great pitching by MackWags.....to save the day. And some huge hits. Tatum Sparks was the offensive star....but some other big hits, as well. Nice to see Kat with that double. I think some of our bats are coming around.....Lexi has been hitting well for a while now. 

Need to get Gamble going. I don't know what's wrong with her this season. Still only four homers on the year.

5 hours ago, SUMG said:

The drone show was superb. And that's the first night game I had been to.....love the little light show that happens....when we win. GMG!

My first night game too. Love the green lights we added. Slowly but surely they're making upgrades to The Lace. Still would like to see a new covered grandstand longer by one section in both directions and chairbacks behind home plate. Also, the aisle needs to be relocated *behind* the seats.

[Matt from A700]

Skylar gets roughed up for six runs as the Mean Green lose Game 2, 6-4. Mikayla Smith and Rylie Nicholson had two-run homers.

Would have liked to had the second and third FAU runs back. They took a 3-0 lead instead of 1-0 after a near-double play scored a runner from second. Then the runner safe at first advanced twice on two pass balls then scored on a single.

Ironically, we wear black on Alumni Day where around 20 former Mean Green softball players were honored before the game. For some reason we won't wear the green jerseys this series.

[SUMG]

Finale today at noon. Would be nice to win this series. This is a very good softball league. 

I guess Coach will pitch MackWags today....since she was so good Friday.

If you're never been to a softball game....they're a hoot. The girls have so much fun playing....it's infectious. GO Mean Green!

[SUMG]

Great 4-1 win today....by the Mean Green!

Highlights:

1) Unbelievable pitching by MackWags......a shutout into the 7th....spoiled by a solo homer.

2) Up 1-0 in the sixth....when Kailey Gamble hits a really high fly ball to right.....that just goes over the OF fence. 3 run bomb.

3) Great D by all three outfielders......especially Rylee Nicholson in center. Had a highlight reel play in the first few innings. Molly Rainey and Tatum Sparks also with some nice outfield play.

4) Morgan Medford with three hits today....now hitting .320.

 

Lotsa games this week.......2 at A&M Commerce on Tuesday, host A&M on Wednesday...and three in Memphis next weekend. Memphis is pretty bad. Last time I looked they had a record of like 3-25. But, you can't count as wins....until you beat 'em. Go Mean Green!!!! (Edit: Memphis is 4-33..)

Edited April 14 by SUMG

[SUMG]

Rylee's catch....she made another good one later....but this was the best one:

 

[Matt from A700]

BIG win as Wagoner goes the distance and dominates FAU again. Gamble ended a homer drought with a clutch three-run shot in the sixth inning to increase our lead to 4-0 going into the seventh. We won, 4-1, and finish the weekend just one game behind FAU for first place in the conference.

But with Charlotte sweeping UTSA this weekend, we're now in a three-way tie for second place with them and Tulsa. We should hold the tiebreaker though as we're 3-0 against the tied teams.

We play three at Memphis (4-33, 1-17), the worst team in the conference next weekend. FAU plays three at home against UTSA, the second worst. Meanwhile, Tulsa and Charlotte will get to canabalize each other this weekend. Charlotte will be a tough out for us like they were last year. Our last three games of the season will be at the 49ers.

Also, after sweeping us and getting to play three (sweeping them as well), UAB is in the thick of things, battling back from a 5-7 conference record to 11-7.

Seems like our bats are coming around, even if the homers aren't there. 10 hits today, and 3 from Medford. We've got two games at a bad TAMU Commerce team that can hopefully get the bats going even more before our Wednesday game 

[Matt from A700]

2 hours ago, SUMG said:

1) Unbelievable pitching by MackWags......a shutout into the 7th....spoiled by a solo homer.

Will be interesting to see who starts against Texas A&M on Wednesday. Those other five games are against two teams who are a combined 11-72 on the season.

Wags by far had the best weekend of anyone on our pitching staff. But she was also the pitcher of (losing) record against A&M in College Station earlier in the season.

[SUMG]

23 minutes ago, Matt from A700 said:

BIG win as Wagoner goes the distance and dominates FAU again. Gamble ended a homer drought with a clutch three-run shot in the sixth inning to increase our lead to 4-0 going into the seventh. We won, 4-1, and finish the weekend just one game behind FAU for first place in the conference.

But with Charlotte sweeping UTSA this weekend, we're now in a three-way tie for second place with them and Tulsa. We should hold the tiebreaker though as we're 3-0 against the tied teams.

We play three at Memphis (4-33, 1-17), the worst team in the conference next weekend. FAU plays three at home against UTSA, the second worst. Meanwhile, Tulsa and Charlotte will get to canabalize each other this weekend. Charlotte will be a tough out for us like they were last year. Our last three games of the season will be at the 49ers.

Also, after sweeping us and getting to play three (sweeping them as well), UAB is in the thick of things, battling back from a 5-7 conference record to 11-7.

Seems like our bats are coming around, even if the homers aren't there. 10 hits today, and 3 from Medford. We've got two games at a bad TAMU Commerce team that can hopefully get the bats going even more before our Wednesday game 

Those two games Tuesday at Commerce.....I wonder if Rodney might play a lot of subs. And maybe give freshman pitcher Kayleigh Smith a start. Just to give some returnees some experience for next season. The games, at this point, don't affect us....since I don't think we have any chance at an at large bid to the tourney. Just a thought...

[Matt from A700]

2 hours ago, SUMG said:

Those two games Tuesday at Commerce.....I wonder if Rodney might play a lot of subs. And maybe give freshman pitcher Kayleigh Smith a start. Just to give some returnees some experience for next season. The games, at this point, don't affect us....since I don't think we have any chance at an at large bid to the tourney. Just a thought...

I think that was the plan against UTA until we fell behind 4-1. Gamble didn't start that game but came in when we finally started to rally. Hopefully we go all starters in one of the games. An 8-0 or 10-1 win in <7 innings would feel really nice.

We are losing a lot of talent this offseason and I don't know who we're going to rely on for power hitting. In the least offensive way possible, we've got a bunch of twigs compared to the stronger, D-I looking athletes I saw this weekend from FAU.

[UNTLifer]

Sparks was a big time power hitter out of high school.  Hot she has found her stroke.