Sounds like Ritter is, at least now, using that big swing instead of keeping it simple and short. He falls behind 0-2 before seeing a ball. He strikes out and they throw him out at first but Harris takes home to give UK the lead 3-2.
Kentucky at Jacksonville State (Friday)
- Thread starter Comebakatz3
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Jump grounds out to the pitcher and the throw just barely beats him. Cats have the lead though. 3-2. Could have and maybe should have been much more though.
Stupp with one pitch and gives up a hit. He's throwing strikes but getting too much middle. I say that and the 8 hole draws a full count before getting a strikeout. The leadoff hitter does steal second though in an attempted hit and run. 9 hole goes down looking as Stupp paints the outside black.
Top of the Gamecocks lineup with 2 out and a runner on 2nd. Ground ball to Ritter is easy work to end the 2nd.
3-2 UK
Top of the Gamecocks lineup with 2 out and a runner on 2nd. Ground ball to Ritter is easy work to end the 2nd.
3-2 UK
I think when he keeps his swing simple and short he's good, but he often gets a big swing where he tries to kill the ball and that's when he struggles.
Plastiak with a hard grounder but first dives and stops it and gets it to the covering pitcher to take away what might have been a hit.
Fogel draws a full count. Pitcher trying to develop his curve but it's just not there. Fogel watches strike 3. The 6th of the afternoon for UK hitters, out of 7.
Estep swings early and hits a home run of his own 4-2 Cats. Just his 2nd ever. Had none last year.
Anu rips one up the middle for a single.
Harris falls behind 0-2 before flying out to the warning track to end the UK 3rd.
4-2 Cats
Fogel draws a full count. Pitcher trying to develop his curve but it's just not there. Fogel watches strike 3. The 6th of the afternoon for UK hitters, out of 7.
Estep swings early and hits a home run of his own 4-2 Cats. Just his 2nd ever. Had none last year.
Anu rips one up the middle for a single.
Harris falls behind 0-2 before flying out to the warning track to end the UK 3rd.
4-2 Cats
Yes I am…..but I have the Hulu Live/Disney Plus/ESPN+ bundle…..never figured would use the ESPN+ side of that bundle but here we are. Bonus for me.
Ritter shows the range as he stabs one behind second and throws the runner out to end the inning.
Going to 4 up 4-3
Going to 4 up 4-3
Rubalcaba grounds out to second and then Thrasher lines out back to the pitcher. Ritter works a full count after falling behind and then he looks at strike 3. Really bad day at the plate for Ritter.
Stupp gives up a liner to left center on the first pitch. Stupp at 60.
Stupp gets ahead early, helped by a bad checked swing call. Then he grooves one but the hitter can't catch up. Then he throws one a good 15 feet outside. That one got way way away to give a free base. Little curve gets a strikeout, his 5th.
Leadoff up. Rubalcaba looks like hes now kind of started to hybrid his style. It's a squat and a knee instead of a true one knee setup. 4 pitch walk. The first for Stupp.
Stupp really struggling. 6 straight balls. Now 7. He's working slowly and a green light fastball is driven for a 3 run shot to dead center. 6-4 Jacksonville State leads.
Stupp gets ahead early, helped by a bad checked swing call. Then he grooves one but the hitter can't catch up. Then he throws one a good 15 feet outside. That one got way way away to give a free base. Little curve gets a strikeout, his 5th.
Leadoff up. Rubalcaba looks like hes now kind of started to hybrid his style. It's a squat and a knee instead of a true one knee setup. 4 pitch walk. The first for Stupp.
Stupp really struggling. 6 straight balls. Now 7. He's working slowly and a green light fastball is driven for a 3 run shot to dead center. 6-4 Jacksonville State leads.
That ball was crushed over 403 feet. UK pen is ready.
Norton up, he swings at the first and Stupp gets a high curve for a strike. He then gets him swinging at a pitch low and away.
Falls behind again, 2-0 before a swinging strike and one looking. Swing and a miss ends the 4th.
6-4 UK has given up 9 hits so far. They have just 4 of their own.
Norton up, he swings at the first and Stupp gets a high curve for a strike. He then gets him swinging at a pitch low and away.
Falls behind again, 2-0 before a swinging strike and one looking. Swing and a miss ends the 4th.
6-4 UK has given up 9 hits so far. They have just 4 of their own.
Crap, "mid season form" for opening day starterDamn, when will we EVER get any pitching.
Sorry, rant over, only first game, I know, I promise to do better (fingers crossed behind my back)
Stupp is a solid pitcher. I'm not sure he's really SEC Friday night quality, but he's a good quality pitcher. Just not a good day so far.
New pitcher for the Gamecocks, Jake Peppers, a righty sophomore.
Bullpen will decide this one. Peppers throwing pretty hard but not in control. Hard spot for Peppers. He lines it to 2nd and the 2nd baseman caught it and it popped out of the glove and Jump reaches on an error. Weird.
Plastiak up and the Gamecocks catcher goes to visit the pitcher as he falls behind 2-0. The meeting didn't help and Plastiak gets to 3-0 before a get me over strike. Ball 4 puts UK in business.
Fogel up he gets a strike on the first pitch and he didn't like the call. He then gets under a fastball and pops out to mid-left, no one can advance.
Estep does look bigger, but I am not sure it is quite the transformation that Mingione claimed. However, he is hitting well as he gets another hit, this one through the right side that will load the bases.
Peppers is struggling to hit the zone regularly. He falls behind again, 0-2 before Anu bounces one foul and then swings for the fences and through a pitch and then another to strike out.
Bases remain loaded for Daniel Harris. 1-1 to start this at bat for Harris and he swings through another. Harris with a good clutch hit that scores 2 to tie the game 6-6. Good at bat for Harris there.
Wild pitch moves the runners into 2nd and third with 2 outs. Peppers still struggling to find the zone regularly. Rubalcaba works ahead 3-1, but an inside pitch is called a strike to give us a full count. He draws a walk. Bases loaded for Thrasher.
Thrasher pops one into right field, can of corn to end the inning, but UK does a bit of damage and gets back into it at 6-6.
Fogel up he gets a strike on the first pitch and he didn't like the call. He then gets under a fastball and pops out to mid-left, no one can advance.
Estep does look bigger, but I am not sure it is quite the transformation that Mingione claimed. However, he is hitting well as he gets another hit, this one through the right side that will load the bases.
Peppers is struggling to hit the zone regularly. He falls behind again, 0-2 before Anu bounces one foul and then swings for the fences and through a pitch and then another to strike out.
Bases remain loaded for Daniel Harris. 1-1 to start this at bat for Harris and he swings through another. Harris with a good clutch hit that scores 2 to tie the game 6-6. Good at bat for Harris there.
Wild pitch moves the runners into 2nd and third with 2 outs. Peppers still struggling to find the zone regularly. Rubalcaba works ahead 3-1, but an inside pitch is called a strike to give us a full count. He draws a walk. Bases loaded for Thrasher.
Thrasher pops one into right field, can of corn to end the inning, but UK does a bit of damage and gets back into it at 6-6.
To me, it is hard to judge any of them until we see them against better pitching than this. Estep, for example, could rake against OOC pitchers in 2021, even against teams like Louisville, but when he faced SEC pitching he struggled a whole lot. So, we will see how some of the newcomers do going forward. I do like that Harris battled and got a clutch hit. We didn't have that much last year.
Harper comes in and just straight goes to work (like he should) and gets a clean inning striking out the side.
Harper starts the 5th with a strikeout. The moustachiod righty then follows it up with another. He's only gotten better with age. He strikes out the side. Got a really generous zone for the last strike on the outside black, but we'll take it as he strikes out the side. Harper is pumped. First time UK doesn't allow a run.
Ritter swings first pitch and softly grounds out to third. Again, just not a good day for the SS. Same pitcher back out there for JSU.
Jump looks at two straight balls and then he lines one up the middle, but the SS is there to take it on one hop and he easily throws out a jogging Jump for out number 2.
Plastiak also looks at two straight balls before he swings at one and fouls it off. Full count now. Looks like Degen is over at first directing traffic. Plastiak battling as he fouls off another. Ball four to Plastiak to give UK a base runner. Peppers with his third walk in less than 2 innings of work.
Fogel up for the 4th time. He lines one into left and it drops to put runners on the corners.
Estep will see a new pitcher, a lefty to face the left-handed hitting Estep. He grounds one through the right side on the first pitch to give UK the lead. 7-6. I initially thought that was off the 1st baseman, but I could be wrong and my internet is being spotty.
Anu will now hit from the right side. He hits one into the gap and that scores Fogel. 8-6. UK doing a good chunk of damage in the middle of the lineup and with 2 outs today.
Harris coming up with UK leading again. JSU just doesn't have the pitching and bullpen to compete in this one. Bouncing ball to third and Harris is expired.
UK gets the lead back after the top of the 5th, 8-6.
Jump looks at two straight balls and then he lines one up the middle, but the SS is there to take it on one hop and he easily throws out a jogging Jump for out number 2.
Plastiak also looks at two straight balls before he swings at one and fouls it off. Full count now. Looks like Degen is over at first directing traffic. Plastiak battling as he fouls off another. Ball four to Plastiak to give UK a base runner. Peppers with his third walk in less than 2 innings of work.
Fogel up for the 4th time. He lines one into left and it drops to put runners on the corners.
Estep will see a new pitcher, a lefty to face the left-handed hitting Estep. He grounds one through the right side on the first pitch to give UK the lead. 7-6. I initially thought that was off the 1st baseman, but I could be wrong and my internet is being spotty.
Anu will now hit from the right side. He hits one into the gap and that scores Fogel. 8-6. UK doing a good chunk of damage in the middle of the lineup and with 2 outs today.
Harris coming up with UK leading again. JSU just doesn't have the pitching and bullpen to compete in this one. Bouncing ball to third and Harris is expired.
UK gets the lead back after the top of the 5th, 8-6.
Well, gotta say, we're doing something we didn't do a year ago and that is to get 2 out hits with RISP. Clutch hitting. Haven't had that in a while really.
Maybe its first game jitters, but neither bullpen is good in this game. 8-7 game.
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