The Surprising Kansas Jayhawks==Can They Steal a Game From the Sooners??

[TropicalSooner]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Awesome!
Thanks!!

[inconnu]

Okay, this comment pertains to GAME 1 WITH KANSAS, 2024

Dang, we're already up 5-0 in the 2nd inning...BOOOOOMERRRRR!

[TN Sooner]

Wind blowing out at 15 mph is a problem for anyone playing the Sooners.

[inconnu]

Chris saying the home plate ump is calling pitches strikes on us that are called balls against the Jayhawks. WOW! that's a rarity! Torres hits a homer. Now 6-0 Sooners.

[inconnu]

Into the 5th inning. Brito flies out. KINZIE HANSEN PINCH HITTING! Hansen gets on base due to an error. Torres bats. She flies out. Will we bring back Maxwell to pitch in the bottom half of this inning? 2 out now. Bunt for an out. KS up to bat. We're still ahead 6-0. Maxwell still pitching. Liner to Maxwell for out. Then, a ground out. Another grounder for an out. On to 6th inning.

[inconnu]

Two outs already for OU batters. Pickering up. 4 pitch walk. Bland pinch running. Coleman batting. I missed how she got on, but she did. Jennings is up. She flies out deep. Still 6-0. KU's 6th now. Who's pitching? It's Maxwell. Hodge at 2nd base throws out batter. One away. Pop out, and then a K. To the 7th inning.

7th inning now: OU first batter is Brito. She flies out. Hansen at bat. She gets on via error. Parker pinch running at 2nd base for Hansen. Torres batting. She flies out. Lillio at bat for Boone, with 2 outs. She grounds out. KU batting now. Maxwell still pitching. She K's first batter...and 2nd batter. Third batter HOMERS! 6-1.The homer was the first hit of the night for KU. Down to last strike for KU. 3-2 count. She walks the batter. Grounder for last out to end the game.

Count me spoiled, but I'm not overly enamored with our hitting right now.

[TropicalSooner]

My very quick take on yesterday's game with Kansas:

It appeared to me that what we witnessed yesterday was two games within a game.
The first game was the typical Sooner Power game and that game lasted all of three innings. 3 home runs, 6 singles and 6 runs scored. It looked like Hamilton was going to get pulled just any minute. We won, 6-0.
The second game was the typical Kansas game in which they put on a school showing how you can beat the Sooners. Hamilton recovered and over the next four innings, scattered 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 fielding error to allow a base runner. Hamilton only got one strike out over the last four innings, but that was all she needed as Maxwell gave up a single hit-a home run- that spoiled her no hit shutout. In this little mini-game, Kansas won 1-0.

I guess I will have to accept the "streakiness" of our team. It seems like we just can't spread our offense out over an entire game. We either go scoreless for 4 or 5 innings and then bunch 8 runs in one or two innings at the end, or the opposite like yesterday, score 6 or 8 or 10 in the first two or three innings and then go nearly hitless over the last 4 or 5 innings.

I just hope we don't do that when post season rolls around, because two different teams playing the "Kansas Game--keeping the ball in the park and letting the defense make the ground outs and fly outs while scoring a lonely run" will be able to take us out of contention---whether in regionals or the early round of the WCWS.

The Sooners have an offense that can be explosive, and right now, leads the world in many categories. I get that.
But after watching our explosive offense for three innings yesterday, why did we put it away for the rest of the game?
It's just hard for me to accept that after three innings, Hamilton was suddenly throwing completely different pitches that we had never seen before. We'll see her again Saturday, I'm sure. And I bet she'll be throwing like the "2nd mini-game" of yesterday.

[inconnu]

Very well said, Tropical, and my sentiments almost exactly. It looked like we went into "prevent" mode on offense, like our former football coach used to do in the second half of almost all our football games.

[The Far Journey]

My very quick take on yesterday's game with Kansas:

It appeared to me that what we witnessed yesterday was two games within a game.
The first game was the typical Sooner Power game and that game lasted all of three innings. 3 home runs, 6 singles and 6 runs scored. It looked like Hamilton was going to get pulled just any minute. We won, 6-0.
The second game was the typical Kansas game in which they put on a school showing how you can beat the Sooners. Hamilton recovered and over the next four innings, scattered 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 fielding error to allow a base runner. Hamilton only got one strike out over the last four innings, but that was all she needed as Maxwell gave up a single hit-a home run- that spoiled her no hit shutout. In this little mini-game, Kansas won 1-0.

I guess I will have to accept the "streakiness" of our team. It seems like we just can't spread our offense out over an entire game. We either go scoreless for 4 or 5 innings and then bunch 8 runs in one or two innings at the end, or the opposite like yesterday, score 6 or 8 or 10 in the first two or three innings and then go nearly hitless over the last 4 or 5 innings.

I just hope we don't do that when post season rolls around, because two different teams playing the "Kansas Game--keeping the ball in the park and letting the defense make the ground outs and fly outs while scoring a lonely run" will be able to take us out of contention---whether in regionals or the early round of the WCWS.

The Sooners have an offense that can be explosive, and right now, leads the world in many categories. I get that.
But after watching our explosive offense for three innings yesterday, why did we put it away for the rest of the game?
It's just hard for me to accept that after three innings, Hamilton was suddenly throwing completely different pitches that we had never seen before. We'll see her again Saturday, I'm sure. And I bet she'll be throwing like the "2nd mini-game" of yesterday.

I think the offense read your post, Tropical, and responded. Today, they scored early and then didn't let up. The poor Kansas pitchers, which didn't seem too bad, had a Hobson's choice, pitch it over the plate and get hammered or pitch it off the plate and walk in runs. I have to keep in mind that Kansas is a top 25 team and this was way more OU doing what they do than KU playing poorly.

[TropicalSooner]

My very quick take on yesterday's game with Kansas:

It appeared to me that what we witnessed yesterday was two games within a game.
The first game was the typical Sooner Power game and that game lasted all of three innings. 3 home runs, 6 singles and 6 runs scored. It looked like Hamilton was going to get pulled just any minute. We won, 6-0.
The second game was the typical Kansas game in which they put on a school showing how you can beat the Sooners. Hamilton recovered and over the next four innings, scattered 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 fielding error to allow a base runner. Hamilton only got one strike out over the last four innings, but that was all she needed as Maxwell gave up a single hit-a home run- that spoiled her no hit shutout. In this little mini-game, Kansas won 1-0.

I guess I will have to accept the "streakiness" of our team. It seems like we just can't spread our offense out over an entire game. We either go scoreless for 4 or 5 innings and then bunch 8 runs in one or two innings at the end, or the opposite like yesterday, score 6 or 8 or 10 in the first two or three innings and then go nearly hitless over the last 4 or 5 innings.

I just hope we don't do that when post season rolls around, because two different teams playing the "Kansas Game--keeping the ball in the park and letting the defense make the ground outs and fly outs while scoring a lonely run" will be able to take us out of contention---whether in regionals or the early round of the WCWS.

The Sooners have an offense that can be explosive, and right now, leads the world in many categories. I get that.
But after watching our explosive offense for three innings yesterday, why did we put it away for the rest of the game?
It's just hard for me to accept that after three innings, Hamilton was suddenly throwing completely different pitches that we had never seen before. We'll see her again Saturday, I'm sure. And I bet she'll be throwing like the "2nd mini-game" of yesterday.

I think the offense read your post, Tropical, and responded. Today, they scored early and then didn't let up. The poor Kansas pitchers, which didn't seem too bad, had a Hobson's choice, pitch it over the plate and get hammered or pitch it off the plate and walk in runs. I have to keep in mind that Kansas is a top 25 team and this was way more OU doing what they do than KU playing poorly.

I try to help wherever I can.

[MontOUfan]

Honestly, I don't see a whole lot of difference between the hitting yesterday and the hitting today other than the end result of scoring runs. Yesterday 2 or three good plays from Kansas that prevented what would have been hits for the Sooners - today ground balls off the gloves of Kansas infielders 1 from 3b, 1 from 2b and 3 from SS as well as a ball the 3b retreated on and couldn't throw out Hansen and a dribbler from Torres to the P that she beat out. Plus two check swing bloopers from Ludlam that fall in. Those and 13 walks turns into a rout. I don't usually look at the stats to see how the Sooners are hitting. Are they swinging at good pitches? Are they squaring the ball up and hitting to all parts of the field? Some days you can hit the ball well for outs or not string them together and other days you can dink and bloop someone to death.

[inconnu]

Honestly, I don't see a whole lot of difference between the hitting yesterday and the hitting today other than the end result of scoring runs. Yesterday 2 or three good plays from Kansas that prevented what would have been hits for the Sooners - today ground balls off the gloves of Kansas infielders 1 from 3b, 1 from 2b and 3 from SS as well as a ball the 3b retreated on and couldn't throw out Hansen and a dribbler from Torres to the P that she beat out. Plus two check swing bloopers from Ludlam that fall in. Those and 13 walks turns into a rout. I don't usually look at the stats to see how the Sooners are hitting. Are they swinging at good pitches? Are they squaring the ball up and hitting to all parts of the field? Some days you can hit the ball well for outs or not string them together and other days you can dink and bloop someone to death.

Very good points! It's definitely easier to overlook details if your team is racking up points, regardless of how they do it.

I hope we don't get too nonchalant tomorrow.(the team, that is)