Weekend roundup

#1 Michigan split with Iowa over the weekend. This isn't as big surprise as you might think. Iowa used to be a softball powerhouse--when Iowa and Michigan were the only two schools in the Big10 with softball teams. They were always battling to determine which of the two would go to the CWS and get spanked. The Iowa-Michigan softball rivalry is as intense as the UCLA-Arizona rivalry, it just isn't as well known. There was a great game between the two for the championship a few years back when the field in Ames had to be plowed due to the snow. It was hysterical...huge piles of snow around the field. That was then...so, Michigan losing to Iowa will drop Michigan in the rankings.

#2 Arizona State swept #7 Arizona. Arizona State is for real. They should be rated number 1 again.

#3 Georiga lost one game to Arkansas. The rest of the series was rained out. Arkansas and LSU need to go to "softball rehab" for bi-polar softball play.

#4 Alabama lost 2 out of 3 to #8 Florida. Tough games--the last game was a classic small ball softball game--the umpire was giving the corners to the pitchers, and it was 3-2 for Florida in 9. If you get a chance, what the replays. (The sports announcers kept referring to #3 Alabama. ??) Great game. Florida may be the best team in the SEC right now.

#5 Texas best #26 Texas Tech. So, Alabama and Florida are fighting like cats and dogs over the weekend. Arizona State is battling Arizona. And Texas is reading the funny pages between innings as it plays Texas Tech. The battles for survival in the SEC and the PAC-10 make great teams.

#6 Tennessee won 2 of 3 from un-ranked Mississippi State.

#9 Washington lost 2 of three to #11 UCLA. To my friends in the Pac-10: I like Seattle. Great town. And, they've *had* great softball. But, not this year. This is not the softball team you're looking for. Move along.

#10 Stanford lost 2 of 3 to #12 California. It is a shame about Stanford, UCLA and California in the same regional.

The third game with Alabama and Florida was nuts. 0-0 tie all the way through, great pitcher's duel. Alabama has there best on-base percentage player coming up in the top of the 8th and the coach tells her she is going to score and they're going to win because Florida has the 7-8 and 9 hitter coming up. She gets on by hitting a slap to third and the girl at third botching the handle so she never gets the throw off. Eventually the bases are loaded and the girl at second botches an easy play and Alabama goes up by two.

Florida comes up and has two outs in a hurry. Then the number one batter gets hit by a pitch, they get a bloop single in right, then they have their big hitters coming up (not the plan) and Alabama switches pitchers. Their new pitcher hits a batter to score the tying run. Now it's 2-2. Florida then ends up winning it (I didn't see the end cause I was eating Easter dinner by that point ).

Crazy game. Florida really deserved to lose that game after the poor fielding errors yielded 2 runs but they battled back.

April 23, 2011

Chelsea Thomas took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Abby Vock started the offense with her fourth home run of the season as No. 8 Missouri was able to salvage a split with the No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, winning 4-1.

In the NFCA poll released April 19, Missouri is #13 and Nebraska is #14.

Finally, Texas is playing Oklahoma, a top 25 team. Texas plays Missouri the following weekend.

Looks like Nebraska coming into the Big 10 next year is only going to help the Big 10 in the softball dept.

Hi Ray,

The University of Iowa (Big 10) is in Iowa City Iowa State University (Big 12) is in Ames

Michel

knightsb said:

April 23, 2011

Chelsea Thomas took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Abby Vock started the offense with her fourth home run of the season as No. 8 Missouri was able to salvage a split with the No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, winning 4-1.

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The one they dropped to Nebraska was just sad. Chelsea only gave up one hit in the game. Unfortunately, I think she gave up some walks (and/or hit a couple of batters?) in that same inning. IMO MU can beat Texas when they meet as long as they don't beat themselves...

sluggers said:

#3 Georiga lost one game to Arkansas. The rest of the series was rained out. Arkansas and LSU need to go to "softball rehab" for bi-polar softball play.

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I looked up Arkansas stats and they are dismal offensively. They have one player hitting over.300, and then team BA is .236. On top of that their lead-off hitter is averaging 3.28 AB's per game. That tells me they are not getting very many base runners. Having played 47 games they have 0nly 4 batters with over 100 AB's. Their offense isn't stagnant, it is nonexistent.

Arkansas beat UCLA 4-3 in February, and then somehow beat Georgia 2-1. Really, really strange. The coach has got to be thinking, "We beat Georgia, we beat UCLA--and then we get 10-runned by Memphis. What is going on?"

sluggers said:

Arkansas beat UCLA 4-3 in February, and then somehow beat Georgia 2-1. Really, really strange. The coach has got to be thinking, "We beat Georgia, we beat UCLA--and then we get 10-runned by Memphis. What is going on?"

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And both UCLA and Georgia are wondering how they ever lost to Arkansas. Of course my home school Minnesota did beat Oklahoma State 1-0 and and I'm sure they spent a couple of days trying to figure that one out.