Bracket Play Pitching Strategy

[marriard]

The game is won and lost on the field. Play to win the first game, if you get caught wondering about future games, you will be watching
from the bleachers. I have seen plenty of teams get dumped by 'saving' a pitcher for later games. Softball is a team sport.......

This is how we did it for a few seasons and we always ended up finishing 3rd or getting beaten up on in the championship games. We were great, but couldn't get through to the end of the tournament.

We'd win the game in 'front of us' - and we normally would with our #1 because that was how to win 'this' game...but then we always ended up in situation where we had to bring our #2 in against the better teams later in the day and frankly we hadn't given her the opportunities to handle it on a regular basis. Once we started 'pitching the most appropriate pitcher' for the long term in both the current tournament and the longer season we saw a rapid improvement in our #2 and #3 pitchers. We went home a little early a few times early but once the #2 (and then the #3) started winning elimination games then we started winning tournaments regularly. We even won a tournament last season without our #1 when she had an injury and our other pitchers came through for the whole tournament.

It was a short term sacrifice for a longer term advantage.

 

[RetiredCoach]

Of course, every team is different but my general strategy was to use the season to develop the pitching staff and ensure that #1 is not burned out but gets all the work she needs to develop and stay sharp. In single elimination bracket lay you have to ensure that you win the game which usually means that #1 is starting. However, if it is known that the other team is weak we would go with #2 or #3 and try to win with that. If/when we get to the championship game we would like to go #1 all the way but by then #1 might not have enough to go 7 innings. So, we mix and match and have been effective with that. Sometimes we've started #1, rested her for a couple of innings and then bring her back to finish. So, it all depends...

 

[CoachPete]

I have two thoughts on this:
1) My preferred situation is two #1s that are constantly battling to be top dog and a 3 who is either developing or is starter in another position. Then I go with whichever #1 that didn't pitch the last game. Of course that doesn't work for every team.
2) If you are 3-0 in pool and playing the 4th seed, pitch your 1 and go for the quick, run rule kill and everyone gets a rest.