EDIT: M softball stays atop B1G with 2 wins

Submitted by MGoSoftball on

The Michigam Softball team remains in first place in the Big Ten with a 2-0 victory against moo U. Ashley Lane came up with the big hit to score bree. Sara Driesenga got the win. She allowed 6 hits. I'm am at the game so I don't have the official totals yet.

Spartina threatened in the 4th inning but great defense saved the day. Msu had runners on 1b and 2b with no outs. Chiddy made an over the railing foul catch near the camera-mans booth. She came up firing and gunned the runner trying to advance to 3rd. She didn't look, she just threw it: a perfect strike to Steph. Haylie Wagner came in relief in the 6th for the save.

Overall a good softball game today. The game was delayed 53 minutes due to rain. The grounds crew did a great job today.

In the second game, Haylie Wagner was the star.  She only allowed 2 hits with 5 K and 0 BB in a 5-0 win.  The young lady was en fuego.

But the play of the game in my opinion came from Sara Driesenga.  In the second inning, Ashley walked.  Sara reached 1st as the throw went to second but Ashley was safe.  Haylie hit a SF to RF moving Ashley to third, Sara still on first.  Amy hit a simple grounder to 2B.  Sara realized that she was going to be tagged out so she stopped running and back peddled to first.  Amy made it to 1st safely as the second baseman ran after Sara.

That is a play that coaches go over with their players every year.  I have never had a player execute this play.  Sara nailed it to perfection.  Now here comes the real bad part.  Amy steals second and Ashley is on third.  Lauren gets up and belts one in the LF gap for a double and both runs scored.  But wait.........moo u coach calls time and talks with the Home Plate Umpire.  Lauren is out for batting out of order...no runs score.  EDIT: Lauren's number was printed incorrectly on the line up card.

Sara later in the game hit a shot to deep right field. It landed in the second from the top row.  I went out to measure and it was at least 250...can you say Dorian Shaw power?  Lauren hit one deep too at about 235.

Overall a good day for the ladies in blue.  The alumni band sounded good and the alumni players were on hand to "cheer them again"

 

 

Wolverine Devotee

April 15th, 2012 at 5:37 PM ^

Michigan wins 5-0. Michigan has beat state 7 straight times, and they have shut them out 5 straight times.

They have outscored state the past 5 games 31-0. Unreal.

Wolverine Devotee

April 15th, 2012 at 7:11 PM ^

                    UPDATED B1G STANDINGS

Team B1G Overall
1. #20 MICHIGAN 11-1 30-11
2.  Purdue 10-2 28-13
3.  Wisconsin 8-4 24-13
     Nebraska 8-4 26-16
5.  Iowa 7-5 17-21
6.  Minnesota 5-7 24-15
      Ohio 5-7 24-17
      Indiana 5-7 21-20
      Penn State 5-7 13-23
      Northwestern 5-7 17-22
11. Illinois 3-9 18-20
12. State 0-12 11-30

 

Alton

April 15th, 2012 at 7:30 PM ^

I think there is a mistake there.  Purdue is 9-2, not 10-2, and Ohio State is 5-6, not 5-7.  Purdue and Ohio State were rained out yesterday, and the game will not be made up.  Michigan leads Purdue by a game and a half.

Michigan hosts Purdue for 3 games the last weekend of the season (May 11 & 12), and Purdue is probably the only team that can threaten Michigan right now.

In reply to by Wolverine Devotee

Alton

April 15th, 2012 at 9:04 PM ^

Yes, Purdue and Ohio State played a DH today, but it was originally scheduled to be a 3-game series.  The Saturday games (scheduled to be a DH) were rained out, which meant 1 game was postponed from yesterday to today but the other game yesterday was lost to the weather and was not made up.

 

Smash Lampjaw

April 16th, 2012 at 12:00 PM ^

I watched some of those Purdue OHIO games yesterday and I wonder about two things concerning the Purdue freshman pitcher's unusual delivery. One- is it safe? She falls to the right across the diamond and seems unprotected as she recovers her balance. It must be distracting to some extent for the batters. Two- is it legal? I never saw a camera angle to show if her left foot lands within the width of the rubber, but it looks like it might not.  She has been having a great season.

MGoSoftball

April 16th, 2012 at 1:46 PM ^

seen her delivery yet.  I will review it.  The pitching rules are very well defined (often misunderstood by umpires).  I always teach my girls at a very young age (10-12) to throw correctly (stand tall, shoulders back and facing the batter).

Smash Lampjaw

April 16th, 2012 at 5:39 PM ^

But very hard for the plate umpire to call while he or she is trying to watch the strike zone at the same time, or for an ump at 1st base to see from the side. I think the opposing coach usually has to bring it to their attention. I hate illegal pitch calls, though, and for a coach to plead for it seems like desperation. The foot-drag has trouble when it meets the reality of field conditions, too.

MGoSoftball

April 16th, 2012 at 5:28 PM ^

to find some film on Lexy Moore from her summer ball tournaments last year.

Basically her delivery is legal, although unconventional.  She releases the ball while her left hip is facing the batter and her back-side is facing first base.  If you slow the video down, you will see that her arm is point straight down while in the wind mill motion, and her elbow is straight and locked. 

Lexy loses balance after every pitch because she is not square.  You can see her hop with her plant foot so she can catch her balance.  This is not the "correct" method of pitching.  I would imagine the pitching coaches are working with her to correct it.  She could gain 2-5 MPH by straighting her hips.

In contrast if you look at Haylie or Sara they square up to the batter much sooner in the delivery process.  In coaching we call it  'closing the gate".  The right hip is rotating or swinging (ie gate) so both hips are square to the batter while the ball is released.  The arm comes past the right hip (RHP) and the wrists snaps the ball as the elbow closes.  The elbow is pointing at the batter and the wrist is up around the neck.

This is for a fastball motion.  The rise, drop, and change up all have different motions and grips.

MGoSoftball

April 16th, 2012 at 7:15 PM ^

at the 24" zone.  The videos that I watched were very close.  The entire foot must be across the line.  I doubt she has her entire foot outside the line.  Umpires will usually not call it because as you say, they are looking at the ball. 

I try to umpire during the days when my team does not play.  I have to tell you.  It is a bitch to umpire HS aged teams let alone D1 teams.  I have caught pitchers not dragging the back leg and called illegal pitch.  Usually the umpire has to warn a girl once, then call illegal pitch REAL LOUD so the entire county can hear you; she will not make that mistake again.

 

MGoSoftball

April 16th, 2012 at 7:45 PM ^

It reads:

"The pitcher in softball must release the ball on the first movement toward the plate that passes the hip in an underhand motion. Also, the shoulders should be roughly square to the plate. The rules point out that while it is almost impossible to square the shoulders completely, the intent is to eliminate any cross-body slingshot deliveries, such as sidearm."

Lexy Moore clearly does NOT throw a side-arm as her wrist and elbow point directly at the ground.  If it was a side-arm pitch, the elbow-to-wrist line segment would be pointing away from the pitcher.  Also the arm would cross the body after release.
 

JustGoBlue

April 15th, 2012 at 9:08 PM ^

the order mess-up...  According the gametracker, it should have gone Lane, Driesenga, Wagner, Knapp, Sweet and according to GT, that's exactly how the line-up did go?  Is it wrong somewhere? 

 

1-9, GT listed Evans, Virgil, Chidester, Lane, Driesenga, Wagner, Knapp, Sweet, Sappingfield.

MGoSoftball

April 16th, 2012 at 1:49 PM ^

clarification.  I was standing next to the dugout.  The home plate umpire walked up to get a fresh ball and I asked him directly.  He said "incorrect batter"  I assumed batting out of order.  My bad.  I have personally done this so I can give Coach a pass.

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