Game 2 was all offense all the time by both teams.
In Game 3, pitching ruled supreme.
Vandy pitchers showed that solo HRs don’t often beat you, even multiple ones as UK had two.
Vandy pitching was top notch (other than 2 Bowker mistakes.)
Team ERA: Vandy 3.000, UK 5.62
UK won the battle of starters but Vandy absolutely crushed them in relief pitching: ERA 0.00 versus 6.00
Fennell was almost untouchable. Rightly so, he picked up the W.
With respect to Cleaver, it took us a long time to time up that wicked 70 mph breaking ball. But it was obvious to all when we finally figured it out as Cleaver was tiring out. Trouble for Mingione is he has zero trust in his bullpen (rightfully so as the numbers prove) and he left Beaver Ben-Cleaver in too long, allowing us to tie the game.
The UK bullpen ended up losing all 3 games while the Vandy bullpen won all 3 games.
Final series stats: UK relievers ERA 6.57, Vandy relievers ERA 2.08 (most of those being Mc’s one bad inning.)
One oddity to note about Mc. He became one of the few pitchers that was credited with a Blown Save but also with the game Win. Baseball stats can both punish you and reward you, often within a short time frame.
Free passes were rare for UK with 0 BBs and only 1 HBP (their bread-and-butter offensive weapons.)
Meanwhile, UK walked 5 Dores and hit 2 more. Vandy got 7 gifts; UK only got 1.
Neither team had much clutch hitting as Vandy was 2-8 with RISP and UK just 1-3.
But those 2 hits by Barczi and Austin won the day for Vandy offensively. They are two of our better clutch hitters, although we do have lots of others, especially Holcomb.
Vandy once again showed that no early deficit in a game is too much to overcome for these tough-as-nails batter battlers.
BTW, the key to the game, for me, was Corbs calling for a hit and run with Austin at bat. He scorched one past the 3rd baseman. Had the 3rd baseman not have abandoned his position to cover 3rd base then the ball would have been hit directly at him — possibly resulting in a double play, most likely.
Only Corbs could have called for that hit and run, 3 separate players can’t do that on their own simultaneously. There is no ESP in baseball…unless you add an N at the end, of course.
There is also no crying in baseball but I do believe I saw many tears on the faces of the UK fans in the stands and players in the dugout.
One final note. UK, at 13-17 in the SEC, is likely on the NCAAT bubble.
No one who watched this series would leave them out of the NCAAT, they scratch, claw, and pester you to death. Of course, they also piss in the pants, bat flip when they walk, and try to get hit with every pitch because they know they aren’t great at hitting the baseball.
Even so, they deserve at least a regional 3 seed IMHO.
In Game 3, pitching ruled supreme.
Vandy pitchers showed that solo HRs don’t often beat you, even multiple ones as UK had two.
Vandy pitching was top notch (other than 2 Bowker mistakes.)
Team ERA: Vandy 3.000, UK 5.62
UK won the battle of starters but Vandy absolutely crushed them in relief pitching: ERA 0.00 versus 6.00
Fennell was almost untouchable. Rightly so, he picked up the W.
With respect to Cleaver, it took us a long time to time up that wicked 70 mph breaking ball. But it was obvious to all when we finally figured it out as Cleaver was tiring out. Trouble for Mingione is he has zero trust in his bullpen (rightfully so as the numbers prove) and he left Beaver Ben-Cleaver in too long, allowing us to tie the game.
The UK bullpen ended up losing all 3 games while the Vandy bullpen won all 3 games.
Final series stats: UK relievers ERA 6.57, Vandy relievers ERA 2.08 (most of those being Mc’s one bad inning.)
One oddity to note about Mc. He became one of the few pitchers that was credited with a Blown Save but also with the game Win. Baseball stats can both punish you and reward you, often within a short time frame.
Free passes were rare for UK with 0 BBs and only 1 HBP (their bread-and-butter offensive weapons.)
Meanwhile, UK walked 5 Dores and hit 2 more. Vandy got 7 gifts; UK only got 1.
Neither team had much clutch hitting as Vandy was 2-8 with RISP and UK just 1-3.
But those 2 hits by Barczi and Austin won the day for Vandy offensively. They are two of our better clutch hitters, although we do have lots of others, especially Holcomb.
Vandy once again showed that no early deficit in a game is too much to overcome for these tough-as-nails batter battlers.
BTW, the key to the game, for me, was Corbs calling for a hit and run with Austin at bat. He scorched one past the 3rd baseman. Had the 3rd baseman not have abandoned his position to cover 3rd base then the ball would have been hit directly at him — possibly resulting in a double play, most likely.
Only Corbs could have called for that hit and run, 3 separate players can’t do that on their own simultaneously. There is no ESP in baseball…unless you add an N at the end, of course.
There is also no crying in baseball but I do believe I saw many tears on the faces of the UK fans in the stands and players in the dugout.
One final note. UK, at 13-17 in the SEC, is likely on the NCAAT bubble.
No one who watched this series would leave them out of the NCAAT, they scratch, claw, and pester you to death. Of course, they also piss in the pants, bat flip when they walk, and try to get hit with every pitch because they know they aren’t great at hitting the baseball.
Even so, they deserve at least a regional 3 seed IMHO.
