Stuff to feed both the sunshine pumpers and the eeyores.
Good news:
-- We swept a decent (not great) SEC team on the road.
-- Through the three game series, we allowed only 4 runs.
-- Total score through the three games was 20 - 4, concentrated in a 13-2 Game 2.
-- When things got tight in the bottom of the 7th in the third game, Murph handed the ball to a true freshman in front of what I'm sure was in that moment a raucous home crowd.
-- The freshman delivered a four-pitch K to end the game. No tight collar on that young lady.
-- We're showing some patience at the plate. OM pitcher threw over 140 pitches today and we drew 5 walks.
-- This team seems to have a spirit that we haven't seen in a few seasons. Last year, we would have found a way to lose at least 2-4 games thus far. As it is, we're 22-0 23-0.
Bothersome news:
-- In the third game, we had some disturbing similarities to -- and some important differences from -- last year. Like last year, we stranded 11 runners. Unlike last year, we accumulated 8 hits. Like last year, all of them were singles....no extra-base hits.
-- In the first game, we had 8 hits including some for extra bases (a HR, I think), only two strikeouts, and drew 7 walks. But we stranded 9 runners.
On balance, a solid opening series. Any time you sweep a decent SEC team in their house, it's good. And there is clear progress at the plate vs. last year's struggles. We're getting hits and despite today's lack of power, a lot of them have been for extra bases.
We're 22-0, a lot of which was accumulated against lesser competition. But we're 5-0 on the road against Top 10 or SEC competition.
Still, to contend at the top of what is by light years the best league in the country, we have to find a way to get more of the newly-increased number of baserunners across the plate.
