*Friday night's win was one of the best performances of the season for the Tide. You will not find a better pitching matchup in the SEC than Tankersley v. Wilson, and fortunately for us, the southpaw from Vicksburg went the distance and outdueled his LSU counterpart to earn the hard-fought 4-2 victory. Saturday's game, however, was forgettable. LSU starter Bo Pettitt walked nine hitters and gave Bama every opportunity to blow the game wide open, but the bats were silent with runners in scoring position, save a two-RBI single from Zac Welch. You simply cannot win ballgames when you leave fourteen runners stranded, with eight of those fourteen in scoring position. Although the weather was utterly miserable, with gusting winds, freezing temperatures, and drizzling rain, LSU's offense nevertheless managed to withstand the elements and utilize some timely hitting to put the game away for good. Hopefully the forecast will be more pleasant for Sunday's contest, as we certainly need as many fans out at the park as possible.
*Brent Carter had another rough outing and was dealt his second consecutive loss, dropping to 4-3 on the year after surrendering seven runs off seven hits in 4 and 2/3 innings of work. Carter struck out three and uncharacteristically allowed a pair of walks (he has only allowed five all season). He started the game looking fairly sharp, but the Tigers jumped on him with one big inning and that was all she wrote for the lefty. Seth Johnson came out of the pen and turned in a 4 and 1/3 inning performance in relief, allowing three earned runs. I would assume that his appearannce today could safely indicate that Allen Ponder, coming off that hyperextended knee, will get the call to start on Sunday. Brian Reed has yet to pitch on the weekend and will be available, as will Norris and Woodward.
*Overall, the defense has looked pretty sharp. The only glaring blemish was the misplayed fly ball by Spencer Pennington, who clearly lacks experience in the outfield, not to mention the fact that he had entered the game after playing quarterback for both squads in this morning's A-Day game. Meiners has had some trouble tracking down pop flies in foul territory, but is otherwise doing a solid job at third. Rice and Pavkovich have been steady up the middle, and Zac Welch continues to impress at first.
*We have got to get the bunts down. The last three times Tide hitters have attempted to lay one down, they have been popped up for outs. This is a fundamental area that must be improved.
*Congratulations to outfielder Gabe Scott on hitting his first career homerun with Tide. The Lake Charles native is the second Louisianan to blast a homer against his home-state team, following Beau Hearod's three-run shot off Brian "No I am not the Beach Boy" Wilson Friday night.
*A win on Sunday would be huge, because we certainly aren't getting any help in the standings from elsewhere. Clearly, the West is superior to the East, but we currently stand at 5-3. Mississippi State is 7-1 and could very likely pull off the sweep at Oxford and improve to a strong 8-1, as could 7-1 Auburn, which has won the first two at struggling Georgia (0-8). LSU is 6-1-1 and it would be nice to have them leave Tuscaloosa with another notch in the L column. Ole Miss stands at 5-3 and Arkansas should be 5-4 after tomorrow, barring a miracle and the Bat Cats of Kentucky steal a win.
Standings as of Saturday:
West
Bullies 7-1
Barn 7-1
Fightinbayoubengaltigers 6-1-1
Tide 5-3
Mississippi 5-3
Hogs 4-4
East
Reptiles 4-3-1
Hillbillies 4-4
Chickens 3-5
Commies 2-6
Kittens 0-8
Puppies 0-8
RTR
"Now let's get some runs!"
----the great Barry "Caray" Allen
[This message has been edited by JoJoforHeisman (edited March 29, 2003).]
*Brent Carter had another rough outing and was dealt his second consecutive loss, dropping to 4-3 on the year after surrendering seven runs off seven hits in 4 and 2/3 innings of work. Carter struck out three and uncharacteristically allowed a pair of walks (he has only allowed five all season). He started the game looking fairly sharp, but the Tigers jumped on him with one big inning and that was all she wrote for the lefty. Seth Johnson came out of the pen and turned in a 4 and 1/3 inning performance in relief, allowing three earned runs. I would assume that his appearannce today could safely indicate that Allen Ponder, coming off that hyperextended knee, will get the call to start on Sunday. Brian Reed has yet to pitch on the weekend and will be available, as will Norris and Woodward.
*Overall, the defense has looked pretty sharp. The only glaring blemish was the misplayed fly ball by Spencer Pennington, who clearly lacks experience in the outfield, not to mention the fact that he had entered the game after playing quarterback for both squads in this morning's A-Day game. Meiners has had some trouble tracking down pop flies in foul territory, but is otherwise doing a solid job at third. Rice and Pavkovich have been steady up the middle, and Zac Welch continues to impress at first.
*We have got to get the bunts down. The last three times Tide hitters have attempted to lay one down, they have been popped up for outs. This is a fundamental area that must be improved.
*Congratulations to outfielder Gabe Scott on hitting his first career homerun with Tide. The Lake Charles native is the second Louisianan to blast a homer against his home-state team, following Beau Hearod's three-run shot off Brian "No I am not the Beach Boy" Wilson Friday night.
*A win on Sunday would be huge, because we certainly aren't getting any help in the standings from elsewhere. Clearly, the West is superior to the East, but we currently stand at 5-3. Mississippi State is 7-1 and could very likely pull off the sweep at Oxford and improve to a strong 8-1, as could 7-1 Auburn, which has won the first two at struggling Georgia (0-8). LSU is 6-1-1 and it would be nice to have them leave Tuscaloosa with another notch in the L column. Ole Miss stands at 5-3 and Arkansas should be 5-4 after tomorrow, barring a miracle and the Bat Cats of Kentucky steal a win.
Standings as of Saturday:
West
Bullies 7-1
Barn 7-1
Fightinbayoubengaltigers 6-1-1
Tide 5-3
Mississippi 5-3
Hogs 4-4
East
Reptiles 4-3-1
Hillbillies 4-4
Chickens 3-5
Commies 2-6
Kittens 0-8
Puppies 0-8
RTR
"Now let's get some runs!"
----the great Barry "Caray" Allen
[This message has been edited by JoJoforHeisman (edited March 29, 2003).]
