CajunsWin SB Louisiana 10, Northern Iowa 2

[NewsCopy]

[VObserver]

With Norwood at the plate, two on and a chance for the Cajuns to end the game in a run rule with a home run, coach has Norwood bunt. She misses it. THANK GOODNESS! Two pitches later she hits the three-run homer. The bunt attempt was such a head scratcher.

90% of the times we bunt it is a head scratcher.

[VObserver]

I have nothing against Ms. Mackles, but the win last night should have been given to Hoover. She started the game, pitched 3 scoreless innings, facing only 11 batters [1 hit, 1 walk] and handed Mackles a 6 run lead.

Mackles also pitched 3 innings, gave up two runs on 2 hits, walking 5.

[ragin50]

I have nothing against Ms. Mackles, but the win last night should have been given to Hoover. She started the game, pitched 3 scoreless innings, facing only 11 batters [1 hit, 1 walk] and handed Mackles a 6 run lead.

Mackles also pitched 3 innings, gave up two runs on 2 hits, walking 5.

It's a dumb rule. I think you have to pitch more than 3 innings to get the win

[CajunsSball22]

Starter has to pitch 4 innings in a game that goes more than 5 innings, to be eligible for the win. Had the game ended in 5 innings, Sage would have been the winning pitcher.

[VObserver]

Starter has to pitch 4 innings in a game that goes more than 5 innings, to be eligible for the win. Had the game ended in 5 innings, Sage would have been the winning pitcher.

Thanks for the clarification. It is a dumb rule.

[CajunSID]

Thanks for the clarification. It is a dumb rule.

Yeah it’s interesting. In baseball, you can give it to the starting pitcher even if they did not go the required 5 innings if there was a predetermined rotation and they did not break from it (as long as they led the entire game).

Softball doesn’t have that rule. They should.

In this case, it obviously wouldn’t apply. But I agree: dumb rule.

[VObserver]

Back to the earlier discussion of bunting/small ball/slapping. Returning slappers from last year are Liscano and Williams. Last year [when both slapped all the time] they accounted for a combined 22 sacrifice bunts. This year [with Liscano not slapping and Williams slapping only in sacrifice situations] they are on pace for a combined 19. Still a lot of small ball there.

Now comes the interesting part: Last year they scored a combined 41 runs and drove in a combined 9; this year they are on pace for scoring 83 runs and driving in 29. Last season they had a combined 6 extra base hits, this year they are on track for 16. Williams hit .321 last year and is hitting .375 so far this year. Liscano hit .288 last season and is hitting a team leading .447 so far this year. Both are significantly above their last years OPS as well.

What this tells me is that [at least in this small sample size] players contribute significantly more to their teams as conventional hitters than as slappers, even when they do not often hit extra base hits.

[RoarMan]

Back to the earlier discussion of bunting/small ball/slapping. Returning slappers from last year are Liscano and Williams. Last year [when both slapped all the time] they accounted for a combined 22 sacrifice bunts. This year [with Liscano not slapping and Williams slapping only in sacrifice situations] they are on pace for a combined 19. Still a lot of small ball there.

Now comes the interesting part: Last year they scored a combined 41 runs and drove in a combined 9; this year they are on pace for scoring 83 runs and driving in 29. Last season they had a combined 6 extra base hits, this year they are on track for 16. Williams hit .321 last year and is hitting .375 so far this year. Liscano hit .288 last season and is hitting a team leading .447 so far this year. Both are significantly above their last years OPS as well.

What this tells me is that [at least in this small sample size] players contribute significantly more to their teams as conventional hitters than as slappers, even when they do not often hit extra base hits.

In huge sample sizes as well! Analytics prove that allowing a hitter to swing away, rather than sacrifice bunting, produces more runs. That is a statistical fact. And, that is one reason why the Cajuns have had so much success over the years.

Taking a look at the years, 2004-2024, excluding 2020, the covid year, the Cajuns averaged 16 sacrifice bunts a year. Last year they sacrificed bunted 80 times.

[SlickRick]

The main reason I don't like the squeeze bunt is due to the higher probability of injury at home plate vs. sliding to 2nd or 3rd. I have no idea if the stats prove this out or not, but the plays at home always seem to involve more contact with the players involved.