(SB) OGT : UF@ fsu April 2, 2025 6 pm ACCNX

That's generally the way it works

 

On a positive note, Georgia 2, Mercer 5. Final!

 

We lost. She gave up 4 runs along with several hard hit balls. She was rusty at best. I would have liked to have seen Olivia Miller.

 

I have a commitment on Wednesdays, so never see a Wednesday evening game. Just read the Box Score & PBP. Disappointing loss, especially with our ace in the circle. Keagan wasn't at her best, obviously. However, the top of the first set the tone. Bases loaded, 1 out and Otis & Cahalan strike out. 8 LOB for the game. Lots of weak at bats. Lost back to back midweek games 4-0, but if we take care of business against Arkansas, all is good. Last year we were so good with runners on base, especially in scoring position. This year it's been a struggle against quality pitching. But a long way to go. We really need Korbe to get it going and the whole lineup, in general, to have better at bats. Oh well, I hate losing to FSU in any sport. They've now beaten us 7 out of the last 8 meetings. Not good.

 

Losing sucks. Especially to FSU. This was one of those games that we didn't get a break. Every close play that could go against us, did. Just last week, people were saying that outfielders should dive to the side if they have support coming from that direction, but don't dive straight. FSU right fielder dives on a ball that clearly looked like it was going to drop, made a snow cone catch, then doubles Shoemaker.

Seemed like there were a half dozen extremely close plays like that which could have made the difference. When you leave nine on base -- that's not a good thing but better than not having scoring opportunities.

Losing sucks but unlike the the UCF lost, I'm not discouraged at all. And I thought Keagan did pretty well against a good hitting team. They have no one batting under .300.

 

I said if you dive away from your backup, you HAVE to get it. That’s a longstanding unwritten rule of the diamond.

She got it.

 

Atmospherics from the game -- in case anyone is interested.....

* Best umpires meeting ever. When Lonni Alameda came out, CTW hugged her for a pretty long time and the crowd went nuts. Likewise in the handshake line after the game, every UF player hugged her. We all hate FSU, but at the end of the day, we're all part of the softball family.

* UF did not travel well to this game. Usually there is a pretty big contingent of UF fans at away games. Other than the parents row, there were probably less than a dozen UF fans tonight.

* There's a lot to be said for Joanne Graf Field. Lot's of character and good sight lines, although why they took out the unreserved grandstands and put in a "party zone" is anyone's guess. That said, it's pretty lame for a major NCAA program to have astroturf around home plate and pictures of a brick wall behind home plate. Maybe it looks real on TV, but the "brick wall" is just posters with bricks printed on them placed next to each other.

* DEI seem to have hit FSU. They no longer do the "tomahawk chop." In years past, they would play that music almost constantly -- very annoying. Tonight, not once. And the "K-Time" chant (equally annoying) used to be constant with the crowd organically starting it, but now just a few times as lead by the public address.

 

They were certainly still doing their chop and chant in Jax a week or so ago for the baseball game.

 

They still do the tomahawk chop. Did it after the game as well.

 

Yeah, my point was that breaks just fell to FSU all game long. She just barely got it and, if not, at least two runs would have scored.

Maybe its a softball thing and Coach Alameda won't permit it. They didn't play the chop music once.