Re: Softball
 

Grand slam in the bottom of the 8th for an Auburn win, 11-7. How big was that HR-robbing play by Tiffany Howard in the top of the 6th? We go up 9-7 and likely win it in 7.

Well, we will see what Big Mo can do against a partially-rested Paige tomorrow night.

Re: Softball
 

Go ahead Auburn apologists and tell me after the Carsone post game interview, that Auburn is not arrogant.

Re: Softball
 

This. Chestnut performed very well, all things considered. A lot to expect from a freshman with limited experience and none on the big stage.

And as far as the Grand Slammer? Pffft. You lose by one or lose by four, same result.

Re: Softball
 

Yeah, I can't prove it, obviously, but I'd bet money, marbles and chalk that OU would be celebrating tonight had Paige not been pitching non-stop.

I've said this before, but I think that there should be a one day rest day between the elimination games that set up the Championship Series.

Bad luck on our part how the rains came and let Auburn get a game in, but penalized OU by the rainout. No rest For Paige.

Re: Softball
 

We had some letdowns tonight. Frankly, we got exactly what I expected from Stevens. Gasso has remained with her out of loyalty. But, she has not performed like she has learned anything in two years of control problems. She beats herself. She came apart against the lower part of their batting order.

Then, Self cost us two runs by breaking in on a play over her head that she barely missed. They scored on that one, and the person who hit is also scored. At worst, it should have been 7-3.

Chestnut did OK. She actually did better than I expected. Other than the two-run shot to tie, she shut them down for five innings. The game should have never been tied.

After we lost the momentum, the only thing close to a threat was sending Knighten to the plate. She almost produced. Nice catch by Howard, the star of the night.

Hopefully, Paige can get our momentum back. But, who is going to hit other than Romero and Knighten?

Re: Softball
 

We had 10 hits tonight every starter got a base hit except for Erin Miller. Romero and Self had two. This game was lost by the defense. I think Patty stuck with Kelsey because she got two stike outs to start the second after hitting the first batter. But in hindsight should have pulled her after the Jordan HR.

With not throwing Parker at the start of the 3rd or 4th with a two run lead tells me Paige is really tired. Which is to be expected. Hope she has her strength tomorrow night. Unfortunately Auburn now has the momentum going into tomorrow's game.

Also Auburn scored 11 consecutive unanswered runs and that is not the level OU has played at all season. Normally the get back runs allowed in an inning or two. We did not score 3rd through the 8th, 6 innings. Last experienced that kind of drought against Bama March 19, when Osorio no hit us for 6 innings before Romero's single and Knighten's walk off HR.

We have made several outstanding defensive plays but have also made 4 errors in the WCWS after making only 23 for the season. Three (Parker's throw, Miller's throw and Clifton's muff) cost us 3 runs. Self was not given an error for he muff on the fly ball. We need to be error tomorrow night to win.

Re: Softball
 

They aren't arrogant. Teams psyche themselves in different ways. THEY BELIEVE! Not apologizing for anything. WHY does everything in the world have to have negativity? WHY can't we just enjoy something that is NOT RELATED to hunger, world peace, hating Muslims, etc.? (sorry, do not intend that to seem rude, but there are so many more important things than a team that is confident AND their coach said good things about Patty and I don't remember her saying good things about him...it's an interview after a game they won and after a game we lost AND WE did not bring the energy and focus that we usually do. We were out of position on defense. Can we bring that or have we been pysched out for game three just kind of deja vu of game 3 in 2012?) Maybe they realize what happened in 2012 and are using that to their advantage to psyche us out, like any smart team would.)

Re: Softball
 

BUT it's the same for all teams. Auburn just happens to have more than one good pitcher. So they were better tonight. ALSO, we made some defensive errors that haven't been mentioned. Like just not paying attention and letting that runner get to third because no one was there. Kelsey had gotten there not soon enough. Where was Romero or the catcher and we just looked flat, not intense, and not paying attention. We weren't in good defensive position several times tonight. SEEMS the coach or someone would have done something one of the times, the other it was just the players. They need to come back focused and loose and having fun. Know that focused and loose seems like an oxymoron but we know it isn't.

Re: Softball
 

A) It was not the same for all teams; Auburn got their first game in before the rain, so they had a day of rest while we were playing ours; as another poster says on here, you're entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts;

B) The errors and miscues not officially categorized as errors have been mentioned several times; but I guess you are the only one that sees everything and know the answers to everything;

C) They weren't flat and unfocused; I totally don't know where you pulled that out of; e.g. did you see the infield single Aviu got, totally on hustle?; they probably were tight, but wouldn't you be with the pitchers we had to go with?; the defense probably felt they needed to make extraordinary plays because of whom we were pitching, and that's totally contrary to how they normally play; e.g. the Erin Miller error, where she tried to throw out the runner at first after a single into the outfield?

D) Everyone on here knows, knew and had concerns about our pitching depth; you're not some softball expert educating us on things we don't understand about the game;

E) Since you know more about defensive alignments than Gasso, maybe we should replace her with you; I mean we only had the leading defensive team in the nation, and the second best of all time; but I'm sure you know better;

Re: Softball
 

A) Their coach did say good things about OU after the win; but he certainly did not after the game 1 loss;

B) I submit for your consideration two quotes from Carasone:

Holly Rowe: What were you thinking when you were down 7?
Carasone: I just smiled....OU had no idea....

Holly Rowe: ....Paige Parker tomorrow...?
Carasone: ....no problem....we got her in the seventh last night

If those statement aren't arrogant, then I guess the word should be removed from the dictionary, because that is textbook arrogance, not to mention a total lack of respect for the opponent;

C) As stated in another post, the ladies did seem tight, likely due to whom we were pitching; they likely felt pressure to make extraordinary plays, which is not their norm;

D) It would seem you have little confidence in OUr ladies, if you think they won't bring it today;

E) Where do you get off lecturing me?; I am entitled to express my distaste for arrogance and disrespect; I hate it if OUr players do it, just as much as when others do it; that's a big reason I love Stoops as he generally nips that in the bud; I hate it when Russell Westbrook does it; I think it reflects poorly on the Thunder and Oklahoma; but don't lecture;

F) and finally, if you don't think the SEC is arrogant, in all that they do, you clearly haven't been watching much sports;

Re: Softball
 

They are arrogant and they learned from coaching staff.

Re: Softball
 

Shay Knighten's response when asked about Howard's play on her apparent home run ball "“She made a great play, there's no doubt about that,”

See the difference between Shay's comments about her opponent and Carasone's?

Re: Softball
 

Scattershooting: The Sooners let one get away last night; that was probably the worst I've seen them play (defensively) all season. And Stevens struggled from her very first pitch in the first inning. Still, Auburn deserves to be congratulated for the way they came back from that early seven-run deficit.

Please don't think I'm second-guessing Patty, but if Chestnut had started, OU would almost certainly be celebrating a third CWS title. Chestnut pitched remarkably well over a period that spanned almost six innings, and that two-run homerun that tied the score at 7-all was just about the only mistake she made in regulation. Had she been in the circle from the start, the game never goes to extra innings. By the way, who among us would not have gone with Stevens under those same circumstances? The choice must have seemed obvious to Patty.

I feel badly for Stevens. She's done her best to overcome those terrible control problems that have plagued her for two years. But those same issues were more extreme last night than they've been all of this season. And it wound up costing us against a very opportunistic Auburn team.

My take on the catch that prevented what would have been a game-winning homerun by Knighten: It was a good catch, but certainly not a great catch. The ESPN commentators raved on and on about it being a catch for the ages. The timing and circumstance in which the play occurred made it a huge catch, but the catch itself was little more than routine.

Like Spock said, the Sooners were ultimately done in by a few very uncharacteristic lapses on defense. We made some great plays, as usual, but we allowed ourselves to become rattled a couple of times when Auburn turned up the pressure. Still, we had ample opportunity to score at least a few more runs, which would have iced the game, but we weren't able to get it done.

I've been pretty critical of Auburn, and the SEC in general, for their arrogance, and what I believe to be poor sportsmanship and a complete lack of respect for their opponents. Still, I respect the Tigers' skill and dogged determination. Those two factors without a doubt make them a worthy opponent for our Sooners.

If Paige is healthy and on her game, we'll have an excellent chance of winning tonight's finale. If she's not, it could be a long night. Still, my faith in Patty Gasso and her team was in no way diminished by last night's loss.

Re: Softball
 

Just for reference, here is a link to the Merriam-Webster definition of arrogant:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrogant

The overriding philosophy of Joe C's Athletic Department seems to be to show respect for the opponent when talking to the press. My niece was a volleyball walk-on several years ago and she commented that someone from the Athletic Department was on their flight to an away match and all they talked about was how to talk to the press.

You seldom, if ever, hear comments like the quotes from the Auburn player from any OU player in any sport. And if you do, it is usually followed up by a comment from an OU coach saying the player was out of line.

That doesn't mean the coaches don't talk like that in meetings with their players. We've all seen clips from pre and post game locker room comments from Stoops where he fired the team up but those type of comments were never meant for public consumption before a game. Kruger is more low key but we all got the meaning of his post-game comments after the LSU game. Publicly, they are always PC, as most of us want them to be.

We've all commented on how well this team, that is dominated by freshmen and sophomores, has handled the big stage. Perhaps that big stage finally caught up with them last night. I'm stuck with following games on the game tracker so I can't see the body language of our players. I'm sure they did feel extra pressure on defense because Paige wasn't in the circle. Hopefully, Paige is fully rested tonight and the defense behind her will be what we've become used to through the post-season.

Re: Softball
 

Amen to your last thought! Let's all say our prayers!

I, like you, am immensely impressed with this young group of players. They are a year ahead of where even the most optimistic might have thought at the beginning of the year. This group of sophomores and freshman, with the classes Coach Gasso is bringing in, the future is bright.

And on top of their play on the field, they represent the University and their coach well.

I believe that Coach Gasso and the ladies will relax, enjoy playing with each other and play well tonight. That won't guarantee a win, but I think they'll be in it until the end, no matter what. Auburn is a well coached, and supremely talented opponent, so I'm not surprised it's going to game three.

Either way, I'll be proud of them, and I've thoroughly enjoyed watching them this year.

Re: Softball
 

Our defensive lapses weren't due to freshmen, with the exception of Chestnut getting in Romero's way once, and attempting to field a ball resulting in slowing it down, both of which are acceptable. The real lapses were Kady breaking in and letting a ball that should have been caught for the third out go over her head for a double, resulting in two additional runs in the second and Miller's errant and unnecessary throw behind the runner from right. The underclassmen were flawless.

There did appear to be some uptight behavior at the plate. We executed bunts in the second, but they were by players who were taking advantage of a defense playing deep. When necessary to move a runner over, we fouled off bunts all night, failing to move them into scoring position. Execution was poor after the second.

Re: Softball
 

Syb is right but this team has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations. We can manipulate what transpired last night but to no avail. Net net we gave the game away defensively allowing 2 unearned run on mistakes by seniors. The best team last night won.

Also we have begun to show the pressure of playing in the WCWS. We made 23 errors in our first 61 games (.377 e/g). In the last 3 games we have had 4 errors (1.33 e/g). Three of those errors have been throwing errors (Wodach, Parker and Miller) not made by the freshmen. And Kady did not get an error on her misplay. Two of the three were stupid mistakes two being mental errors where no throw should have been made. That is succumbing to the pressure of WCWS.

Getting a seven run lead and allowing the tigers to tie it up without responding relinquished all the momentum we had acquired in the 31 previous games. Auburn has gained that momentum and should be favored to win tonight unless Paige can bring her "A" game holding Auburn to 3/4 runs or less. I don't see us being able to continue to score 7 runs depending on the small ball game. For certain it will more than difficult to win the power game against the tigers.

I was the first to mention Clint Myers tone at the presser following the first game. But I think we as fans are dwelling on things from the wrong perspective. The Auburn approach to the media is not our concern other than an initial acknowledge that it occurred.

Clint Myers sets the standards by which his team deals with the media and the attitude he has created for his team is working. They had the strength and commitment to get down 7 runs when trailing 0-1 in games played and come back and win. I wish our team could have answered back to their 5 run second inning or their 2 run fourth inning. The opportunities were there but the closure was not.

It makes much more sense to discuss what we need to do to win the game tonight than to bi**h, p**s and moan about the Auburn political correctness a recent concept of this culture that has been to its detriment. I too would like to see better sportsmanship but its absence to meet our satisfaction is no big deal. Get over it.

Re: Softball
 

I'm still wondering if Paige could have held Auburn to fewer than seven runs if Patty had handed her the ball in Game 2. We'll never know the answer to that one, but you can bet Paige would have given it her best shot.

Patty never ceases to amaze me with her ability to implement a plan that takes advantage of her team's strengths and her opponent's weaknesses. Patty's gameplan, and her reaction to the way Auburn's infield was positioned, was the reason the Sooners led the Tigers 7-0 after just two at-bats. What happened the rest of the way was unfortunate for the Sooners, but it did nothing to invalidate the ingenious strategy devised by OU's coach.

You can bet Patty has designed a gameplan for tonight's final game. If her players are able to put their coaches' plan into action, the Sooners could win their third WCWS title. The likelihood of that happening is better tonight with the return of Paige Parker to the circle.

Re: Softball
 

Those first two innings we had the bats were textbook! Auburn really didn't know what hit them. I'm not so sure we didn't 'exhale' after getting seven run lead that early and then they could never regain that mojo once Auburn responded. That's something this team has been outstanding with all year and that is responding when another team scores. But we didn't score again after the 2nd inning. Made some uncharacteristic mistakes to compound things. I thought Jayden got stronger after the first couple of innings she pitched until the 8th. I think she will be much stronger next year. I hope this team can rebound from a disappointing outcome of game last night but if they don't and Auburn wins tonight, I think they will have a strong resolve next year, similar to 2013, and take it out on a lot of teams next year. Really want to win tonight though! Boomer Sooner!

Re: Softball
 

I think this team responds to Paige on the mound. We can't use the same strategy to get a 7-run lead. They crashed the bunts after that, daring us to bunt. A good hitter would have driven a shot right back at them when they were ten feet from the plate.

But, I think Paige restores order. Her mindset is key. I don't care what Gasso says about leadership, Paige is the leader. She is the one who has the determination, and I think they will respond more sanely with her on the mound.

I don't know if Auburn has the pitcher who can shut it down totally. I haven't seen it in their box scores.

Re: Softball
 

Yes, it's hard for any team not to have a bit of a letdown after building such a big lead very early in the game. It's just very difficult to hold onto that intensity over the course of the next five or six innings. Your term, "exhale," is very appropriate in describing what happened to OU after that six-run second.

Agree with everything you said, tycat. And, like you, I really want our Sooners to win tonight.

Re: Softball
 

Great post!!!

Re: Softball
 

Patty definitely knows how to game plan to give the Sooners the maximum opportunity to win. And her plan would have been successful had we executed in all factions of the game. Kelsey and the defense self destructed in the second inning. Often it only takes one bad inning to cost you the game and last night is an example of such.

If everyone executes tonight to their expected level we should win again. The question is will be ready to play and will Paige have her stuff and stamina. Hope Syb is right and Paige is the catalyst to get the rest of the team going.

Re: Softball
 

2nd dirty slide by Auburn in this series. There was no need to slide as the runner was out by 5 or 6 steps and the ball was already out of Romero's hand when she slid.

Re: Softball
 

Our bats and our gloves have let us down so far. But on a positive note, we're due.