Baseball & Softball Strategy/Situations

[400SOAVE]

I am constantly left shaking my head while watching college baseball and softball.

Today the softball team had man on first and third with one out in the top of the first inning. A .343 hitter is at bat and the pitcher is a little wild.

The runner on first tries to steal second and gets thrown out. Now there are two outs.

Why would you risk killing a first inning rally with one of your best hitters at the plate and a shaky pitcher on the mound?

I really don't understand the situational strategy some coaches use. I see this all the time. Rally-killing over-aggressvie decisions that are particularly uncalled for given the situation.

 

[lloyde dobler]

Softball strategy is just different....

There are definitely pros and cons to it, but what you described is a common play for the team on offense to try, no matter the batter and no matter their average.

How the defensive team handles it is another matter. Usually if they elect to throw down to second with less than two out, the runner on third has to make a break for home.

To take the play you described further, if the runner had successfully stolen second, many softball coaches in that spot -- even in the first inning and even with one of the top of the lineup hitters at the plate -- would try to squeeze in the lead runner on a second and third and less than two out.

As I said, the decisions are definitely debatable, but softball strategy is way different than what you see in baseball.

 

[400SOAVE]

Softball strategy is just different....

There are definitely pros and cons to it, but what you described is a common play for the team on offense to try, no matter the batter and no matter their average.

How the defensive team handles it is another matter. Usually if they elect to throw down to second with less than two out, the runner on third has to make a break for home.

To take the play you described further, if the runner had successfully stolen second, many softball coaches in that spot -- even in the first inning and even with one of the top of the lineup hitters at the plate -- would try to squeeze in the lead runner on a second and third and less than two out.

As I said, the decisions are definitely debatable, but softball strategy is way different than what you see in baseball.

Thank for explaining the difference in philosophy.

I still doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Halldan1]

PIRATES FALL TWICE IN DOUBLEHEADER AT CREIGHTON
Story Links

• GAME 1 BOX
• GAME 2 BOX

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

OMAHA, Neb. – For the first time this season the Seton Hall softball team (19-17-1, 5-6 BIG EAST) dropped both ends of a conference doubleheader by falling twice to Creighton (14-22, 5-6 BIG EAST) on Friday at the CU Sports Complex. The Hall dropped an 8-0 decision in six innings in game before a 3-2 heartbreaker in eight innings in game two.

Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) notched The Hall's lone RBI of the doubleheader with a solo home run in game two, her league-leading 11th of the year. Reganne Camp (Bloomington, Ill.) turned in a gutsy performance in the circle in game two, pitching into extra innings and allowing only one run over the first seven innings before CU scored twice in the bottom of the eighth.

Game 1 Notes – Creighton 8, Seton Hall 0 (Six Innings)

• The Bluejays scored single runs in each of the first three innings, breaking out for three in the fifth before a two-run home run in the sixth enacted the run-rule
• Creighton held an 11-5 edge in hits, while SHU committed the game's lone error
• For the Pirates, Lauren Fischer (Robbinsville, N.J.) went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles
• Walkden finished 1-for-2 and drew a walk along with a stolen base
• The swipe for Walkden pushes her to 8-for-8 on the year on the basepaths
• Sara Foster (Long Beach, Calif.) led the game off with a double, signifying The Hall's lone extra-base hit
• Also stealing a base was Valerie Suto (Mercerville, N.J.), marking her 12th of the season and the 56th of her career to rank fourth in school history

Game 2 Notes – Creighton 3, Seton Hall 2 (Eight Innings)

• The Pirates jumped out ahead early, with Walkden launching a solo shot to left as the game's second batter to give The Hall a 1-0 lead
• That lead held up until the bottom of the fifth when CU scratched across a run to level the contest
• Still tied at 1-1 through seven the contest went to extras with the Pirates re-taking the lead in the top of the eighth when Foster scored on a wild pitch
• The Bluejays answered in the bottom of the frame, tying the contest with an RBI double before winning it with a bases-loaded infield single
• Camp finished her day after 7.1 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on nine hits with four walks and six strikeouts
• The Hall was out-hit 10-6 in the setback and committed the contest's lone error
• Walkden's home run gives her 39 in her career, second in Seton Hall history

What's Next
The Hall and Creighton close their three-game set on Saturday with first pitch set for 12 p.m. (ET).

http://www.shupirates.com/news/2017...-fall-twice-in-doubleheader-at-creighton.aspx

 

[Section112]

Softball strategy is just different....

There are definitely pros and cons to it, but what you described is a common play for the team on offense to try, no matter the batter and no matter their average.

How the defensive team handles it is another matter. Usually if they elect to throw down to second with less than two out, the runner on third has to make a break for home.

To take the play you described further, if the runner had successfully stolen second, many softball coaches in that spot -- even in the first inning and even with one of the top of the lineup hitters at the plate -- would try to squeeze in the lead runner on a second and third and less than two out.

As I said, the decisions are definitely debatable, but softball strategy is way different than what you see in baseball.

Good post. I played baseball and then coached my son's travel baseball teams. Far from an expert but know a little about baseball strategy. Then I coached my daughter in softball and went on to coach travel softball for 3 years. The girls game is way different. I had a good mentor who coached girls softball at high levels for years and went to a few clinics and learned a lot, but the game strategy is so different it's not even close. It was a big learning curve for me and the baserunning is very different with the infielders and outfielders so close. Bunting skills are huge with dominant pitchers. Anything to put the ball in play. I still dislike the slapping the ball to the opposite side instead of just hitting the ball with a more fundamental swing but some girls get real good at it and it works. The play you describe happens often and as Lloyd said the runner on third is the key but they have to watch for the throw to the pitcher to nail the third base runner. It also forces the infield to throw the ball around and execute without a swing from the batter if there is a good pitcher and the girls are not getting a lot of contact. Lots of small ball tactics in ladies softball and having a good catcher is huge. Every run can count if the pitching is really good. Won and lost lots of 3-2 and 2-1 games with good pitchers on both sides. Very enlightening for me. The girls were a lot of fun to coach.

 

[Halldan1]

Once I hit my late 20's I played fast pitch softball where runs were at a premium as pitching was dominant and when the best teams played locally or in regional tournaments the games were most always 1-0 or 2-1 affairs.

In the situation described whenever I was on first base I would run to second with my head down but really looking at the ball and the fielders. A lot of times there would be no throw and I simply took second. But often a throw was made and at the last minute I would stop and stay out of the reach of the person at second with the ball. This often caused confusion and one of two things happened.

1. The infielder would try and chase me and I would give myself up running back slowly to first base if I saw the runner take off from third.

2. I would get caught in a run down if the infielder checked the runner on third. I usually batted 3rd and my teammates in front of me were very fast and needed just a split second to score from third.