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Tonights game is going to be very important to both teams.. any thoughts... I hope the weather can hold up just to get the game in...


GW & Steel Dan, hope to see you guys there...

Weather permitting, I'll be making an appearance or two at the baseball game. I'll float back and forth between the softball field and the baseball field.

Yes, animportant game, but I'm not sure if Fed Hock has even gotten in one game yet for the boys. Could get very interesting, if this is their first game.

Good luck lancers go get'm

Steely Dan wrote:Could get very interesting, if this is their first game.

They did get one scrimmage in on Saturday, but all that did was make me feel like things could be very interesting for FH.

There isn't much agreement on a lineup right now, and there is illness running through the roster. FH will face a rocky (no pun intended) start to the season IMO.

Both teams looked "rocky" on defense tonight...

That big slow first baseman (Riffle) for Southern hit a homer in the first inning and made some nice defensive plays but not many 1st basers attempt to steal home. LOL

Chapman threw a ton of pitches in a gutty performance.

The Lancers got some key hits when they needed them, including some big hits by the underclassmen.

FH's catcher (Clark) played solid behind the dish. This kid will be fun to watch for a few years.

I also thought FH's outfield play was impressive. Smith ran down a couple of balls and Rex (freshmen left fielder) looked good.

Nice triple by Zach Burke. He crushed the ball to centerfield.

Fun game to watch. Game was suspended in the bottom of the 5th with FH leading by 3.

Once again, for FH to contend for a TVC Hocking title, they will have to win 2 games in Racine.

This time Southern showed up 10 minutes before gametime which was not the team's fault. However, they proceeded to go through a slow sprint/high-knee routine, followed by a stretch-band program, followed by loosening up their arms by tossing, and finally followed it all by taking infield as a team. The game started at 5:30, instead of 5, which is why the game had to be postponed and finished.

FH ended up warmed up way too early, and then had to jog around or throw for 45 minutes before the game started. I have been part of teams that have shown up late before, but when it happened, we were told to hurry up and throw, then the game was started. The home team should not be punished for another team's late arrival, followed by no change in routine, which leads to a very late start.

Anyway, the score is 9-6 FH in the bottom of the 5th. Federal Hocking has guys on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs, and Dewayne Clark at the plate.

FH was not very good on defense (same with Southern), but after seeing their scrimmage Saturday, FH looked much better than I expected. I guess those guys just had to try a little bit.

Southern did cut down on their pre-game routine. SHS hurried up everything they did during warm-ups and then the game was started. I think it would be better to take a little more time to stretch just to prevent injury.

cant blam southern for being late i heard that they dont have any free rides to bring them they half to wait for the routes to get finished besides fed sould have lights there a D-3 school P.S thought i would defend southern no one else does.

We couldnt get a bus until about 4:10... its hard to get a bus early because we have to wait until they get off of their routes...

G_W... thanks for the big and slow comment.... lol i was lookin for you after the game but i guess ill catch you down home...

errors killed Southern... jumped off to a great start but things for both teams were very sloppy....

Maximus wrote:Southern did cut down on their pre-game routine. SHS hurried up everything they did during warm-ups and then the game was started. I think it would be better to take a little more time to stretch just to prevent injury.

Man I would hate to sit through their "regular" pregame. Nice try on the "prevent injury" defense but I don't think that was the case.

I've seen a few pre-games in my time and like Orestes says. If you're late- you speed it up. 40 minutes is not a hurried pre-game. Infield with 3 players at each position (caused by bringing the outfielders to infield positions) turns a 10 minute warm up into a 20 minute drill.

I don't blame Southern though, the umpire should have taken charge and got the game going sooner.

What is the name of the boy pitching at the end for Fed?

That was Tyler Thompson.

I agree with GW. I am not blaming Southern's baseball team, as I would have taken as much time as possible myself. However, the umpire should have approached them when they arrived and said "In 15 (or 20) minutes, the first pitch is being thrown. You decide if you want to be ready to hit." If the umpire does not do this, what's to stop an away team from showing up late purposely because of an injured or suspended player that would late be able to play during the makeup? What's to stop a team from arriving late purposely in order to finish two big league games at home?

During my freshman and sophomore years at FH we would arrive late quite frequently. I have tossed about 5-10 throws, taken 3 groundballs in the infield, and started the game. Twice we did not get to take infield. The home team should never be penalized for the away team's late arrival.

BTW, about the light comments. Not many D3 teams have lights. Some do. Some do not. In case you didn't get the memo, FH has been losing money for years, and has students jumping out of the school system like rats off of a sinking ship. FH=====NO MONEY. Also, their athletic participant numbers are similar to most D4 schools.

Cory McCune started pitching and is a senior. Zack Burke was second and he is a junior. Tyler Thompson was third and he is a sophomore. The first two got into some trouble, plus FH did not want to push the pitch count above 85 or so in a cold early season game.

Speaking of worrying about the health of players, 40 minute warmup routines for safety do not coincide with a pitcher throwing 120 pitches in 40 degree temperatures.

Chapman(Southern's starting pitcher) did throw around 120 pitches, but he didn't complain about any arm tightness, soreness, or pain of any kind until the 5th. He said he was good to pitch, but after that walk in the 5th Coach Lemley decided to take him out. This is the forth year that Chapman has pitched varsity baseball so he should know the limits of his arm. And if you remember, Chapman did the same thing last year while pitching at Fed.

Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the game. Orestes when you said that McCune and Burke were having trouble was it because they couldn't find the strike zone or because they were getting hit. Also I was wondering how Gandee did. I know his performance last year was really affected by his illness and he's over it now so I was curious how he did.

student of THE ROCK wrote:Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the game. Orestes when you said that McCune and Burke were having trouble was it because they couldn't find the strike zone or because they were getting hit. Also I was wondering how Gandee did. I know his performance last year was really affected by his illness and he's over it now so I was curious how he did.

well in all honesty... both defenses didnt look up to par and each pitcher from both teams were gettin hit... Gandee i think had at least one hit...

I agree Maximus, Chapman is a veteran and knows his limitations...

They were getting hit to some extent, but were behind in the count more often than not. Neither one ever established a command of the strike zone. I'm sure that will improve.

Gandee should have a good year.

I dont think that there was a definate strick zone for the pitchers to aim for. It seemed as though the zone moved around all night.

Maximus wrote:I dont think that there was a definate strick zone for the pitchers to aim for. It seemed as though the zone moved around all night.

LOL...
Thanks Max, I guess I'm not crazy ....

yeah, both team struggled to find that mysterious strike zone.