Well this is just awful.

Lose to DBU 11-0. In seven innings. SFA pitching past the top six is really bad. The worst part of this loss is that the starters, beyond pitcher, are our regulars, and they got a total of three hits.

This team is on the edge of a spiral.

Yep. Really weak.

KirkHeath12 said:

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They just said on the broadcast that SFA has the worst slugging percentage in the country. 290th. Ouch

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297 D1 programs.

BA of .224 is #294.
Doubles 284.
Triples 240.
HR's 274.
Slugging percentage is dead last at #297.

Team ERA is 156, even with all of the mid-week blow outs.

Fielding percentage is a very respectable 81.

This team is ALL about pitching and defense. When the pitching falters, we lose. Every time.

Critical series at Nicholls this weekend.

Game one final:

SFA 5/9/0
Nicholls 1/4/1

Palmer with a really good eight innings. Starks with a three up, three down ninth. Must win. Good win, scoring late.

With five games to go, at 14-11, the Lumberjacks are in a three way tie for fourth; three games back of first place SLU, and three games ahead of ninth place Nicholls.

Well that 7-0 lead we had is gone now.

The bullpen has been a strength. Not tonight, blowing the heck out of a 7-0 lead after six. Roth did ok. Starks was bad. Gamez was bad. Hearn has not been good all season. Not having Rodriguez available is a very big deal. I don't know what happened to him a couple of weeks ago, but it must be significant to still be out.

Down 13-7 after eight.

SFAJack_76 said:

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Lose to DBU 11-0. In seven innings. SFA pitching past the top six is really bad. The worst part of this loss is that the starters, beyond pitcher, are our regulars, and they got a total of three hits.

This team is on the edge of a spiral.

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No longer a spiral. Free fall. Lost two of three to a bad Nicholls team. With a home series against a bad UNO team all that is left, not making the SLC tournament is a possibility. Two weeks ago they were competing for the top of the standings. Since then, they have lost five of six to teams in the bottom third of the standings.

I'm a big Cardenas fan but it may be time to mix it up. Not saying we are going to compete for a title yearly (which should be the case regarding MBB) but really this collapse is hard to explain. Pitching has been VERY suspect.

BigJack85 said:

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I'm a big Cardenas fan but it may be time to mix it up. Not saying we are going to compete for a title yearly (which should be the case regarding MBB) but really this collapse is hard to explain. Pitching has been VERY suspect.

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Pitching was the bright spot until recently. Palmer has been good. Stobart has battled. Covington had some good starts until he was "banged up", whatever that means. Kubo has had some solid starts in place of Covington. Rodriguez and Gamez were going great with league leading ERA's, and then Rodriguez got hurt. Starks has been doing much better until he did not today. Roth has been okay. The rest of the staff has been bad to very bad, which has lead to mid-week blow outs. Today was by far the biggest pitching staff collapse in SLC play.

Hitting was very suspect and has regressed from that. No. Hitting is one of the worst in D1baseball.

SFAJack_76 said:

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BigJack85 said:

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I'm a big Cardenas fan but it may be time to mix it up. Not saying we are going to compete for a title yearly (which should be the case regarding MBB) but really this collapse is hard to explain. Pitching has been VERY suspect.

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Pitching was the bright spot until recently. Palmer has been good. Stobart has battled. Covington had some good starts until he was "banged up", whatever that means. Kubo has had some solid starts in place of Covington. Rodriguez and Gamez were going great with league leading ERA's, and then Rodriguez got hurt. Starks has been doing much better until he did not today. Roth has been okay. The rest of the staff has been bad to very bad, which has lead to mid-week blow outs. Today was by far the biggest pitching staff collapse in SLC play.

Hitting was very suspect and has regressed from that. No. Hitting is one of the worst in D1baseball.

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I get it. Overall hitting is amongst the worst in the NCAA. But our "situational" pitching is just atrocious. Up 7-0??? Oh well. It's hard to be competitive in every sport. That's why I am so bitter when neither football or basketball was at all notable.

Palmer goes the distance in a 2-1 win to clinch a spot in the SLC tournament.

The eighth and ninth innings got a little tight. Palmer had to battle through both. He had only thrown 78 pitches through seven, so pitch count wasn't the issue. I don't know if Cardenas leaving him in was due to faith in Palmer, or due to lack of faith in the bullpen after the blown 7-0 lead at Nicholls. Probably some of each. I hear Rodriguez is out for the season, or I am confident he would have been in the game.

Through six:

UNO 6/10/0
SFA 0/1/0

Coaches are coaching, and players are playing, like this is a mid-week game that doesn't matter. I respectfully disagree with that approach.

Do you feel like they are resting key players for the tournament?

nacluth said:

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Do you feel like they are resting key players for the tournament?

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Pitchers, definitely. Position guys. Did not start that way but substituted liberally.

Final, 10-1.

Totally agree. Let's not just go thru the motions. Hard to win when you have but two reliable starters and a couple of work a day guys to follow ....

Alex Palmer. Well deserved. Don't spend any time looking for any other Lumberjack on the lists.

Prediction

SFA 2

SELA 1

Thanks Ed!

I'm here. We'll probably be facing their ace, who was (I believe) SLC Pitcher of the Year with about a 1.5 ERA.

SFA Jack Fanatic said:

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I'm here. We'll probably be facing their ace, who was (I believe) SLC Pitcher of the Year with about a 1.5 ERA.

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Corey Gaconi. Went eight innings at SFA in a 5-1 win. Palmer went 6.2 innings, giving up four of the runs.

2-1, perhaps 3-2, is about the only way SFA wins. Palmer is going to have to be at his best.

Windy this morning. Wind blowing in from right field. May not see many long balls today.

Yep. Gaconi and Palmer starting.

Palmer looking Sharp through three. Gaconi very hittable today.

Palmer has faced the minimum through four. His changeup is fooling them all.

Gaconi fastball hitting 87-90. Nothing special there.

The wind is causing fits on popups.

Great catch by SELA left fielder steals a sure run for SFA.