Rohr of the Crowd - March 2

Rohr of the Crowd is the official blog of Nate Rohr, the play-by-play announcer for Husker softball. Nate has called Nebraska softball games since 2004 and will call every game of the 2010 season. Look for new blog entries weekly.

Just as We Expected.....

The Loudest Roars
Nebraska's offense hadn't scored in 13 innings in Columbus, Ga.,
on Friday, but finally cracked the scoreboard thanks to this RBI 
single to left by Ashley Guile and this sacrifice fly by Robin Mackin.

Heidi Foland showed great resiliency in the third inning against
Virginia Tech, bouncing back from an error to make this great diving
catch at third base.

When it was announced that Robin Mackin was transferring to Nebraska from Fresno State during the summer of 2008, we knew that the Huskers were adding a big-game pitcher who had already succeeded on the game's largest stages. She'd earned All-America honors in 2008, pitched to a 64-25 record in two years with a 1.44 ERA and earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in 2008. She is one of only 13 active pitchers in Division I to have earned All-America honors in her career and one of just two currently pitching in college to play in the Olympics.

After sitting last year with a shoulder injury, we finally got to see Mackin take the circle for Nebraska in a big game Friday night. Even before the Huskers made the trip to Columbus, Ga., Nebraska's matchup with Georgia Tech was a big one. It would be the Huskers' first game against a ranked opponent, and a top-10 foe and favorite to win a BCS conference to boot.

But the importance of Friday night's game with Georgia Tech was magnified after Arkansas defeated Nebraska 2-0 earlier that day. The Razorbacks only had two hits, but both were home runs. Meanwhile, the Nebraska offense struggled, collecting just one hit through the first six innings before back-to-back pinch hits kept the Huskers alive in the seventh before Hope McLemore closed out NU. Nebraska was a frustrated softball team after the first game Friday, and with the Yellow Jackets, who had started the year with nine straight wins, on the other side of the field Friday night, it looked as it the Huskers' frustrations could mount.

However, Mackin took control of the game, shutting out the powerful Yellow Jackets lineup with allowing just two hits (including just one in the last six innings), while striking out five and walking just two. Add to that a 2-for-3 showing at the plate with a run batted in, and it's clear that Mackin drove the Huskers to victory.

Mackin's battles with Jen Yee were especially exciting. Two intelligent, talented players, Yee and Mackin were teammates on the 2008 Canadian National Team coached by NU associate head coach Lori Sippel. Yee was off to an incredible start to the 2010 season, coming into her matchup with Nebraska hitting .613 with six home runs and 14 RBI. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

The first at-bat saw Yee hit a lightening bolt to left field, a hard shot to Nikki Haget's that nearly took her glove off as she moved over to try to make the catch. In the next two at bats, Mackin fooled Yee, but Yee's strength allowed her to hit deep fly balls, to left field in the third inning and to center field in the fifth. Then, as Yee represented the tying run in the seventh inning, she took a mighty hack but hit a dribbling ground ball back to Mackin to bring the Huskers to within one out of victory.

As we've seen throughout the history of college softball, a dominant pitcher (especially one who hits) can will her team to victory. Friday night, Mackin did that for Nebraska as it upset eighth-ranked Georgia Tech. It's the sort of performance that the Huskers were hoping to get from Mackin from the moment she signed on at NU.

Bouncing Back

Stat of the Week
Robin Mackin has walked two batters
in each of her last seven outings. No more,
no less. Two, each outing.

Along with Mackin's performance Friday night, my other favorite piece of the Huskers' stay in Columbus, Ga., was Heidi Foland's showing in the top of the third of Sunday's game against Virginia Tech. Foland was playing at third base for the first time as Nebraska continues to tinker with its lineup in the absence of Julie Brechtel, who is batttling concussion-like symptoms.

The inning started rocky for Foland. With one out, Kelsey Hensel hit a ground ball to Foland's left. She shuffled in front of the ball, but booted it as she tried to catch the hop. Hensel reached on Foland's error.

 

The next batter was Bkaye Smith, a speedy slapper. She laid down a bunt on the third base side, trying to test Foland. Heidi was equal to the task, gunning the ball to second to get the force on Hensel. That proved crucial three pitches later, as Richelle McGarva doubled to right. Had Foland played tentatively one batter later and taken the out at first or, even worse, still had the error in the back of her head and thrown wildly to either base, McGarva knocks in the tying run. Instead, Smith had to settle for reaching third with two out in the inning.

The next batter, Courtney Liddle, laced a liner to Foland's left. She drove to her left and snared it, preventing at least one and perhaps two runs from scoring and ending the inning. That kept NU ahead 1-0 and bought the Husker offense time to post an insurance run in the sixth.

It was critical to take an early lead against the Hokies and maintain it. Virginia Tech came into the game with a eight-game losing streak and its confidence had to be shaken as they took the field Sunday. The Huskers took a one-run lead in the first, but Tech saw runners reach in the first and second innings. Had Virginia Tech been able to tie the game in the third, they may have started to believe they would have a good shot of breaking the losing streak. Instead, because Foland was able to shake off an early miscue and keep the Hokies off the scoreboard with two good defensive plays, Ashley Hagemann was able to clamp down on the Tech offense, as the Hokies got just one more hit and three more baserunners over the final four innings.

Softball, like baseball, is inherently a game of failure, especially for everyone but the pitcher. The best most hitters can do is fail 7-of-10 times. And defensive chances come at fielders at random, with time out in the field alternating between boredom and panic. A player who commits an error may not see another ball all day or may see two more that inning as Foland did. Heidi's ability to move past that earlier mistake was a big key in Nebraska's 2-0 win Sunday, which made the weekend feel a whole lot better.

Why, Yes, I Do Have X-Ray Vision
In general, I was impressed by the South Commons Complex in Columbus, Ga. I especially liked the main stadium field, with its towering grandstand and its imposing brick-and-steel facade in the front of the park. The classic look of the park appealed to me a lot, though it would have to add some stands to be large enough to compete with Oklahoma City to host the Women's College World Series. The side fields were fairly nice as well and, unlike Oklahoma City, there was a press box for the side fields.

However, I did have one complaint about the side fields. There was one massed press box in the middle of the four-field cluster. The press box was fairly low and well back from the field, which wouldn't have mattered, had there not been opaque tarps over the dugouts on both the first and third base sides. As a result of those tarps and the fact that I was on the far right side of the press box for the field, I couldn't see either first or third base. So how could I see the close plays at the bag?

In all honesty, I couldn't. So I went off the reaction of the other players at the diamond. I also could barely see the umpire's hands at their sides below the tarp. One hand meant the batter was out. No hands: the batter was safe. And Matt Smith would fill in as well as I tried to sort out what happened. But I will look into X-Ray Vision goggles for just (and only!) that situation, should it ever arise again.

 

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
Saturday night's broadcasts also brought to the public a story I'd tried to keep hidden for a while (and had been successful in hiding, through various threats and bribes). But it took one bragging comment for all my best-laid plans to be thrown aside.

A foul pop came toward my broadcast position during the Alabama game. It was basically right at me, and I stated, on-air, that I would have had a play on it. Matt Smith kindly retorted, “The only play I've seen you make on a softball diamond is a football play.”

With that, the cat raced out of the bag. I had to tell the four-year old story, my secret shame.

It was the 2006 Big 12 Tournament. Nebraska was working out the day before the tournament at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. Earlier in the year, I'd heard that other softball staffers, like Matt and Brad Colee of HuskerVision had been allowed to go to the outfield and shag fly balls during batting practice. Eager to justify owning a glove despite not playing baseball since my freshman year of high school, I talked my way onto the field for the workout before Big 12's.

As the Huskers took BP, I set up in the outfield. The slappers cycled through and hit grounder after grounder. I was getting antsy. The slappers finished up and Meghan Mullin, then a freshman, jogged to right field. I moved over to center, the best place to showcase my extensive range.

Like pretty much every task in my life, I worked in the outfield with total passion and with a complete lack of coordination and restraint. This would prove costly.

A fly ball was hit into the right-center field power alley. I sprinted to my left. Mullin worked to her right as the ball hung up there. I'm guessing she was calling for the ball. I can barely hear anyway, but when I'm running, my sense of hearing is totally worthless. Instead of backing off pursuit, I continued to race to my left. As the ball descended, I ran her over. Flat out turned her into a speed bump in right-center field at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The ball fell. I was done as a BP outfielder. I hobbled toward the infield, incredibly embarassed, but thankful the only thing shattered was not Mullin's right shoulder, but only my pride.

I was fortunate to not be on the first bus home from Oklahoma City, but at least I've learned my lesson. During batting practice, I'm generally hiding in the press box, both saving myself from the danger of showing my lack of softball skill and the players from potential harm.

Weekend Warmup: The Embassy Suites Festival, Tulsa
Nebraska will face just two teams this weekend, Tulsa and North Dakota. The Huskers will face the Golden Hurricane three times, once a day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tulsa is 7-7 this season entering Wednesday's matchup at Oklahoma, a rematch of the final game of 2009 for the Sooners, as they were shocked by Tulsa 5-3 in the regional semifinals. Tulsa returns six starters plus its two top pitchers from last year's Conference USA championship team. They're on a four-game winning streak, going undefeated at their home tournament last weekend including an eight-inning win over Texas State. The weekend before, though, they were 1-4 at the Getterman Classic, losing to Baylor 9-1 in five innings and to 2010 NU foe UTEP 9-5. The Golden Hurricane offense has been strong early, averaging over five runs a game while hitting .306. The lineup has been led by first-team all-conference outfielder Lauren Lindsay, who is following up last year's season, which saw her hit .406 with nine homers and 39 RBI, with an impressive .463 average through 14 games with five home runs and 14 RBI. The problems have come in the circle, where last year's ace Jackie Lawrence is 2-3 with a 3.71 ERA in six starts after earning first-team All-Conference USA with a 21-6 record and a 1.67 ERA in 27 starts last year.

North Dakota will take on Nebraska Saturday and Sunday. The Fighting Sioux are 2-7 this season after losing their last four games at a tournament at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last weekend. Like Tulsa, the problem for UND has been its pitching. During the current four-game losing streak, the Sioux has given up 30 runs. Freshman Emma Gronseth has started five games in the circle for North Dakota, going 2-3 with a 5.92 ERA. The offense is led by Casie Hanson, who is hitting .407 with two home runs and 6 RBI. Hanson was a two-time Division II All-American and already holds school records in career batting average and home runs, while ranking in the top five in RBI. Hanson redshirted last year while continuing her hockey career at UND. She scored nine goals last year for the Sioux.

That's all for this week...we'll talk to you Friday afternoon from Tulsa.

 

Husker Power!

Nate