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TheAmishHokie OP
Apr 02, 2026 at 08:08 PM ET
Good pitching trumps good hitting everytime
Got to give their pitcher credit. Had our hitters off their game all night. We never really adjusted. We will probably see her again in game three. Be interesting to see if we can make the necessary changes at the plate

20 Replies

S
SHPHOKIE
4mo
The saying is good pitching beats good hitting and vice versa. Or you can
say good hitting beats good pitching and vice versa.
V
VAHokie89
4mo
and not so good hitting also
DonHo-kieHi DonHo-kieHi
4mo
The book is out on this team. Power hitters so need to keep ball low in the
zone. Even better if it drops and pitcher can change speeds. Rest of the teams we face will be doing same if they can. JMHO
V
VAHokie89
4mo
We are more than just power hitting. We also hit for average
We needed to be more patient. And yes, we got under pitches, the low pitches that you mention.
MidloHokie MidloHokie
4mo
That's a recipe for success against virtually every team in the country . .
. . . the problem is 80% or today's college pitchers are kids who had success throwing hard and high in HS and TB. The really effective down pitcher (like Clemson's Maness) is rare.
M
maroonhiker
4mo
It didn't seem like we were fully prepared for the pitcher, or that we
made adjustments during the game. I could be completely wrong and I'm not criticizing Pete. They just didn't seem ready for that pitcher or to know what to do after so many innings of 2-3 ground outs. Our team is human, though they sometimes seem superhuman in the way that they dispatch lesser opponents. They are not always going to be in a hitting zone. I'm sure they are really wanting to get back on the field now. I hope they thrash the ever living cat s*** out of Clemson the next two days.
King of Hokies King of Hokies
4mo
You act as if all you need to do is scout the opponent. That's obvious
and everyone scouts everyone. It's better than not scouting and prepping, but it's not some kind of magic wand. Get real.
MidloHokie MidloHokie
4mo
I agree with this. The coaches knew they would see Maness 2X this . . .
. . . weekend and exactly what she was going to throw. One problem is it's tough to reproduce this in practice. Certainly our male coaches CANNOT DO IT well and the machines aren't very good at it either.
Raleigh Hokie Raleigh Hokie
4mo
The umpire looked to be a low ball umpire as well.
I was behind the plate a few rows up and he looked to be a low ball umpire which played into Maness' hands. I didn't watch the replay but that's what it looked like in person.
MidloHokie MidloHokie
4mo
I was medium high on the tigger side. Couldn't get a read on where the . .
. . . umps zone was. It don't think the batters could either.
hokiepro hokiepro
4mo
Our aggressive approach burns us vs a good drop ball pitcher
It’s not in our DNA to take 1-2 strikes. We see one that looks like a strike and hit the top of the ball as it drops out of the zone. Did it alll night ** Edited by hokiepro at 4/3/2026, 7:50:13 AM
vatechcowpatty vatechcowpatty
4mo
New strategy: golf swings only
MidloHokie MidloHokie
4mo
Yes; hence 14 ground outs.
H
Hokie_Forester
4mo
I would say impatient hitting more than good pitching. Any type of patience
tonight and she walks 5 or 6 in my opinion.
hokiepro hokiepro
4mo
We win if Mazz fields & throws in 2nd inning.
Or if batter before the 3 run HR had been called out on strikes like she should have been Clemson also made a. 2 run saving catch ** Edited by hokiepro at 4/2/2026, 8:10:19 PM
N
nkhooch
4mo
If Mazz makes the play in the 2nd,
you cant assume they wouldn’t have gotten a 2-run HR the next inning. Thats the weakness of the 2-out/error earned-run rule. It assumes the batters who got hits after an error wouldn’t have gotten them in the next inning. ** Edited by nkhooch at 4/3/2026, 1:41:57 AM
hokiepro hokiepro
4mo
Well. You can assume if the ump calls the strikes Mazz threw to next
Batter and we’re out of the inning 1 batter later..even if she hits the bomb it’s a solo Also Clemson’s 4th run never should’ve happened. Same girl Mazz threw perfect pitch that a) should’ve been a called strike 3 and b) was also a swing that was not checked. That’s one of the worst gifted walks I’ve ever seen. HP missed strike 3 and 1B doubled down not calling an obvious swing. My coach used to say “if it’d hit the bat it’s a bloop double”…if that pitch hit the bat it’s in play…she struck out TWICE and both times blue extended the innings leading to ALL 4 Clemson runs. If that single happens the next inning it’s not an RBI…because nobody would’ve been on
2
2hhoop3
4mo
If ifs and buts.....
you know the rest. This loss is a mirror image of earlier losses. They give up free passes and timely hitting takes a rest. They cannot help competitive teams out and expect to win. While they are good, they are not that good.
vatechcowpatty vatechcowpatty
4mo
We really didn’t have that many walks. 4 in 7 innings isn’t something to
brag about, but it’s acceptable.
2
2hhoop3
4mo
It MIGHT be....
acceptable but, that more depends on specific game situations rather than the number and it is very unlikely to hold true with a competitive opponent.