OU softballers run-ruled Tennessee today, 9-0. I was a bit worried about the game. The Sooners only beat Stanford 2-0 Thursday, as the Cardinal pitcher, throwing 75 mph rise-balls really handcuffed our hitters. Based on NCAA stats, Tennessee appeared to be a tough matchup, ranking pretty close behind OU in several categories of pitching, hitting, and fielding.
But the Vols' coach chose not to pitch either of her aces, instead trotting out four different pitchers who haven't seen much action this year. I wondered if she was trying to keep the Sooner batters from facing any pitcher more than once. Teams with deep-but-not-elite pitching staffs have had some success doing that this year. Whatever Tennessee's strategy was today, it didn't work. And I think the the pitchers' inability to force easy outs had bad effects on the fielding as well, as there was some sloppy defense, unlike the Vols' season-long excellence in the field.
