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The 8th last night was so unexpected, unlikely, and amazing. The Arky pitcher unable to cleanly field Austin's ground ball leading to an infield single. TJ popping up possibly the worst bunt attempt in all of baseball history, but the 3B covering 3rd instead of catching it. As Roanoke pointed out last night, Austin's terrific baserunning three different times in this sequence. Diaz taking the high fastball the other way for a laser single...SITUATIONAL HITTING!!! Terrific AB by Noland to draw the RBI walk. Bulger jumping on a grooved, hanging slider for a laser 2-run RBI single to LF. And of course LaNeve with perhaps the biggest hit of the entire season. Add to that, the Arky coach panicking and changing pitchers 3 times. Wow!

One thing that bugged me was the bunt. If for a hit, okay, that makes sense. But if a sacrifice, why? Two on, nobody out, down 6 in the 8th Inning with the season on the line...and you sacrifice? Makes no sense at all. None. Especially in light of not bunting at Alabama a couple weeks ago when it did make total sense. I really hopeTJ was bunting for a hit.

I assumed the awful pop-up bunt was NOT a sacrifice. We were lucky there. We were also lucky on the 0-2 HBP. But damnit we were due for a little luck.

I was shocked that we let LaNeve hit by the way. I thought he would bring in Polk, a right-handed batter. CTC certainly got that one right.

In the previous 5 SEC GAMES, Vanderbilt scored a total of 7 runs.

That's 43 innings (one of the 5 games only went 7 innings, mercifully).

Then they score 8 runs in one inning. Truly remarkable.

Since college sports are so much about attitude and confidence, let's hope this turns everything around.

historybill wrote: ↑Sat May 20, 2023 1:09 pm In the previous 5 SEC GAMES, Vanderbilt scored a total of 7 runs.

That's 43 innings (one of the 5 games only went 7 innings, mercifully).

Then they score 8 runs in one inning. Truly remarkable.

Since college sports are so much about attitude and confidence, let's hope this turns everything around.

And against the #2 team at that.

The early evidence indicates that last night's 8h inning was as positive a pivot for the VandyBoys as the the 9th inning of game 1 in Knoxville was negative. I hope it stays that way for the next four or five weeks.