Mark Berman back here in Oklahoma City, where Angela Tincher has pitched her last game for the Virginia Tech softball team.
With Florida beating the Hokies 1-0 in nine innings to send Tech home with an 0-2 World Series record, tribute must be paid -- because who knows when and if Tech will ever get back here again. You don't get pitchers like Angela Tincher all that often, especially if you're Virginia Tech.
"I'm excited about some of the kids we have coming in, and I'm excited in particular about some of the offense we have coming in, but you don't lose an Angela Tincher and just [reload]," Tech coach Scot Thomas said. "She makes coaching a lot easier.
"She's been unbelievable for us. There's been so much thrown on her. ... There's been no other female athlete in the history of Virginia Tech that has had that much attention drawn to her, and the way she has handled it with the media and everything, she's just been a tremendous representative of the university. ... It'll be a big loss."
Tech might be back in the NCAAs before too long, considering the ACC is a weak league but still gets multiple bids. But if it took until Tincher's senior year to get out of the regionals for the first time, don't hold your breath for another Series appearance. It's rare to have a national player of the year who has the third-most strikeouts in NCAA history.
Credit Tincher's supporting cast for getting the clutch hits and playing the good defense to back Tincher in the regionals and Super Regionals. But they really let her down in the Series. No runs for the Series, geez.
Tincher pitched a two-hitter on Thursday and struck out 19 today, when she didn't struggle until the 9th. She certainly pitched well enough to get Tech a win both times. But both times, her backup group let her down.
On Thursday in the 1-0 loss to Texas A&M, Tech left six runners on base because it couldn't get clutch hits off All-American Megan Gibson or lay down bunts. And Charisse Mariconda had the big error to let in the run.
Today, Tech mustered just 2 hits off All-American Stacey Nelson. In 9 innings. But still, Tech should have won it. The Hokies had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. How could Tech screw that up?
Well, Kelsey Hoffman grounded into a double play -- one double play is rare in softball, let alone the 2 in one game that Tech had today -- and then Jess Everhart grounded out. Poor, poor, poor.
"I was able to command both sides of the plate, which keeps them off-balance, and my changeup also (worked)," Nelson said. "Coming into that game, I knew how good of a pitcher she was and I knew I had my work cut out for me to not let them score until we score."
"What a great game between two outstanding teams and even more impressive, two outstanding pitchers," said Florida coach Tim Walton, whose team later eliminated UCLA. "What a heck of a way to pitch out of the seventh."
You wonder how far Tech could have gone this year or last if Thomas had done a bit better in tems of recruiting better hitters. Still, this bunch was good enough to beat the U.S. team, Tennesee and Michigan. But this week, a flop by the hitters for sure.
The first inning was something in terms of Tincher showing why she's the best. Kim Waleszonia singled to right and stole second. Aja Paculba then bunted to third, and because the lousy grounds crew over-watered the field, third baseman Charisse Mariconda lost her footing and fell down. Waleszonia advanced to third and Paculba reached all the way to second. But Tincher struck out the next three batters, including an All-American and a second-team All-American.
"Angela stepped up big with the three strikeouts," Thomas said. The grounds crew guys "know what they're doing, but we we were wondering why they started putting the quick-dry stuff out there prior to the game. ... They may have over watered ... It was a little slick out there at that one spot."
Tincher allowed 8 hits and no walks, coming one K short of tying the Series single-game strikeout record. She had a big strikeout with a runner on 2nd to end the seventh.
"Everything was working pretty well," she said. "I threw a lot of riseballs. .. I had a lot of adrenaline. .. My changeup was OK. My drop worked pretty well today. We did a pretty good job of mixing it up."
Catcher Kelsey Hoffman and shortstop Misty Hall also sparkled in the field, with two Florida runners caught stealing thanks to Hoffman's arm and Hall's tags.
Top-seeded Florida (68-4) finally got to Tech in the ninth. The Gators loaded the bases with two outs on two singles and a hit batsman. Mary Ratliff, who had whiffed three times, hit a Tincher riseball into center for a two-run single.
"Raltiff made adjustments in the end when it counted," Tincher said.
"I was pumped," Ratliff said. "It was an unreal feeling. It was awesome."
Still, it was a great year for the Hokies. They made a national splash by stunning the U.S. national team. They won the ACC tournament for the 2nd straight year, and won on the road in the Knoxville regional and in the Ann Arbor regional.
"We've had a great year. We've had some big wins," Tincher said. "We battled back [from the brink of elimination] in Knoxville and Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, we didn't get the big runs that we needed today."
"I'm extremely proud of this team," Thomas said.
But this week, Tech's bats stayed home in Blacksburg.
"I didn't want it to end this way," Thomas said.
Comments
[May 31, 2008 10:42 PM]
J. LesterI played over 20 years of fast pitch softball, some semi-pro. I cannot believe with the bases loaded and no outs Tech didn't try at least one suicide squeeze play. Anxiety takes over when a player breaks from third on the pitch. Bad things happen and they are not double plays. Tincher deserved better than this.
[June 1, 2008 11:11 AM]
mikeMr. berman you are clueless as to your reporting. The Hokies were very fortunate to go as far as they did and they should be lauded for their effort, how can anyone take a reporter serious that dosen't even get the final score correct.
[June 1, 2008 1:46 PM]
Dave ThorntonTech's bats were silent but I'm sure they could have bunted and put the pressure on the Florida defense when they had the bases loaded, no outs. Just one bobble or bad throw by the Gators and the game is over. Small ball would have worked for the Hokies. Not the best of coaching.