Rain, rain go away
By C.J. Moore
May 28, 2009
Welcome to the Moore on Sports blog. The first entry comes from Cary, N.C., where we’re waiting out the rain for the World Series semifinal between Emporia State and UC San Diego.
We got a quick downpour earlier and now it’s been on and off since. There’s some standing water in the outfield and thunder in the distance, which is never a good sign. Josh Slaughter, full-time ESU SID/part-time weatherman, is guessing that the start time will get pushed back to 3:15 p.m. central time, but my uneducated opinion is it’s going to be awhile. They’ve just asked for everyone to leave the complex and go wait in their car.
And... there goes the power. Whew, it’s back.
While we wait, I’ll provide some keys to the game. If you have any questions about what’s going on at the World Series, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll drop whatever knowledge I can dig up. Also, feel free to provide any suggestions for the blog or another blog name. If you come up with a blog name, I’ll try to come up with a reward. As this point, it’s looking like you might get a high-five. Petition Chris Walker if you want a better prize.
Onto the keys to the game.
1. Colby Killian
I’m running out of adjectives at this point to describe Colby Killian during the postseason. Masterful. Unbelievable. Unhittable. Amazing. They all work. Every move Bob Fornelli has made during the postseason has made him look like one smart dude, but promoting Killian to the club’s ace has been the most important.
I keep waiting for Killian to come back to earth and pitch more like the guy who had a plus-five ERA during the regular season, but (cross your fingers) I don’t think it’s happening.
Everyone around the program will tell you over and over again that Killian has always had the best stuff, and I think he’s started to listen. What I love about the guy is that he doesn’t worry about what the offense is going to do, he just throws his game and says, ‘Good luck hitting this fellas.’
It sort of reminds me of the way Zack Greinke has pitched this season. Killian throws a fastball that gets up into the 90s and tails off to the right with some sink at the finish. He’s kept it low and is getting a lot of groundballs. On Saturday, he said he only threw seven or eight curveballs and I expect him to continue pitching that way until somebody hits him.
The other thing about Killian’s makeup that makes him the perfect high-stress situation pitcher is the guy is a goof. He seems to always be leading the hacky sack games. Before Monday’s game, Killian was dancing in the dugout to some music with hit his hat on sideways. On Wednesday during the UC San Diego and Dowling game, Killian was sitting on the hill behind the outfield wall, and when Dowling hit a home run, there goes Killian sprinting down the hill like a little kid to get the ball.
He’s having a blast during this run, and if he has any nerves, he’s not showing it.
The best and my favorite stat from Killian during the postseason is the fact that 17 of his 18 innings in the postseason have been scoreless. If he throws that way again today, Emporia State should win.
2. Emporia State needs to get out to an early lead
During the MIAA tournament, Emporia State’s starting pitchers struggled and they had to play from behind. The reason the Hornets have been so successful in the Regional and World Series has been that they’ve gotten out to leads and they’re built to keep them.
The way to keep leads is keep gradually putting runs on the board and play mistake-free defense, and that’s how this team has succeeded all season. In seven postseason games, the Hornets have only two errors.
I think a lead is even more important today, because UC San Diego reminds me a lot of Emporia State. The Tritons don’t hit for a lot of power, but they’re smart hitters and do a good job of moving runners and capitalizing on leadoff hits. They did not hit one homer on Wednesday, but they kept taking what the Dowling pitchers would give them. If they pitched down and away, they were happy to slap hits to opposite field.
Defensively, the Tritons also make all the right plays. They lead the nation in fielding percentage and looked to be pretty sound to me on Wednesday, and that was the biggest difference in the game, because Dowling was not.
That’s why I expect the team that takes the lead in the early innings to win this game.
3. Conner Crumbliss
Fornelli has said all year that as Conner Crumbliss goes, so goes the Hornets. That hasn’t been the case here at the World Series. Crumbliss has just one hit; however, he did walk to lead off Monday’s game and then later scored, making a nifty slide to get around the tag of Mesa State’s catcher.
The Hornets have had different hitters step up at different times, but I think it’s Crumbliss' turn. His slumps don’t usually last too long and I foresee a couple hits and a couple runs scored today.
The other reason Crumbliss could be so important today is that his counterpart on the Tritons is also their best player. UCSD’s leadoff hitter Vince Albitz was the spark on Wednesday. Like Crumbliss, he’s a short guy and a tough out. Albitz stands 5-foot-8 (maybe) and is even smaller in the batter’s box. He has a weird stance where he crouches down, shrinking the strike zone.
The leadoff hitter that has the better day could figure into what team gets off to a better start, which, again, could be the key to the game.
That’s all for now. Again, let me know if there’s any information you want to know and I’ll do my best to provide an educated answer. I’m off to do an anti-rain dance.
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