Brandon Bluhm, bastard umpire costs Gator softball a win

[GatorBart]

Need you to get medieval on his azz, Pulp Fiction style.

 

[Spurdog98]

They need replay. Saw that same type of play in a baseball regional game..... called out but safe..............clearly safe. Numbnuts was out of position and couldn't see the the tag and he would have seen that the catcher missed the tag.

 

[SaltyGator]

I'm still confused how in the hell we ended up in the other bracket playing Oklahoma in an elimination game, seems like we should've been playing FSU. I get the higher seed deal but since when do they reseed and swap brackets. It's stupid that the two best team from last year are pitted against each other before the finals.

 

[Fodderwing]

I'm still confused how in the hell we ended up in the other bracket playing Oklahoma in an elimination game, seems like we should've been playing FSU. I get the higher seed deal but since when do they reseed and swap brackets. It's stupid that the two best team from last year are pitted against each other before the finals.

That bracket flip has been in place for as long as I have followed Gator SB, ~10 seasons now. The flip is not as apparent when your team stays in the winner brackets.

 

[SaltyGator]

That bracket flip has been in place for as long as I have followed Gator SB, ~10 seasons now. The flip is not as apparent when your team stays in the winner brackets.

I've only been casually watching for the last 4-5 seasons and I'll admit I do not know nor understand all the rules.

 

[gardnerwebbgator]

The flip is supposedly done to avoid any two teams from playing three times before the title series.

 

[NVAGATOR86]

I don't like all the replay options in MLB or the NFL but in the College World Series there needs to be some ability to look at critical calls. One suggestion would be to let each coach have one or two challenges per game. Maybe one is enough. In this case Walton would at least have used it on the home plate call. Anal optics are 20/20 but I do believe that Walton should have pulled Barnhill after that play, and replaced her with Ocasio. I know she hadn't given up a hit but the wheels were coming off.
Barnhill is a great pitcher but as said on the broadcast she is a perfectionist and tends to lose focus after a mistake. The umpire was squeezing the strike zone on her and she looked as tight as a frogs ass in water. I am also sure she thought the out was made at home plate. She grooved a meatball to a hitter who only had 3 HRs in 3 seasons. With the re enter rule she could have returned to the game to close it out if needed. I would have let her cool off on the bench and have the pitching coach Rocha get her head back in the game.
Tough loss and the ladies played hard and deserved a better ending.

 

[Ocalaman]

I've only been casually watching for the last 4-5 seasons and I'll admit I do not know nor understand all the rules.

Yeah, the loser of the first winner's bracket game always goes over to the other side for the exact reason previously stated. I've been watching softball since before the current WCWS format was instituted and it's been that way from the beginning of this format.

 

[Ocalaman]

I don't like all the replay options in MLB or the NFL but in the College World Series there needs to be some ability to look at critical calls. One suggestion would be to let each coach have one or two challenges per game. Maybe one is enough. In this case Walton would at least have used it on the home plate call. Anal optics are 20/20 but I do believe that Walton should have pulled Barnhill after that play, and replaced her with Ocasio. I know she hadn't given up a hit but the wheels were coming off.
Barnhill is a great pitcher but as said on the broadcast she is a perfectionist and tends to lose focus after a mistake. The umpire was squeezing the strike zone on her and she looked as tight as a frogs ass in water. I am also sure she thought the out was made at home plate. She grooved a meatball to a hitter who only had 3 HRs in 3 seasons. With the re enter rule she could have returned to the game to close it out if needed. I would have let her cool off on the bench and have the pitching coach Rocha get her head back in the game.
Tough loss and the ladies played hard and deserved a better ending.

I do think one of Walton & Rocha's few weakness is they are more reluctant to pull the pitcher than most other coaches at big time programs. You could tell Barnhill was rattled when she made that error and after the first walk and illegal pitch call it would have been a good time to bring in Ocasio and let Kelly calm down. The inning might not have blown up the way it did. Who knows? Hindsight is 20/20. They've done such a great job building the softball program I hate to be critical of anything they do, but this time it might be warranted.

 

[jeeping8r]

He sure gave UCLA pitcher a w i d e zone, enough that the TV crew was saying no one could hit those.

 

[NVAGATOR86]

I do think one of Walton & Rocha's few weakness is they are more reluctant to pull the pitcher than most other coaches at big time programs. You could tell Barnhill was rattled when she made that error and after the first walk and illegal pitch call it would have been a good time to bring in Ocasio and let Kelly calm down. The inning might not have blown up the way it did. Who knows? Hindsight is 20/20. They've done such a great job building the softball program I hate to be critical of anything they do, but this time it might be warranted.

Ocala

I agree it is tough to criticize these coaches. There may have been other factors with Ocasio or the line up that made Walton nervous about pulling Barnhill. But her history has been to give up the long ball and pulling her seems to have made sense. You are correct about some other teams bringing pitchers in and out. I think Oklahoma did it quite a bit and a couple others. I just think that slowing the game down in that inning would have made sense. I would have liked to see the senior Ocasio have a shot at pulling the win out.