ADAM JOHNSON

Sports Writer

Last year in baseball, every team in the majors

Despite those early outs, the Panthers still managed to gain three more runs in the inning. Parks had a standup RBI double as she hit the ball deep into left field. Pupillo, who reached base on a walk, crossed home plate to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead. Dodge followed that up with a homer over center field to give UNI a decisive 6-0 lead.

Drake was able to get their only run of the game in the top of the third inning as Emily Valtman had a sacrifice flyout RBI to advance Sami Miller to home plate, resulting in a 6-1 lead for UNI. The Panthers were unfazed heading into the bottom of the third as they added to their score from two more doubles belonging to Hannah Kelley and Kate Lappe, making the score 7-1.

In the top of the fourth UNI was able to get their seventh double play of the year to get out of the inning. Sanders fielded a ground ball and threw it to second baseman Taylor Hogan for the first out. Hogan then turned towards first base and threw the ball to Lappe for the double play, effectively ending the inning.

The fifth inning came and went fast, as only one player from both teams was able to make it on base. In the top of the sixth inning Drake was looking for some late game heroics. The Bulldogs had two runners on base threatening to score as Heyer threw her sixth strikeout of the game, ending the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth the Panthers had an opportunity to end the game a half inning early due to the NCAA’s run rule stating that if a team is up by eight or more runs in the fifth inning or later, the run-ahead rule will go into effect, ending the game.

Sanders began the inning with a single through the right side of the infield, which ultimately set up the game winning play from Pupillo. Pupillo, calm and collected, stepped up to the plate and hit her second home run on the night over the right field fence. The final score was 9-1 as UNI prevailed over Drake in their first meeting of the season.

The Panthers will welcome Southern Illinois to Cedar Falls this weekend for a three game stint

Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS combined for 2,487 stolen bases, the average game lasted three hours and three minutes and at times you might see every defensive infielder on the right side of the second base bag. This year, it looks like there are going to be a lot more stolen bases. As of April 3 the average game has lasted around two hours and 38 minutes, and the infield has to be set up in a more traditional alignment. A lot has changed since last season, and the reason is because of some big rule changes in the game.

One of these rules is the newly added pitch timer. The goal of this new rule was to speed up games, and it has been extremely successful. The games have been nearly 30 minutes shorter on average so far this season. At the beginning of an inning or after another player’s at bat, the next batter has 30 seconds to get ready for the at bat. Between every pitch, the pitcher has 15 seconds to throw their pitch if there is no one on base. If there are runners on base, they have 20 seconds. One final aspect of this rule is that the pitcher can only attempt a pickoff two times, and if they do not get the runner on the second attempt, the runner has a much better chance of stealing knowing the pitcher cannot throw over. Not only has this quickened up the games, but it has also increased the number of steals.

Another rule that helps with the steals is the addition of bigger bases. In prior years the bases have been 15 inches, but this year they have increased in size to 18 inches, with the exception of home plate which stays the same size. The increase in size makes the bases a little bit closer to each other, encouraging more base stealing, and it can also help give more space to avoid injuries.

The final rule that has been implemented this season is a limit on the defensive shift. Every team must have a minimum of four players on the infield, and at least two on each side of the second base bag. The idea behind this is to increase the batting average of balls in play, and to allow players in the field to showcase their fielding abilities.

All of these rules have been implemented to try and improve the game of baseball and make it more enjoyable for the spectators. The impacts of these rules have already begun to be felt this season in the MLB. It will be interesting to see if these rules will or will not help with fan engagement in a sport that has seen a steady decline in viewership over recent years.