Ribbie Reporter -- We interrupt MLB play for this collegiate update

The 2009 Old Dominion Conference Tournament is upon us
Yes, it's time for the Ribbie Reporter's annual pilgrimage to Lynchburg, Va., where he does the radio broadcasts for Washington and Lee University as they participate in their conference tournament. He'll be sharing thoughts on the games he sees throughout the weekend.

Now THAT'S pitching
The Nachoman frequently laments the sloth-like pace of MLB games. So he'll be pleased to hear that No. 6 seed W&L beat No. 1 seed Lynchburg College 4-1 Thursday morning in a game that lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes. W&L started Chuck Davidson, their number 2 starter and a guy with a lot of potential who has struggled to put everything together in one complete package this season. But he was MASTERFUL Thursday. He went seven innings and threw 81 pitches, 54 of them for strikes. He walked one batter and gave up 3 hits. He only let 3 hitters get to three ball counts. Davidson pitched backwards to several of the Lynchburg hitters, getting ahead 0-1 and 0-2 with a curve/slurve that he was locating on both sides of the plate. He came back with fastballs that kept catching both corners with precision. In short, he almost always put the ball exactly where he wanted too.
Ace Brendan Clark came on for the 8th (Davidson was pulled since W&L wanted him available for Saturday's game... the tourney involves 4-5 games in 4 days so juggling the staff can be tough). He threw 21 pitches, 17 of them for strikes. He allowed only 1 hit.

What's the moral of the story here?
Throw strikes, hit the corners, get ahead in the count. Joe Posnanski, who writes for the KC Star, recently did a lengthy breakdown of how batters fare in different counts.
The main take away: MLB hitters hit for a .334 average and a .600 slugging % with zero or one strikes. They his .190 and slug .290 with two strikes. These trends hold true for all of baseball. If you get ahead in the count and don't walk people you'll be successful. Most pitchers know this, I suppose, so I guess the key is execution.

More to follow after Friday afternoon's game, and a weekend wrapup will come on Sunday or Monday.

-The Ribbie Reporter