James Fago is our manager this season, and he’s in the best shape of his life.
Get in touch with him (or me, if you must) if you plan on playing this season. As always, roster spots go to returning Ducks before we fill in the gaps with Dominican League players Rob Cool knows through some ex-AAU coach, who used to play DII ball in Eastern Ohio, and sells sneakers out of the back of a truck at Waynesburg away games.
We owe the league our first $500 in the next few weeks, and Nike is sending people to my home trying to shake me down for the money we didn’t raise to cover our unis last year.
The South Oakland Ducks of the North Side take on Elliott in a series that once again has the top two teams from the Monongahela division represented. We were 0-3 this season against these guys and could have won all 3. Our bats need to heat up again to keep this going and we have practice tomorrow 7pm at Springview to do it.
Jim Teyssier pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 9, while allowing just 3 hits and walking 2.
South Oakland scored its first run with two out in the bottom of the second, on three straight singels by Baumgartel, Smith and Gwin.
The Bulldogs left two men on base in the top of the third and would not threaten again.
In the bottom of the fourth, Fago walked, and pinch runner Tim Lipp stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error; he scored on Nick Berdine’s rbi single to left.
The Ducks will face Elliot in the finals on Saturday time and place to be determined.
In a battle of formidable foes, two of the premier pitchers in the NABA faced off at Joe Graff a.k.a. Volunteer Field. I have been playing baseball for a long time and this is one of the best games I have ever been apart of. The Ducks of old would be proud as we committed 0, that’s right 0 errors. Not even Berdine could Faff it up. Tish was a master on the mound against a great Hurricane lineup and our offense picked up where it left off and gave him a huge early cushion against a very good pitcher.
The top of the first went smoothly, Tish didn’t allow a baserunner until the 5th. The Ducks faced off against Rafalski throwing from the top of Mt. Everest and kept up the hot bats, scoring 4 of the first 5 to come to the plate and 6 overall in the bottom of the first. Lipp lined a ball in the hole to lead it off, advancing to second on T.J.’s single up the middle, and ending up at third after a botched ball by the Hurricane’s third baseman. I guessed right and started early to send a fastball to the left centerfield fence to score two and end up on second.
After watching this video I sent Gwin the following text…
July 25, 2011 12:46 PM I think we we win 2-0 berdine hits a bomb with flip on
With Flip on third, Berdine demolished a 1-0 slider over the high right centerfield at Volunteer into the trees, I got a chub. The feathered ones of South Oakland didn’t stop there. With two outs Ben “Benedict” Gwin rifled a single into right followed by Kenny Cool and then Tim Lipp’s second single of the inning, finally scoring on a Raflaski walk to Zarewicz.
Ben Gwin’s Senior Yearbook Photo
Ducks 6 Hurricanes 0
The second inning only saw three batters a side, but in the third the Ducks broke through for our 7th and final run. I hit the ball harder for an out to start off this inning than I did for my double in the first so I can’t be too upset, and only Fletch saw that the throw was offline and my lack of hustle cost us a baserunner… I owe him laps. Baumgartel and Berdine stayed hot with singles and Gwin wore a 90 mph fastball on the right shoulder to load the bases with 2 outs. Kenny Cool worked a fast ball count and swung early, sending a spinner out in front of the mound, Rafalski bobbled, fondled, and juggled the ball for a hustle E-1 and another Duck run.
Ducks 7 Hurricanes 0
The rest of the game was dominated by pitching and Duck defense. The only runner to reach second was Rafalski after a two out double, and one of the Hurricane’s 4 baserunners was thrown out at second on a strike em’ out, throw em’ out double play in the 6th. The last out was recorded as Holloway grounded out to Tish and the Ducks shutout the Hurricanes for the third time this season.
Some important facts about the Ducks this season.
-We shutout teams 12 times this season
-Elliot is second with 7
-We have outscored our opponents 22-0 in our two playoff games
-With 45 posts last time I checked, the last post was the most popular I have ever seen and it was a blurry playoff bracket and large Duck penis reference.
The Bulldogs beat us 14-1 and tore Whalen’s leg open in the first game of the year, they have outscored us 14-2. Pitching will be key, defense will be imperative, offense will be crucial. If South Oakland plays the way they have in the last two games, we won’t need a game 3. The bark of the Bulldogs vs. the quack of the Ducks this Saturday, venue and time TBA. Rob Cool is still gay.
South Oakland of the North Side (1-0) defeated the Hebrew Oilers 15-0 at Woodland Hills this afternoon.
Mike Fletcher pitched (1-0) pitched four scoreless innings for the win, and Rob Baumgartel pitched a perfect 5th to preserve the shutout.
For the Ducks:
James Fago was 3 for 3
Tim Lipp had most of our RBI going 2 for 2 with a sac fly.
Mark “Captain America” Guthrie was 0 for 0 with an rbi walk, and a sac bunt.
Gwin and Berdine each doubled.
and
Jim Teyssier went 1 for 1 with 2RBI
***
In other news, Cranberry nearly upset the Militia. Jeremy Barchie was the hero in that game I’m sure.
The biggest upset of the day saw the Express eleminate the Black Sox, winning 5-4.
No way does Carrick take out Barchie and the Militia in the next round.
Something was off with the Sox this season.
***
In a match-up of the last two league champions, the South Oakland Ducks will face the Hurricanes Monday night 8:30 pm at John Herb Field for the right to advance to the semi’s.
James Fago pitched a complete game, allowing 0 earned runs for the win over the Black Sox on Saturday night, and on Sunday, Mike Fletcher allowed 3 runs over four strong innings of work against The Express, as the Ducks swept the season series’ against both Brookline and Carrick.
It got a little hectic at the end of the Express game, but we kept our composure.
Good thing we raked, collectively. Lots of doubles.
We play the Fightin’s Monday night at 9pm, and finish with Elliot on Wednesday, 6pm at Herschal
No word on the sharks game being rescheduled. If I don’t hear from their coach its a forfeit win for us.
There could be some scenario that allows the Bulldogs to fall to second in their division, while holding a better overall record than us, but that would mean a team with a worse overall winning percentage than the Bulldogs would win the Allegheny, get the two seed, and then the Bulldogs would beat us out for the 3rd seed because of a better overall won-loss. So technically we haven’t clinched, but I have faith in those guys to beat the Oilers.
The flaw in the current playoff system is that the division standings are based only on division record, and the rest of the playoff seeding is determined by conference record.
I think it should just be overall won-loss for everything.
Give the division winners the #1  seeds based on overall record and rank teams from there. I think it’s the way it is now to compensate for the A teams or something, but eventually there won’t be any inter-conference games.
The Militia split a double header with Elliot today.
Batting in the ninth spot in the order, Rob Cool went 2 for 3 with 2HR and 7RBI, including a walk off grand slam, in one of the most impressive single game offensive performance in the wood bat era for South Oakland.
James Teyssier pitched a 2-hit shutout as the South Oakland Ducks of the North Side played an error-free game and beat the Brookline Black Sox 11-0 at Springview last night.
Baumgartel, Berdine, Fago and Gwin also drove in runs for the Ducks.
This marks the first time South Oakland has won the season series with the Black Sox, the first time the Ducks have ten-runned the Sox, and the first time South Oakland has shutout Brookline in consecutive games, both by Teyssier.
The Ducks wrap up the season series against the Black Sox again, Saturday July 16th at Moore Park.
***
Over the weekend, the Ducks defeated the Devils 3-0 at Pie Traynor.
Brendan Scioscia was 3 for 3 and James Fago drove in the winning run with a 2-run triple.
The Devils have the pitching to play in AA, and probably shouldn’t be playing down.
the Ducks have posted three straight shutouts and have allowed 2 runs in the last five games.
