Month: August 2016

Season Recap, Team Awards

2016 South Oakland Ducks, NABA, pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

We finished in 3rd place. Respectable. And while the Oilers knocked us out of the playoffs, we won the scooter.

When the 2015 season ended, the team had a lot of questions. At times it left me wondering whether it was worth all the time to keep the team going if we couldn’t contend for a title even after dropping down to AA. But if the 2015 season left players wondering if it was time to hang ’em up, the playoff run in 2016 which ended in a defeat to the Oilers in the losers bracket final, has the team generally optimistic and eager to get back at it next spring. It was a tough way to go out, but we battled.

Game Day [7] Ducks vs. Matadors.

Maybe if I handle the pitching vs. the Oilers differently we wind up in the finals and give Shaler a run. Who knows. Shaler probably beats us anyway. They are young and were rested going into that series. But maybe not. If we kept hitting and got a couple solid starts out of our pitching staff, maybe pull the upset.  Maybe if we took care of business against Cranberry and South Hills, we get a better draw and wind up in the finals against the Oilers which we declare a draw to avoid either team having to move up to a division. Anyway, all the hypotheticals are pointless. Shaler will get crushed in AAA next year. Fuck that shitty field and shittier time slot.

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Beating the Eagles and WOLFPACK back to back to get to the loser’s bracket finals, was one of the highlights of my long-ass Ducks career. In 14 seasons, I don’t think I’ve felt as satisfied after a win as I did when Jon struck that last kid out to end the WOLFPACK game. They did not expect to lose after beating us by 19 a week earlier. That 19-run loss means nothing now.

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We played our best baseball in the playoffs, and came up just short due to our lack of pitching depth. Hopefully we can add another couple arms in the off season. Maybe we have some answers in-house that were underutilized this season. Either way, we will return the core of our lineup, which will be one year wiser and even more full of grit and veteran savvy.

I’d like to thank Joe Graff for running the league, and all the players and managers for giving me the chance to play baseball for another year. It means a lot to be able to play anything resembling competent, competitive baseball at age 35. I don’t take it for granted.

Congrats to the Bulldogs, Pittsburgh D2 and the Rebels on your championships. It’s always good to see Jefferson Hills lose.

Thanks again to the Limbachs and all the fans for coming out to watch us play. It’s much more fun when there are people in the stands.

I’d especially like to thank my teammates for giving me a team to play on, manage and write poorly about for another season. We’ll get em next year.

The_Pack_Wolfpack_Party_coverTeam Awards:

Offensive Player of the Year:  Branden Chartier (with a nod to Morgan, Strom, and Graff)

Defensive Player of the year: Tony Casale

Pitcher of the Year: Chuck Zuzak (though Chris and Pat won big games for us down the stretch and in the post season)

MVP: Tony Casale

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Ducks Lose 13-10: Eliminated by BIG OIL. Season Over

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Despite a gutsy overall effort, the Ducks ran out of pitching last night in Spring Hill, losing lost 13-10 to the Hebrew Oilers.

The Ducks jumped out to leads of 2-0 and 5-1, but an 8-run third inning by the Oilers did them in. South Oakland trailed 13-5 going into the fifth and rallied for five runs to make it close, but couldn’t regain the lead. We had a couple hard hit line drives get turned into double plays, but the walks killed us. We walked a bunch of guys. Three games in two days is tough and we didn’t have the arms.

The Oilers will face the Rebels in the finals this week.

Good luck to both teams.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the league this year for another season of baseball.

Season recap to follow at some point.

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Is That Jon Moore’s Music? Ducks Sweep Playoff Double Header

2016 South Oakland Ducks, Ducks win, NABA, pittsburgh NABA, Recap, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland (2-1) upset the top two seeds to advance to the loser’s bracket final in a wild Sunday double header at John Herb Field yesterday. The South Oakland Ducks beat the second-seed Eagles 9-8, and the one-seed WOLFPACK!!! 12-8.

South Oakland plays tonight 8:30 vs. BIG OIL for a spot in the finals.

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Game 1 Recap:

Ben Sorosky drove in five runs and the Ducks infield made several high-level plays on defense to lead the Ducks past the South Side Eagles (0-2).

South Oakland scored a run in the first on TJ Morgan’s RBI groundout, the Eagles answered with 2 in the bottom of the inning, but had a guy thrown out at home and another picked off second.

The Ducks scored two in the second on Sorosky’s single and three more in the third behind an RBI single by Koshzow and sacrifice flies by Graff and Moore.

6-2 Ducks after 3.

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The Eagles worked out of a jam in the fourth, and scored a run in the bottom of the inning to bring the score to 6-3 after 4.

In the fifth, Sorosky drove in two more runs on a fielder’s choice, with Graff hustling all the way from second to score.

8-3 Ducks going into the bottom of the fifth.

The Eagles were doubled off on a fly-out to right when the runner didn’t re-tag second. He was not happy. The Eagles added one run in the inning.

8-4 Ducks going into the bottom of the sixth.

The Eagles rallied. they scored four in the inning and had the bases loaded with one out when Dipaola got their two hitter to ground into a bases loaded, 5-3 double play.

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The game was tied 8-8 going into the seventh.

Koshzow leadoff for the Ducks with a HBP and went to third on Moore’s single to right. More stole second. Then with one out, Ben Sorosky drove in the winning run with an RBI groundout to the shortstop.

In the bottom of the seventh, after a lead-off single, South Oakland turned a  4-6-3 double play, and then the game ended on a legit Jeter play on a ground ball in the hole to Ducks, shortstop Tony Casale. Casale had maybe the best defensive day I’ve seen by a shortstop in this league.

Final: 9-8 Ducks.

The Eagles made a few base running errors in the game. We ran the bases well. That was essentially the difference in this one. We had a chance to crumble in the 6th and 7th but held it together with a couple clutch plays by the defense.

Zuzak (ND) started for the Ducks, pitching five strong innings before giving way to the bullpen who held on for the win. Pat Dipaola pitched two innings in relief for the win (1-1).

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Game 2 Recap:

Pat DiPaola won his second game of the day and Jon Moore pitched a scoreless one and two thirds innings for the save, as South Oakland out-hit West View to advance to the loser’s bracket final.

With two outs in the second, Moore walked and Nichols singled. Then Casale singled in a run, Gwin singled in a run, and Morgan doubled in two. 4-0 Ducks with two out and a man on second. Chartier singled in Morgan. 5-0 Ducks. Then Koshzow singled and Graff hit a two run double and was thrown out on a close play at third.

7-0 Ducks going into the bottom of the second.

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We kicked it around a little, and West View took advantage. They scored three unearned, five total, on two errors and a couple clutch hits.

7-5 Ducks after two.

In the third, offensive force, Ben Sorosy scored on a past ball, and Gwin drove in two runs with a single to right. Our defense kept West View off the board in the bottom half of the inning. No one scored in the fourth. West View scored two in the fifth.

10-7 Ducks after five. After a single, a fielder’s choice, an error and a triple lead to a Westview run, Jon Moore took the mound for the Ducks.

One out, Ducks up 10-8 with runners on second and third. Moore struck out the first batter he faced, walked a guy, then struck out another batter with the bases loaded to end the threat.

10-8 Ducks after six.

Gwin singled in two runs in the seventh to give the Ducks some breathing room.

In the bottom of the seventh, Moore closed the coffin on West View’s season, retiring the side in order.

Ducks win. 12-8.

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I’d like to thank all the Ducks fans who came out to support our team, and the West View fans who came out to yell stuff at our team. What a great atmosphere. It felt really good to eliminate that team.

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In defeating the Eagles and WOLFPACK!!! yesterday, the Ducks beat the two teams who eliminated them in the previous two playoff campaigns. South Side eliminated South Oakland in the 2015 play-in game. West View defeated the Ducks in the 2014 semifinals.

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