Pitcher of the Year: Randy Patton
Defensive Player of the Year: Tony Casale
Co-Offensive Players of the Year: TJ Morgan/Joe Graff
Most Valuable Player: Tom Pulice
We are hoping to enter a team in the 2018 Capital City Classic in Columbus Ohio. It was a good time last year.
Thanks to everyone who still reads the blog, and thanks to everyone who made it possible for me to play a fifteenth season with this team. It means a lot to me.
quack
After a dramatic, ten-inning walk-off, 7-6 win against the Devils, South Oakland lost 11-2 with a shot at the championship on the line. It was a very frustrating way to go out after the team fought hard to win three straight playoff games. South Oakland finished 16-12 (combined regular season and playoff record).
I messed up the pitching vs. the Grizzlies. I should have gone right to Patton and gotten what innings we could out of him, instead of trying to hold him out until the last 3. The game was out of hand by then, so it didn’t do us any good.
A couple errors and some early base running mistakes when the game was still close, let it get away from us. But as the manager, I take the blame for not making what was a pretty obvious decision. I don’t think anyone expected the relief appearance to go quite as bad as it did for the second pitcher in the game for us, but still, we had Randy on two days rest and I should have just put him in then. It might not have mattered, but still. If we hold Bauerstown to 2 or three that inning, instead of five, the whole feel of it changes, and we are at least more engaged. It was really deflating.
That loss certainly takes the shine off what was an amazing game in the quarter final. That was easily one of the best games in Ducks history. Ten-inning walk off win with like four lead changes. I’ll remember the Devils game for the rest of my life. That may sound corny as fuck, but it was great.
The Oiler’s game was the one we needed, the first round game that we lost 2-1. If we take that one, we can maybe sneak through to the winner’s bracket final and at least not have to play a double header, but who knows. We’re dealing with alternate reality shit now. Maybe we lose our next two if we beat the Oilers in game one.
Three wins in the playoffs is our best season in a while. We finished better than 10 other teams.
This was a really hard year for me in a lot of ways outside of baseball, and then when running the Ducks got to be another source of stress instead of a way to blow off steam and play a game I love with my friends, it really fucked me up. I was very close to quitting a few times this season, and maybe that showed in my play or my decision making, but I tried to give us a chance to win every game, while still getting everyone at bats and some time in the field. That is how I will always run this team. I will always put the long term survival of the team first.
The reason I dropped down from AAA in 2013 was because it wasn’t fun anymore. There were a lot of times it wasn’t fun at all this season. But I’ll keep running the team because I don’t know what I’d do between April and August otherwise. This team has been a part of my life for fifteen seasons, and I think we have another run left in us with this core. The window might be closing, but there’s reason for optimism.
quack
South Oakland (2-1) advanced to the loser’s bracket semifinals with a 9-2 upset win over the South Side Eagles last night in Moon.
The lights went out for like 15 minutes, then came back on. The Ducks opened the scoring with a 4-run fourth. The Eagles made it 4-2 in the bottom half of the inning, but the Ducks piled on, scoring two in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh.
Randy Patton pitched six strong innings, and Andy Nichols faced four batters in the seventh to end the Eagles season.
Big contributions on offense from Paul Cucco, Derek Clark, TJ Morgan, Joe Graff, Tom Pulice, Brian Strom and Ben Sorosky.
We turned three double plays, which was great.
Good job everyone.
South Oakland plays the winner of the Bandidos/Devils game, Sunday, 3pm at Moon Park.
Quack
After defeating the Carrick Express 7-2 last Sunday, the Ducks travel to Moon Park tonight to take on the third-seeded Eagles for a chance to advance to the loser’s bracket semifinals.
South Oakland won the season series 2-0, but they also swept the Oilers this season, who knocked off the Ducks in the opening round of the playoffs.
I think the Eagles were missing some guys the first couple times we played them. This should be a tough game between two good teams.
Win or go home. This is an exciting time of year. Hopefully our run will continue with a win tonight.
Bad News for the Eagles
Both teams were gifted a bye out of the elimination round, and will play at the smallest field in the league out in Shaler.
South Oakland won both regular season meetings this year, taking two very close games late in the season. The Ducks have not beaten the Oilers in the playoffs since 2011, and are 2-2 against Hebrew all time in the post season, I think. BIG OIL single handedly eliminated the Ducks in 2016, defeating them in the first round and in the loser’s bracket final.
The Oiler’s manager is being cagey about their starting pitcher, but they have a good rotation so we will face someone tough.
The Ducks will throw Pitcher of the Year candidate Randy Patton who lead the league in innings pitched and WHIP.
The goal is to extend the season and get out of this weekend. We can make a good run at it if we hit.
Bad News for BIG OIL
SOUTH OAKLAND:
The Ducks will advance to face the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs, avoiding the play-in game thanks to their ability to show up. West View’s season-long collapse culminated in playoff ineligibility, and the Warriors were unable to get nine guys to show up this weekend.
West View’s forfeit granted the Oilers a bye into the tournament.
That changed the Ducks’ first round opponent from the Sorcerers to the Warriors, and moved the game from Friday night to 3pm Saturday so the winner could play the Oilers at 5:30 immediately following that game.
The Warriors would not have been able to field a team over the weekend.
Additionally, had the Warriors played a Friday night game and won against the Ducks, they would have then forfeited to the Oilers and the following day in the losers bracket on Sunday which would have fucked up everything.
The Ducks have not forfeited since 2013.
South Oakland lost 9-1 to the Bandidos at West Field last night. The Ducks walked too many batters and couldn’t string together enough hits vs. Bakery Square’s starter who I don’t think even got to more than a couple three-ball counts. Tough way to end the regular season. Really if we didn’t drop five games to the teams with the three worst records in the league, we’d have clinched the top spot weeks ago, and this game wouldn’t have mattered. But we didn’t so here we are looking at another play-in game.
The Ducks play an away game at home tonight vs the Bandidos in a makeup for a rain out earlier this season. A Ducks win will put South Oakland in third place, assuming a forfeit win over West View is awarded, while a loss will put us no higher than fifth, and force a first round, play-in game against Wexford, Boyce Park or Cranberry. Three teams that have given us trouble this season.
I’m excited for a meaningful game tonight. It’s been a weird year, at times it’s been extremely frustrating, but if we come out of this with a bye, none of that will matter.
Fifty five is ready to go tonight.
Bad News for the Bandidos
The South Oakland Ducks (13-9) defeated the Express (9-10) by eleven runs last night in Carrick. Ducks catcher Tom Pulice went 2-4 with 2 RBI, and a double, and has emerged as a viable MVP candidate.
As a team South Oakland recorded 18 hits including 5 doubles.
Mike Longman (W, 2-0) and Joe Graff combined for five solid innings on the mound.
With the win, the Ducks match their total from last season when the team finished 13-8-2.
South Oakland can finish no lower than fifth and can clinch a first round bye with a win over the Bandidos on Tuesday night.
If the Ducks lose tomorrow, they can’t get a bye.
Quack
South Oakland looks to avenge an early season loss to the Express tonight in Carrick, and continue on its recent hot streak. The Ducks have won three straight and four of the last five. Carrick has fallen off a bit after a hot start and has dealt with unfortunate scheduling/permit issues over the last month or so. They’ve only played 16 games with seven days left in the regular season.
A Ducks win will set up a showdown with the Bandidos on Tuesday that could possibly be for the third seed and a first round bye. The Ducks control their own destiny thanks to tie-breakers over the Oilers, Eagles, D2, Bauerstown, and a win over the Bandidos early in the season. Bauerstown losing one of its last two games would also help.
But none of that matters without a win tonight. These late season games are exciting, we’ve done a good job to get some wins over good teams and we will need another one against Carrick.
Bad News for the Express
South Oakland Ducks Baseball 