This is why the Ducks baseball team exists, to give players the chance to dive in the game winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. Garrett Moore did just that Monday night, as the Ducks evened their record at 1-1 with a dramatic, come from behind 4-3 victory over the Eagles. The win was TC Jones’ his first as Ducks Manager.

The Game was tied at three going into the bottom of the seventh; after a ground out and a strike out, pinch hitter Andrew McCray, playing with a torn ligament in his knee was hit in the leg by a pitch, then Nick worked a full count and hit a ground ball deep in the hole which the Eagles’ short stop bobbled, allowing him to reach safely. Then Moore hit a line drive to right field, and McCray, hobbled around third and beat the throw from rightfield.

Ducks starter Mark Guthrie pitched 5 strong innings allowing 3 runs (1 earned) and worked out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the fifth to keep the score tied at three. Nick (1-0), the new pitcher whose last name I don’t know, threw two scoreless, hitless innings in relief to record the win.

The Ducks didn’t take the lead until the last pitch of the game. I forget how the Eagles scored their first run, but the second two came in the third inning, on a bases loaded dribbler to the right side that got under Gurthrie’s glove and was in effect a perfect swinging bunt. Mark had trouble picking up the ball, and the guy on second rounded third and headed home, Mark recovered to get the ball to me in time, but I couldn’t handle the throw. I blocked the plate well enough that I think I picked up the ball and tagged him out, but the ump said he saw the guy hit the plate. I’m glad my drop there didn’t cost us the game. The next inning we had a sweet strike ’em out throw ’em out double play to end the inning. I suppose that made up for it.

We trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. Eric Lee lead off with a broken bat infield single and stole second. Brett drew a walk. I was up, and after they both advanced on a passed ball, I hit a chopper to the left side, and I don’t know if the guy booted it or if it was an infield hit, but Eric scored and Brett wound up on third with no outs.
I stole second on the next pitch, then our cleanup hitter walked. A strikeout bought up Tom Pusateri with one out and the bases loaded. Tom hit a gound ball up the middle, which the shortstop fielded and flipped to second for the force, I rounded third and saw the throw pull the firstbaseman off the base, the ump (who editorialized all his calls instead of using phrases like, “safe” and “out” or “ball” and “strike”) said something unintelligible, but the firstbaseman was laying down, so I ran home. The Eagles started walking off the field. there was some argument, Tom took second, but the ump( who made similar calls) told Tom to go back to first, even though if he was safe he should have been able to take second, and it was the Eagles’ fault for leaving the field .
The Eagles tried to say I shouldn’t have scored, if Tom wasn’t allowed to take second. However, both runs counted (as they should have) and we tied it at three on that play. The next batter made an out, and that was the end of the fourth. It was a huge inning, and we didn’t even hit the ball out of the infield. As was the case on the ball Nick hit in the seventh, it was the Ducks hustle that kept the inning alive, and lead to the victory.
The Eagles probably have a legitimate argument against the so-so umpiring.

The field umpire didn’t show, which is something I thought we no longer had to deal with after going with a local umpire association instead of half drunk league players on their team’s off nights, so the guy had a tough job. He was animated and amusing and for the most part accurate. Also, while there were a couple close plays that went against us and we didn’t berate the guy over it.
The Eagles were vocal in their displeasure, and from the point that they really started crying, the umpire didn’t give them another close call.
play of the game
Garrett’s hit, or Tom’s two RBI fielders choice to tie the game.

bullet points

• Guthrie pitched a great game, the Eagles were off balance all night.
• Nick throws gas. I was happy just to be able to hold onto the ball.
• How about that umpire?
• had the Eagles left fielder not been playing between the shortstop and second base, Eric and Brett both would have had doubles tonight.
• I hit the ball hard twice and was out, the dribbler I hit in the 4th, which I hustled out to beat the throw, got me an RBI and I scored later in the inning.
• Hustle, by everyone, won us this game. Hustle and…
• Garrett Moore.
• The pitching was phenomenal, and the defense was much improved.
• We started last year 0-6, we’re already off to a much better start especially after the 15-1 aberration that was the Blacksox game. Clearly, it was critical we put that one behind us.
• We miss Roth’s bat in the middle of the lineup.

We play the Rakers, Saturday at 3pm at Pie Traynor Field. This is a new team, I know nothing about them. I do know, Saturday at 3 its gonna be bad news for the Rakers.

The Ducks haven’t been at .500 since we started 2-2 in 2006.

Blacksox 15-Ducks 1, five innings.

Despite catching a double header over the course of three innings, it doesn’t even feel like I just played a baseball game, I’m just sore and frustrated and anxious to play on Monday.
Blacksox pitcher Luke Demsey retired the first three Ducks in order to start the game, and then the Blacksox scored 9 runs in a surreal bottom of the first on the strength of seven Ducks errors and four walks by Ducks starter Adam Smith.
It was a bad omen when the normally accurate Smith, walked whomever hits lead-off for the Blacksox, then when I threw him out stealing second he was called safe. Then I got crossed up on a pitch and he stole third on the past ball. I should have caught it.
I’m pretty sure the only two Ducks who didn’t make an error were CF Eric Lee, and pitcher Adam Smith.
KT Murphy made a play on the only ball hit to him at second base, he also reached on a 6-4 fielders choice, in which the BSOX second baseman was probably off the base.
Guthrie and Lee also had the only two hits of the game for the Ducks. Although I’m 99% certain I would have beaten-out that one I hit up the middle even if the guy fielded it cleanly. Also Garrett’s shot to short stop might have been ruled a hit, but overall we were dominated, we were two-hit. Was it closer than the score indicated? not really. we were awful, but we will get better.
Demsey is a solid pitcher, and the Blacksox only commited two or three errors, while the Ducks were somewhere in double digits. The right side of the infield was atrocious.
I have no idea what POV to use in this blog.
The Blacksox started to hit Smith hard after the Ducks pitcher had to labor through a couple innings in which he was let down by his defense. Both of those innings were the top of the first.
Guthrie tripled in the only run of the game for the Ducks in the bottom of the second, with no outs, and naturally was stranded on third to end the inning. We couldn’t have had more than two more runners in scoring position all game.
Eric Lee singled, and flew out deep to center to end the game.
This looked dishearteningly familiar. No more.
Reasons for Optimism

• We get to play baseball all summer
• This was the first game of the year, and aside from the nine runs in the first inning of our first game it wasn’t terrible.
• Eric Lee showed up out of the blue and played a great game in center field.
• Guthrie hit a triple.
• Those two guys weren’t here for almost all of last season, and will help quite a bit.
• We were missing about five guys, and TC had to patch a lineup together tonight.
• Chirs Roth is probably the team’s best hitter, while is arm is shot, he may be able to DH and hit bombs. When he finds out McCray played with a broken leg, maybe he will be more apt to show up on Monday night.
• From what I could tell, everyone played hard and stayed upbeat, despite getting slaughtered. I bolded that because it’s the most important, I think. Still let’s try to be upbeat and play hard when we are winning by twelve.
• Brett Pusateri (sp.) and I will start hitting. Statistically we are two of the best hitting, returning Ducks, along with Roth. We were 0-4 combined tonight. That will change. This was the worst opening day I’ve had at the plate since ’03. My best opening day, ’04: 3-3 with a 3 run HR and two singles, we won 4-0. I am going to go over some old tape of my swing and make the necessary adjustments.
• Brett hit the ball hard both times he was up, lacing one foul in the first before grounding out, and grounding out in the second on a hard hit ball to second. Brett also made…

The play of the game
Some guy on the Blacksox was up and Adam Smith threw an inside fastball which overpowered the batter, breaking the guys bat, the splintered bathead twirled ahead of the ball right at Brett who was charging the slow roller, he then nimbly leaped over the bat, gloved the ball on the run and gunned the runner out at first. The ump was still looking at the bat and Brett in awe, and inexplicably called “safe.”
The best play of the game for us was an infield hit by the other team.

Of Note: Adrew Mcray played with a torn ligament in his knee, and saved a run when he leaped for a ball I tried to throw into right field.

Ducks’ Home Opener
Ducks vs. Eagles, Monday night at Springview Field, deep in Pittsburgh’s scenic North-Side.
1-1 is a lot better than 0-2.

I guess we should be called “The South Oakland Ducks of the North Side”.
Rolls off the tung, doesn’t it?

Rookie Manager, Theodore-Cobblepot Jones, will right the ship. He did a good job of setting an example by sitting out for most of the game. He also allowed only one run in relief.
We still haven’t practiced much, and this is what happens when we don’t practice.
Everyone has different schedules, let’s all try to find two other guys who work the same hours and workout on our own as much as we can. I will give you baseballs with which to practice.

Speaking of which, I’ll be at the Pitt field at 6 on Monday before the Eagles’ game.

Bad news for the Eagles.

I made an online store with a couple ducks shirts for sale. They are marked up $3 a piece, if anyone buys anything the profit will go into a paypal account and we’ll use it to pay umpires or I’ll give everyone back some money at the end of the year, maybe buy a bat.
If we only make like $6 I’ll give it to the league for next year.

Any additional apparel suggestions are welcome.
I’ll have more, better stuff up shortly, I’ll have shirts with the duck head logo up soon, I have to get one with more pixels or it will look like Mario Bros. 1, which, when I think about it might not be that bad.

Great gift ideas for family, life partners, and friends; buy them stuff and tell them to come to our games. Also, buy yourself a shirt and help promote the team.

I will have undershirts made for our uni’s from somewhere cheaper, which I’ll give to everyone at cost, probably $10 or so. They will be like our shirts from last year, but the right color yellow.

The season starts in a month.
TC is the coach so direct all your questions to him. Also, pay him.
League Prez., Joe won’t let us play if we don’t get our dues in on time.

The fund raiser at Town Tavern is tentatively scheduled for saturday 4/19. Its’ in the south side. Tell your friends, this will be a relatively economical night out, and we will raise more money. We still have to work out the details.

-Ben