Box Score

The South Oakland Ducks of the North Side (1-3) outlasted the South Side Eagles, winning 7-4 in extra innings Sunday afternoon in Findlay. Matt Mullen (W, 1-1) rebounded from a suboptimal performance last weekend in Cranberry with three scoreless innings in relief of starter Billy Welsh.

Welsh cruised through five, and the Ducks led 4-1, but a couple errors paved the way for an Eagles comeback. South Side tied the game at 4 after a three-run sixth.

The Eagles starter battled through eight innings, and then they brought in the side arm guy in the top of the ninth. Tom Pulice drove in the game winning run with a two out, two-run double down the line. Kenny Rayl added an insurance run with another RBI double.

Mullen retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth.

The win moves the Ducks out of sole possession of last place.

This would have been a horrible loss to blow another lead and fall to 0-4. The Eagles battled to tie it up, but Mullen shut the door, and we finally had some hard hit balls drop for us. Hopefully we can string a few wins together.

This was a big win with a short bench and several guys playing out of position.

Mark Lombardi made three great plays at third, including a 5-3 double play in the 8th, and a diving stop in the top of the ninth.

UPDATE: South Oakland plays next vs. the undefeated, new look Bandidos. Wednesday, 9pm at Springview Field

Quack.

Projected starters:

Eagles: Ethan Carey

Ducks: Billy Welsh

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side (0-3)

at

South Side Eagles (1-2)

3pm

Findlay Sports Complex

South Oakland has lost three games to start the 2020 season. The Eagles beat the Ducks in what was a great game through five innings last Wednesday before the wheels fell off in the top of the sixth.

We typically start slow, but this season the margin for error is smaller, and we can’t spend too much time figuring it out. We need to get on a roll, but we have to get the first one. Father’s Day is a good day to start a winning streak.

Bad New for the Eagles

The Ducks dropped to 0-3 after a 5-0 loss to the South Side Eagles last night in Moon. This was a scoreless game through five. The Ducks stranded two men on with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, and the Eagles scored five unearned runs in the top of the sixth. Both pitchers threw well. We couldn’t get anything to fall.

The Ducks play next on Sunday against the Eagles, 3pm, at Findlay Park.

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side (0-2)

vs

South Side Eagles (0-2)

8pm

Moon Park

Projected starters:

Ducks: Brandon Blackstone (0-1)

Eagles: Idk, Quinn or a new guy

After a weekend sweep at the hands of Cranberry, South Oakland opens its home schedule tonight at Moon Park against the equally winless Eagles. The Eagles lost to the defending champion Devils twice last weekend.

South Side took two of three regular season games from the Ducks last season, and are always a tough opponent regardless of record. Both teams figure to be patching together a rotation early in the season after double headers to start the season. Getting ten-runned by the Devils on may help South Side tonight as they saved some wear on their bullpen.

Speaking of bullpens, Ducks pitchers walked 17 batters and hit six more over their first two games. Twenty-three (23) free bases over fourteen innings is significant. We will have to improve on those numbers going forward. No time like the present to get back to throwing strikes.

Bad News for the Eagles

South Oakland was swept by Cranberry, losing 10-8 and 11-5 in Cranberry today. The Ducks led game 1, 7-0 before allowing 10 straight runs. In game 2, Cranberry jumped out to an 8-1 lead, and held on for the win.

Most of the runs for both teams were due to walks.

South Oakland plays next on Wednesday night, 8:30pm at the Duck Pond, pending the city issuing us a permit.

Plan on playing unless you hear otherwise.

South Oakland Ducks of the Northside

at

Cranberry Crusaders

Projected starters:

Game1: Patton vs. Germani

Game 2: Mullen vs Stumpf

The top two regular-season teams from last year both flamed out early in the playoffs. Cranberry was the league’s darling, turning in its first .500+ season, and finishing first overall. In 2019, South Oakland finished with a ten-game winning streak, to pull within a half-game of the Crusaders. Both teams lost two straight playoff games. I hope Cranberry continues their regular-season success after this weekend.

Cranberry took the season series 2-0 over the Ducks last year, winning both games on the final at-bat, by one run. Maybe there was a third game. I don’t know. They always give us a hard time.

I’m looking forward to the condensed schedule and playing regular-season series against teams. It should benefit teams with depth. We always have good depth, so hopefully, I’m right.

This season is going to be different, but everyone is excited to get going. After facing the real likelihood of cancellation, it’s like playing with house money. It might take a few games to get back in shape, but I like our team this year. We’re under new management and have made some key additions. We are still around for our eighteenth season. We will put up some runs this year. We should contend for a title.

With the “ban” on dipping, look for more cigarettes around the dugout this year.

Bad News for Cranberry

It’s been quite an offseason. For a while it didn’t look like we’d play at all. We’ve been week-to-week since March on how we would get a shortened schedule completed. The shortened season will be interesting. Field availability is still an issue. Everyone is anxious to get outside and play ball. Bauerstown and D2 are taking the season off. Sheraden folded. West View is officially gone.

We have six teams in AA this year. Bandidos, Cranberry, Devils, Ducks, Eagles, Oilers. The temporary and permanent contraction will consolidate some talent. I think the Devils got a bunch of guys. They will be tough to beat.

We will have basically the same team we always have. If we get pitching, we will be solid. We made a few moves, adding a couple arms from Sheraden, a friend of NABA legend Craig Boley’s to the outfield rotation, the Mariners old manager, and a Devils cast off. We drafted some pitchers. I think Tom made great moves adding high character guys who can all pitch and play multiple positions.

We’ve had a hole at third base and the middle of the order since losing former MVP DJ Dover. But if there is a man who can embrace joining a veteran team, following a Ducks great like Dover, it’s Kenny Powers.

The South Oakland Ducks welcome the Pittsburgh NABA all-time home run leader and two time league champion, Kenny Rayl to the team. Longtime rival and Duck killer during the league’s Golden Age; teammate of some in the 28+ league and on various tournament teams; the former owner/operator and GM of the Brookline Black Sox will play third, and backup Pulice behind the plate.

This was always going to happen. We now have two players (Ben Gwin/Rayl) who have played in the league since its inaugural season in 2003.

I think we have improved in the off season. Tom’s managing. I’ll be out there leaning into pitches for another season. We return the core of a team that won 16 games last year.

Bad news for everyone.

Quack.

The plan is still to have a season this summer. We have a remote league meeting on the 29th. I think it’s safe to assume we won’t start on time, but it’s hard to say how late we will push back opening day.

Stay inside and be safe everyone.

Quack