Ducks Baseball

Ducks Win

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, Ducks win, NABA, pittsburgh NABA

South Oakland snapped a two-game losing streak last night, beating the WOLFPACK 7-1 at Spring Hill.

Doc_Brown

Pat Dipaola pitched a complete game for his first win as a Duck, improving his record to 1-2 on the season. He struck out 6 and walked 2.

The Ducks took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tuomisto singled in Gwin. Gwin has been hit by a pitch in every regular season game the Ducks have played against West View in the last two seasons.

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West View didn’t really threaten until the third when they had a guy single and steal second with one out. Limbach threw him out trying to steal third, and Pat struck out the batter to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third, the Ducks added 2 more runs on four singles. After a fielder’s choice, Strom was by a pitch in the goin for his first RBI of the season. AFter a 2-for-2 night at the plate, Strom is batting .500 on the season.

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The Ducks scored two more in the fourth when Nichols doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a throwing error by the thirdbaseman on Casale’s infield single. Casale was thrown out at second trying to advance. Then Gwin doubled and scored on another throwing error by the thirdbaseman.

WOLFFPAAAACKKKK!!!!

That kid had a rough night. He’s normally really solid over there.

West View scored a run in the fifth, loading the bases on 2 one-out singles and a walk, and scoring on a single to right. Doc worked out of the jam, getting a wolf to ground into a 1-2 out out, and then inducing a bases loaded flyout to center.

WOLFPAAAAACK!!!

It was during this inning one of their fans taunted Morgan in right. Because the league needs more old men who come to games and scream at the slightly younger men who are playing adult league baseball against their children or grandchildren. Great stuff.

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In the bottom of the sixth, Morgan hit a one-out single to right, driving in 2 runs to put the game out of reach.

Their pitcher threw over 130 pitches. We had many good at bats and wore him down. We didn’t make any errors.

This was a much needed win against a good team. We crushed the defending champs a week after losing to the last place Devils. It’s been that kind of year, but things are looking up.

With the win, South Oakland imroves to 4-7 on the season. The Ducks next game is 9PM Saturday night, at Moore Park vs. the Monsters.

quack.

 

Gameday 9: Ducks as Black Sox

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball

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Tonight we write another chapter in the history of a storied Pittsburgh NABA rivalry. There are a lot of guys on our team that haven’t played Brookline, or haven’t played them as Ducks. But I think they’ll learn quick. In 2007, I think, The Sox split and the Rebels were formed. From the Rebels came the Gray Bats and then the Militia. This current group of Ducks has several former Militia players. Last year when we moved down to Single A, several Ducks went to the Black Sox. Former Ducks manager and current outfielder TJ Morgan played on the Sox last year, current Sock, James Fago won a title as a Duck and managed the team for a couple seasons. Skovron was a Duck for two seasons. In 2010, Mark Guthrie shut down the Sox in game three of the finals to capture the Ducks 2nd championship.

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Arguably the two most successful franchises in league history, the Ducks and Black Sox have been playing each other for nine years. This is likely the last season for the Sox, before they disperse and Rob Cool starts stalking Fago and that lefty they have.

There’s something about playing in Moore Park, with the terrible lights, the cigarette smoke and spilled beer in the the concrete bleachers, trying not to break your ankle in that gully on the first base line that brings out the best in the Ducks.

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Bad News for the Black Sox

Gameday 7: Ducks vs. Dirty Birds

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side (4-3)

VS.

Mon Valley Dirty Birds (10-3)

9PM

Springivew Field

After a dramatic walk off win vs. Cranberry, South Oakland returns to the friendly confines of Spring Hill to host Mon Valley, in what figures to be our toughest game yet. Last year, this team was the second place Lions, most of their best players left and started the Dirty Dirds as an homage to former Atlanta Falcons great, Jamaal Anderson’s touchdown dance.

Their coach garaunteed a victory over the defending AAA champion Cherokee in the league meeting this winter. Clearly, they have huge, dirty balls. They also play Clinton on Sunday, while the Ducks face longtime rival Brookline on Thursday, so, perhaps, we are each others trap game tonight.

Gray Bats, Weak - Day 6: Close Your Eyes and Try to Think About Baseball

The Dirty Birds have a far more professional looking website than this one. Solid. Very GIF-centric. The effort there reminds me of the mid-to-late-aughts, when I didn’t mail-in 90% of these posts, and we had Star War characters and the Hurricanes shit talking each other in the comments for months.

Ducks Opener: Thursday 9pm, Moore Park.

South Oakland may have turned it’s season around, by avoiding a fourth division loss on Monday, but it won’t mean much if we can’t build on it. We showed some resiliance. If we want to make a run at the title this year, we will likely have to go through this team. I’m curious to see if they are as dirty as they claim. We will probably see #22 and that other pitcher who throws hard for them. They will yell a lot.

But we have Doc on the hill for us tonight.

doc naba

Bad News for the Dirty Birds.

Ducks Win: South Oakland 12, Cranberry 11

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, Ducks win, pittsburgh NABA

South Oakland snapped a two-game losing streak Monday night at Magee Field, when Brandon Culp capped a two run seventh with a walk-off single to center.

The Ducks lead 2-0 after two innings on RBI from Dipaola and Koshzow.

Then Cranberry scored five in the top of the 3rd to take a three-run lead. Some guy hit one into the pool beyond the left field fence.

The Ducks answered, scoring three runs with two outs in bottom half of the inning when Cranberry’s catcher threw a ball into center on a double steal followed by TJ Morgan’s two-run single.

5-5 after three.

Cranberry scored two runs in the top of the fourth. In the bottom half of the inning the Ducks scored two to tie the game at seven when Casale singled, Gwin reached on an error, Culp walked and Koshzow singled home 2 runs.

7-7 after four.

At this point, the strike zone seemed to shrink, and there were a bunch of walks.

In the top of the fifth, Cranberry scored three runs on two hit batters, two walks, a single, and a fielder’s choice before Duck’s reliever Ben Sorosky induced an inning ending 1-6-3 double play.

In the bottom of the fifth, of course, the Ducks scored three runs to tie the game, again. Strom doubled to right to start the inning, and pinch runner Andy Nichols scored on a single by Galvanek. Then Tuomisto doubled in Galvanek, Gwin singled in Tuomisto.

10-10 after five.

Cranberry scored one in the top of the sixth. The Ducks were kept off the score board in the bottom of the inning.

11-10 after Six.

In the top of the seventh, Garrett Moore made possibly the catch of the year on a ball down the right field line. The defensive specialist/bullpen catcher/bench coach made a Full extension diving catch to rob a sure double. Ducks pitcher, Ben Phillips (3-0), then retired the side with a K and a ground out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Tuomisto drew a one-out walk, Limbach singled, and Casale hit into a fielder’s choice to put runners on first and third with 2 outs for Gwin who singled in Tuomisto to tie the game. Then, with runners on first and second, Brandon Culp hit a 1-1 pitch back up the middle and Casale scored from second.

12-11 Ducks.

What a game.

We only made one error: a low throw on a pickoff attempt at first. There were several fine defensive plays by the Ducks on the evening. Naturally, our defense won us this 12-11 game. Cranberry (4-8) made four errors.

Ducks of note:

Strom: 2-for-2, 2B, BB

Koshzow: 2-for-2, 2B, 2BB, 2RBI, R

Culp: 3-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2R

Casale: 2-for-4, BB, SB, 3R

South Oakland (3-4) next plays tomorrow night at the Duck Pond when they take on the first place Dirty Birds (10-3).

quack.

 

Gameday 7: Ducks vs. Cranberry

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side (2-4)

vs.

Cranberry (4-7)

8pm

Magee Field

Cranberry has been in the leage for like five years without picking a team name.

Lazy.

This is a team we can out hustle.

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This image appeared when I googled, “cranberry mascot”

 If  were them, I would just go with the Astros and get those sweet early 80s jerseys with the horizontal strpies.

Or be the rays and rock these unis, which would fit with their color scheme.

Cranberry has a non-player coach, which I am theoretically and philosophically opposed to in adult league baseball. They dropped down to Double A after a rough season last year, while the Ducks moved up after finishing 3rd in Single A. This is the kind of matchup the league wanted with the new format. It should be pretty even. They will probably throw Andy becuase he always pitches for them, and their other guy will probably be at some cookout in Wexford.

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As did this image

So far, Cranberry has played elevn games and lost seven. They lost to the Oilers 5-2, but beat the express 14-1. The Express, of course, beat the Oilers 13-0.

Additionally, Cranberry beat the WOLFPACK! who beat Jefferson Hills who beat the Cherokee.

Last weekend, Cranberry dropped a double header to the Warriors and the Cherokee by scores of 9-0 and 13-1, respectively.

I guess the Warriors are the best team in the league.

Pittsburgh naba

South Oakland enters the game having lost three of its last five. Two of those losses were by 2 runs, and the other came in 8 innings. We’re a couple bad bounces away from being 5-1, but we don’t have any control over that. That shit evens out. That’s baseball.

I think while Cranberry doesnt have a name, this Ducks team still doesn’t have an identity, and that’s on the returning players and mostly on the manager to cultivate that. We’re underachieving right now. We have time to turn it around, but it’s got to start soon. We’re due to start putting it together.

Game Day [10]: Ducks (6-3) vs Bulldogs (3-3)

Bad News for Cranberry.

Ducks Lose Heartbreaker to BIG OIL: 10-6 in 8 innings

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, NABA, pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

We had our 3 hitter up with one out and the bases loaded, tie game, in the bottom of the seventh and he crushed a one-hopper to the shortstop who made a ridiculous backhand then threw out a runner at home. It’s like if he hit a crappy chopper or something we probably get the run in. That’s baseball, though. Our four hitter then flew out to center.

In the top of the eighth, the Oilers scored four unearned runs.

We had some very hard hit outs. We got solid pitching, but we booted a couple. One of their guys hit a solo home run. I don’t know how we didn’t win this game. It was frustrating.

Former Duck, Anthony Ciccone pitched all 8 innings for the Hebrew Oilers (3-5). He pitched well and deserved the win.

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After getting rained-out on what turned out to be a beautiful Sunday evening, South Oakland (2-3) will take on the Devils (2-9), Wednesday, 9PM at Spring Hill.

Quack.

Ducks Even Record With Win in Greenfield

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, NABA, pittsburgh NABA, who names their team the Rebels?

South Oakland of the North Side defeated the Single A Bombers (2-3) 15-1 in five innings last Wednsday at Magee Field.

Culp went yard. Mike hit two doubles. TJ Morgan hit a triple, Galvanek and Dover both doubled off the wall. We turned two double plays, and Ben Phillips (W, 1-0) and Brian Strom combined to allow 2 hits over five innings.

Ducks Pitcher, Brian Strom hit a batter extending his consecutive outings with a HBP to 65, a national record that spans his eight years in the NABA and includes post season games.

This was basically the opposite of our first game. I’m glad the Bombers at least didn’t have to drive an hour down 51 to lose like that.

After two games, the Ducks (1-1) have played 7 2/3 innings of baseball, scored 17 runs and allowed 18. Tuesday’s game figures to be a pitcher’s duel.

This week, South Oakland opens league play against the Rebels, in the dreaded Tuesday, 6pm time slot at Stoneridge Field in Shaler.

Notes on Springview Field:

Apparently, the Duck Pond was vandalized. The mound and home plate area had to be ruined before the city took any action to make it playable. According to sources close to the team, the field is now in great shape and will be ready for out home opener this Wednsday.

quack.

 

Ducks Open at Jefferson Hills, Sunday at 6pm

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland will start its season Sunday, April 26th, 6pm at Beedle Park against one of the top teams in AAA.

This will be a strong test right out of the gate for a retooled Ducks team that looks to challenge for a title this season.

Notes: In an odd turn of events, South Oakland lost a great one when team lawyer and super-utility player, Anthony Ciccone, defected to play with his cousins on BIG OIL. In the end, their pockets were just too deep. The Oilers are currently 0-2.

quack.

Three Divisions

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, NABA, pittsburgh NABA

The league moved to three divisions. We will be in the middle division. Teams in Double A will play regular season games against every team in the league. All games will be weighted equally. Playoffs will be seperated by division.

I’m excited for the chance to play against the best teams in the league.

The games against the AAA teams will help prepare us for playoffs, and the games agasint the A teams will allow us to get everyone playing time. The Double A Division will be tough.

Big picture wise, this will allow more teams to have more competitive games and allow everyone to compete for a championship in their respective division.

I wonder how teams will set their rotations against the upper and lower level teams. Do you punt games against Jefferson Hills to save arms for when you face the WOLFPACK, or the Express? There’s another element of stategy added now with the unbalanced schedule. It should be interesting.

Discussions got heated today in the league meeting. It was pretty hilarious. The New Lions team guaranteed a win against Clinton. I love the confidence.

quack.