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Gameday 10: Ducks vs. Bandidos

2017 South Oakland Ducks, Gameday, pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side (6-3)

vs

Bakery Square Bandidos (5-3)

9PM

Spring View Field

South Oakland looks to regain sole possession of third place with a win tonight vs Bakery Square. The Oilers (6-2) beat the Eagles (8-1) yesterday, setting up a potential log jam at the top of the division.

The Ducks are only two games out of first with two remaining against the Eagles, and two left against BIG OIL, but the rebooted Dirty Birds figure to be in the hunt down the stretch as well.

The Bandidos franchise won the A title in 2014 as the North AAmerican Lions. Then changed names, dropped some players, and won AA title two years ago as the Mon Valley Dirty Birds, then suffered through a dismal regular season in AAA that culminated in a playoff win over Ken Cool’s brother’s team in the playoffs. Then they split with half the team joining Clinton, and the other half starting the Bakery Square team. It would be funny if they won the title this year and had to keep repeating the process.

The Bandidos franchise arc is one that we may see play out again in the current league format that has the AA winners move up into AAA.

In 2014, the Ducks dropped from AA to A. That season the Rebels, Eagles and Devils moved up. They went a combined 19-52 that season, with the Rebels posting the best record at 9-15. South Oakland went 17-6, and that was the most fun I’ve had playing baseball.

The Devils allowed 196 runs that season. The Bulldogs, who finished first in the regular season, allowed 66.

in 2015, we went to three divisions, which allowed the WOLFPACK to skate by without having to play against the AAA teams after winning the A title over the North American Lions after the Beedle Park incident in Jefferson Hills allowed West View to reschedule the semi-final against the Ducks which lead to one of the most frustrating playoff losses in Ducks history. The following season most of AAA dropped down to AA, leaving 5 teams in the top division, and forcing inter-league play, which was pretty shitty.

In 2016 the Dirty Birds moved up and finished 6-18, which brings us back to this season, and the Rebels in AAA, who should stay there so we don’t have to play on that shit field at 6pm on a weekday.

So that’s some stuff that happened in our league over the last few years.

I hope it doesn’t rain tonight.

Bad News for the Dirty Birds

I Heard Something Pop. Ducks 12, D2 9

2017 South Oakland Ducks

Ducks Catcher, Tom Pulice went 4 for 4 with two doubles and 3 RBI, and starting pitcher, Ben Sorosky (W, 2-0) gutted out four innings on the mound to lead South Oakland of the North Side (6-2) past Pittsburgh D2 (0-4) last night in Spring Hill.

D2 entered the game having gone scoreless in their first three contests. They scored their first run off Sorosky in the first on a bases loaded walk.

The Ducks took an 11-2 lead after four innings. Then D2 got to South Oakland’s middle relievers for five in the fifth, and two in the sixth before Brian Strom entered the game with the tying runs on second and third with  one out in the sixth. Strom struck out some guy and got Walking in Memphis to pop out to first to end the threat.

Ducks outfielder Lonnie Petril’s hamstring exploded on an infield single. Get well, Lonnie. (Let me know if you need me to erase this for workman’s comp purposes)

Dover drove in a run in the Ducks half of the inning.

Then in the seventh:

In the seventh, Ducks closer Jon Moore retired the side in order for his first save of the season.

Notes:

Big game by Strom in his first game back. Great catch against the wall with the bases loaded in the fourth, then worked out of a jam on the mound to get us to the seventh with the lead.

Offense looks pretty good through 8 games

Good fight by D2 to take advantage of some opportunities and get back into the game after being down early. I’m surprised they have not won yet.

From The Lawnmower Man IMDB page

A scientist performs experiments involving intelligence enhancing drugs and virtual reality on a simple-minded gardener. He puts the gardener on an extensive schedule of learning, and quickly he becomes brilliant. But at this point the gardener has a few ideas of his own on how the research should continue, and the scientist begins losing control of his experiments.

Tough four game stretch coming up: Dirty Birds (Bandidos) twice, then the Oilers and Eagles. We will get a good idea of where we are at relative to the rest of the league after these games.

South Oakland’s next game is this Sunday, 9:30AM at Mellon Park vs. the Dirty Birds.

Their website makes this blog look like garbage.

quack.

Veteran Savvy. Ducks 8, Sorcerers 3

2017 South Oakland Ducks

South Oakland of the North Side defeated expansion Wexford 8-3, behind another strong outing from starting pitcher Randy Patton (W, 3-1). Patton pitched five solid innings, recording seven strikeouts, before giving way to Zuzack in the sixth. Zuzack pitched two shutout innings, striking out the last five Sorcerers he faced.

The Ducks sent nine men to the plate in the first inning, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. highlighted by a Joe Graff hbp before Matt Swetz collected his first RBI of the season with a line drive up the middle, and Sorosky drove in the ducks fifth run on a blistering ground ball to the right side.

South Oakland scored three more in the third on a Lombardi triple that drove in two runs, followed by a throwing error on a double steal that allowed him to score from third.

Despite trailing 8-0, the Sorcerers had some tricks up their sleeves as they conjured up two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. But ultimately, they ran out of magic, falling to the Ducks in their inaugural NABA game.

Another big win without several starters

We are old

Wexford will win some games this year, and they have the best uniforms in the league

South Oakland next plays on Wednesday night, 9PM at Springview Field vs. Pittsburgh D2.

Gameday 7: Ducks at Sorcerers

2017 South Oakland Ducks, Gameday, pittsburgh NABA

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

at

Wexford Sorcerers (0-0)

12pm

North Allegheny Intermediate High School

South Oakland looks to rebound after a tough loss to the Eagles when they take on Wexford today at noon.

Wexford hasn’t played a game yet, and they’re new to the league this year. Who knows what’s up with this team. I think they’re young. Their coach seems like a decent guy from the league meetings.

If you have the balls to name your team the Sorcerers, you’re either going to go undefeated, or be absolutely terrible. I don’t think there’s much of a middle ground in this regard.

Here’s what comes up when you google sorcerers baseball.

Lots of disney hats and a few girls softball teams. Also a picture of this game:

Who’s still got a Dreamcast? I remember this game for  Sega Genesis. Solid non-EA Sports baseball action. So thank you, Wexford, for allowing me to find this image. Sweet green helmet and batting gloves on that guy, love the two-stripe cleats that don’t violate the Adidas trademark.

Here’s a thirty minute video of this game on youtube:

Bad News for the Sorcerers

Go to Hell. Ducks 5, Devils 4

2017 South Oakland Ducks, NABA, pittsburgh NABA, Recap

South Oakland of the North Side (4-1) ,came from behind to beat South Hills 5-4 on a walk-off RBI single by Tom Pulice Monday night in Spring Hill.

Ducks super utility player, Joe Graff started the game when South Oakland’s scheduled starter arrived late due to work commitments. Graff allowed 0 earned runs over two innings, but the Devils scored 3 runs on a single, a walk and like seven errors. But Graff battled, and kept us in it until Patton entered the game and went the last five innings, also allowing 0 earned runs, and working out of a few jams created by bad hops on the pristine Spring View infield, and more Ducks errors.

I think the Devils had 3 hard hit balls all night. We need to make fewer errors going forward.

South Oakland trailed 4 -1 going into the bottom of the sixth, as the Devils pitcher was throwing pretty well and we hit a few balls right at their guys.

Bryan Chvarek (sic.) drove in two runs with a long single to right center. His first hit as a Duck, cutting the lead to 4-3.

Pulice threw out some guy at second in the top of the seventh after he bunted for a base hit.

In the bottom of the seventh, all with 2 outs, Casale singled in Gwin from second to tie the game at 4, J. Zuzak worked a walk, and Pulice singled in Casale.

Ducks win.

Last year, what fucked us out of a bye was losing games to teams that finished in the bottom half of the standings. Big time efforts by a bunch of guys who don’t normally start to keep that from happening last night.

The Ducks have won four straight, setting up a big early season match-up with the undefeated Eagles tomorrow at Springview Field.

quack.

 

 

Ducks Win. South Oakland 6, West View 3

2017 South Oakland Ducks

Randy Patton (W, 1-1) pitched six strong innings, and Tom Pulice added three hits to lead the Ducks past West View.

The Wolfpack (1-1) scored two in the bottom of the first, but were held mostly in check the rest of the game while South Oakland (3-1) scored two in the fourth, three in the fifth, and one in the seventh off several different West View pitchers.

Ducks shortstop DJ Dover made a nice play to let a soft liner drop in front of him to turn a double play early in the game.

There was only a minor dust up when accusations of runner interference or something were made and shouting ensued, but never really escalated. Par for the course. The ump was telling me this happens all the time with that team

Doc pitched a scoreless seventh for his first save of the year.

West View pitchers recorded 14 Ks. They will be tough this season.

South Oakland of the North Side has won three straight on the season, and two straight vs. West View, dating back to last year’s playoff win.

Stats of Note:

Pulice: 3-4, 2RBI

Morgan: 1-1, 3BB, R

Patton: W, 6IP, 2ER, 6K, 1BB

Koshzow: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, CS

South Oakland’s next game is Wed, 9PM at home against the Devils.

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Ducks Win; South Oakland 11, Carrick 1 (5 inn.)

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

Ducks starter, Ben Sorosky (W, 1-0) struck out five, and allowed one unearned run over four innings and DJ Dover went 2-for-3 with a HBP, three-run home run, and a game ending two-run single to lead the Ducks (2-1) to an 11-1 route over the Carrick Express.

Carrick jumped out to an early lead, scoring an unearned run in the first, on a walk, an error and a single.

South Oakland sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the first, and took a 3-1 lead. Casale singled and took second on a wild pitch, Gwin singled, Lombardi doubled, Koshzow was hit by a pitch then Carrick turned a home to first double play followed by singles by Strom and Pulice.

the Ducks scored six in the second, Lombardi doubled in Casale, Koshzow was hit by another pitch, Morgan doubled to the wall, and then Dover hit a ball over the left field fence. It wasn’t a cheap home run.

Sorosky got out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the fourth thanks to a 9-3 double play, turned by Moore and Koshzow, and a strike out to end the threat.

Pat “Doc” DiPaola un-retired and pitched a scoreless fifth, hitting one batter.

Carrick’s third baseman made several solid plays in the field to keep the game from getting even more out of hand.

Some sats:

Eleven Ducks had hits

Pulice: 3 for 3

J. Zuzak: 0-1, SB

Petril: 2-2, R

Koshzow: 3-4, 3 R, 2 HBP

RBI

Dover (5), Lombardi, Morgan (2),  Gwin, Pulice, Strom

South Oakland’s next game is Sunday, 8:30 PM at John Herb Field, vs. West View

quack

 

Die a Hero: Oilers 7, Ducks 1

2017 South Oakland Ducks, NABA, pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland of the North Side lost to rival BIG OIL 7-1 in a rain-shortened, 5 inning  game in Spring Hill last night. The loss drops the team to 0-1.

Throwback night, 2014

The Oilers scored four in the first with two walks, two doubles, a single and a run-scoring, two out error.  They added two in the second and one in the fifth.

After a rough first inning, Ducks starter Randy Patton (L, 0-1) settled down and kept his team in it through four, striking out 2 and scattering 7 hits.

The Oilers starter threw well, striking out 9 and working out of bases loaded jams in the second and third innings when it looked like South Oakland might crawl back into the game. The Ducks couldn’t get a big hit with runners in scoring position.

Ben Sorosky had the lone Ducks RBI on a bases loaded walk in the second following infield singles by Pulice and Morgan and a Joe Graff walk.

South Oakland’s best chance came in the third when TJ Morgan drew a one out, bases loaded walk, but the umpire forgot the count. Morgan was not awarded first, and we had a runner picked off first base, attempting to advance as one normally does on a bases loaded walk. Morgan then lined out to left to end the inning.

South Oakland’s next game is 2pm Sunday vs. Cranberry at Veteran’s Park of Cranberry (Not the one in Etna).

 

  • No ringers on the Oilers, but something tells me the player eligibility discussion is not over yet.
  • The Oilers have a few new guys who are solid. They hit well as a team, and if they get pitching, they will be tough to beat. This is true for almost every team in our division.
  • The Scooter will be in the building on Tuesday at Mellon. Big early season matchup
  • We need to hit a better, but as a team our approach at the plate was pretty good. Facing a tough lefty for the first real at bats of the year was a good test, and I think we will improve in this area.
  • There were multiple requests for Garrett Moore to return to his role as bench coach/bullpen catcher
  • Great to be back at it for a fourteenth NABA season, and a run at a third title.

quack

 

 

 

Gameday 2: Ducks vs Oilers

2017 South Oakland Ducks, Gameday, pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side

vs

Hebrew Oilers

9pm

Spring View Field

It only took a week for the first player scandal of the season.

Apparently the Oilers brought in a former minor league player to pitch for them this summer. Seems surprising given their managers concern for the competitive balance of the league as expressed in the winter meetings when he complained about the prospect of the WOLFPACK! and the 2 Dirty 2 Birds: Return of the Bandidos rostering Division III college players.

Save the fucking sanctimony about how West View hurt your team’s feelings if you’re gonna bring in some dude who is obviously a ringer.

This is the most BIG OIL move I’ve ever seen. The fucking yuppie, white collar team brings in essentially a Dominican refugee, in an attempt to make up for the fact that their team is soft. Soft as cotton.

This explains why they wouldn’t play us on back to back nights. This dude can only pitch one of those days. I didn’t press the issue as the Pens were on last night.

The Oilers are scared.

Maybe three guys have any heart on that team, as much as I love them as human beings. Seriously though, just embrace being villains as far as the league is concerned because there’s no way around it. Get your fucking neoliberal councilman to throw out the first pitch across from Google in God awful Bakery Square and flout your Asian players and your nice unis, then he can go back to helping our mayor force Pittsburgh’s working poor into Penn Hills so ya’ll can bike to work without having to look at them.

So, where does that leave us?

I am excited for the opportunity. If you’re not pumped about the prospect of playing against a pitcher this good, you should go join PSL, or see if the Oilers will take you.

We have the opportunity to beat a team that thinks it’s going to cruise tonight because they networked their way into a stud pitcher. We are throwing an ex-Black Sox, ex-Oiler, and one time Duck junk baller who is already telling me he doesn’t want to come out of the game.

We haven’t seen live pitching yet, so should be a good test off the bat to see where we are hitting wise.

Here is  GIF in honor of the Undertaker.

Bad news for the Oilers

 

 

 

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.

The_Eagles_-_Desperado

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.

d2-the-mighty-ducks

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.

doc naba

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).

NYT2009012217442370C

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.

spy duck

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.

undertaker ducks.gif

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.

Doc_Brown

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.

quack.