south oakland baseball

Gameday 6: Ducks vs. Eagles

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

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side (4-1)

vs

South Side Eagles (3-0)

9pm

Spring View Field

The Ducks look to win their fifth straight tonight when they play the undefeated South Side Eagles.

These games are always close. We beat them by 2 in the playoffs last year, like 13-11 or something. I assume tonight’s game will be lower scoring, but also close.

I still remember when the Eagles had a left shortstop who also pitched and had this huge looping curve ball that was pretty good. That was in like 2007. The Eagles franchise has been around for a while. Ducks pitcher Adam Smith defected one year to play for the Eagles in 2008, which intensified the rivalry between the clubs and between him and one time Ducks manager and pitcher, TC Jones.

I don’t know. Since the early days, the eagles haven’t really had much of an identity other than the team that can hit. Ducks and Eagles were in different divisions for a while after the A – AA split, and then again, I think, after the second reshuffling when the Ducks dropped down, the Eagles moved up which has made it hard to develop much of a rivalry.

That guy with the mouth piece sure fucking talks a lot though. However their coach makes sweet bats. Cancels out I guess.

We have a chance to put some distance between us and the middle of the pack and put some pressure on the Oilers and the WOLFPACK! and the Bandidos who are surprisingly 1-3, but I think are going to be good.

55 is on the hill tonight.

Bad news for the Eagles

 

 

Ducks Win: South Oakland of the North Side 11, Cranberry 3

2017 South Oakland Ducks

Ducks pitcher, Chuck Zuzak (W, 1-0) allowed 3 runs, (1 earned) over six innings, striking out 7 and hitting four batters, to lead South Oakland (1-1) to its first win of the season.

Not to be outdone, Cranberry pitchers combined to hit four Ducks. They unfortunately also threw a bunch of wild pitches/past balls, which allowed many Ducks runners to advance and runs to score. The loss drops the newly minted Crusaders to 0-1.

South Oakland scored 4 in the second, 3 in the fifth, and 2 in both the sixth and seventh innings. The Ducks never trailed.

Some stats

Lombardi: 2-5, R, 2 2B

Pulice: 1-2, HBP, BB, CS, R

Morgan: 1-1, R HBP

Petril: 0-0, R, 2 HBP

RBI:

Casale, Gwin (2), Moore, Nichols, Maldonado, Pulice

South Oakland’s next game is Tuesday night, 6:45 at Mellon Park vs BIG OIL.

quack

 

Game Day 1: Ducks vs Eagles

2016 South Oakland Ducks, Gameday, NABA, pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side

vs.

South Side Eagles

8:30pm

Springview Field

 

I trust everyone has been following the intense off-season training regimen put in place after last season, and that we will all be in mid-season form tonight.

Duck

South Oakland will start with four games in seven days. Of course, there’s a stretch from the end of May to mid-June where the Ducks play once a week. Fun scheduling quirk.

The Ducks added a few guys through the draft, and another pitcher off the street. Additionally, the team is in talks to bring back Ducks legend, infielder Andrew McCray, whose retired number 21 will still be worn by outfielder, TJ Morgan. The Commish might also make his long awaited debut in green and gold.

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The Eagles upset the Ducks in the first round of the playoffs last year and then made a run to the semis, losing to the eventual champion Dirty Birds. South Oakland was without ace Doc Brown, who was busy saving the clock tower in Hill Valley.

Doc_Brown

We played the Eagles close in 3 regular season matches last year, but they beat us when it counted. Their manager is a solid guy. Really not much animosity here, considering they ended our season. Hopefully they’re coping with the tragic loss of Glenn Frey.

IMG_1436

The start of every season brings optimism. The Ducks have added pitching depth, kept the core of last year’s team intact and look to make a run at the title again this year. Our lineup will produce runs and we will play solid defense. If our pitching holds, and our staff throws strikes, we can beat anyone. We still have some question marks, but we will figure something out. We really just need guys to throw strikes. Can’t stress that enough.

duck pnc

The best part of this season will be not driving five hours down route 51 to lose to Jefferson Hills by 13 runs and waste pitching in meaningless games.

So we will start this season on the night of a Pens playoff game, in cold weather at our field that will probably be in barely playable shape, with a few starters missing and one practice under our belt. Sounds like a recipe for domination.

Bad News for the Eagles

Ducks Split 2 Games Last Week

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

On Tuesday night, South Oakland of the North Side lost to the Shaler Rebels, 11-9, in a game they lead 8-4 after three and a half innings.

A combination of walks, hitbatsmen and errors led to a seven-run fourth inning for Sahler. The Ducks could not recover. South Oakland left the bases loaded twice and had the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh.

Pat Dipaola hit a 3-run homerun in the loss and pitched 3 scoreless innings. Culp had a great game in center field, making an over the shoulder catch at the wall, and throwing a guy out at home. Donnie hit a ground rule double.

That team could hit a little bit, but we should win games in which we score nine runs. The defense has not helped out our pitching thus far.

abraham-lincoln-antietam-battlefield

On Wednsday, The Ducks beat the Maulers 6-1 in Spring Hill. Andy Nichols and Ben Phillips (2-0) combned to allow 1 run over seven innings. Nichols pitched the last four, and I think he allowed 2 baserunners. Culp hit a three-run home run over the house beyond the left field fence. I’ve never seen a ball hit that far at Spring Hill. We played better defense in this one.

Ducks firstbaseman and DH, Eric Tuomisto went 6-for-6 with a walk over the two game stretch. I don’t think he’s gotten out yet this year. Mike Brandt and Ben Sorosky both have 2-game hitting streaks. TJ Morgan was hit by a pitch.

To summarize: We can hit, but we need to play better defense. Our fifth guy off the bench is probably batting .400 right now. And, I swear, the big roster will payoff when people start going on vacation.

RIVER MONSTER

South Oakland (2-2) next plays on Wed. 5/13 at home vs. the resurgent BIG OIL who beat the first place Dirty Birds last week. The Hebrew Oilers (2-3) are led by a couple former Ducks. It should be a fun game.

Note: Jeremy Barchie may have re-retired after blowing his arm out again. We are willing to offer him a one-day contract so he can finish his career as a Duck.

quack.

 

 

 

Long Read: Season Scheduled to Start Week of April 18th and Other News

2015 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, NABA, pittsburgh NABA

Ducks: Uniforms have been ordered. Register on the league site ASAP. Send me money. Make checks payable to Pittsburgh NABA.

I trust you have all been training since August and are ready to dominate.

After a busy offseason, our roster is pretty much set. We will not draft any players this season. We hope to compete for a title, but it will depend on pitching.

The Ducks have acquired several mercenaries who’ve defected from the Militia, added some infield depth via a couple guys we met shooting pool at Uncle Jmmy’s, and won a bidding war with the Oilers for the rights to Ducks 2014 home run leader, Anthony Ciccone, who will return as our Super-Utility player.

saul

one day I will properly photoshop this

For the first time in almost ten years, we will roster an actual South Oakland resident, Grahm Harkins, who may start on opening day and, at worst, will provide bullpen depth.

Garrett Moore is not retiring.

TJ Morgan is returning to South Oakland after a brief stint with the Black Sox.

TJ and TC Jones are both former Ducks managers and will provide veteran leadership. We just need to get Fago back and we will have the whole flock of coaches.

ducks invade

League News and Rumorz

I’m guessing we will go to three divisions this year. If so, we would likely be in the middle division. This means we would get to avenge our season ending loss at the hands of the WOLFPACK!, and we’d also get to renew our rivalry with the Black Sox in the regular season. Another exciting subplot – former Ducks pitchers, Jeremy Barchie and Randy Patton have signed with BIG OIL, in Single A, and we may face one or both of them in the regular season.

The Oilers managed to get a time slot at Mellon Park, but of course it is at 6pm, during the week, and is therefore inconvenient for 80% of the players in the league.

jeremy_scott

The Lions split into two teams. That pitcher who yelled a lot started his own team, I think, and moved up to Double A. Walko is starting another Single A team. Should be an intense game when they play each other. Lots of yelling and fancy stat-keeping devices.

All the teams that moved up to AA last year, got crushed repeatedly, and had a miserable season of baseball, are moving back down to either single A, or to the middle division along with the top teams from single A and maybe the Express. This is why we need a middle division, so we don’t have to keep repeating this process with the top A and bottom AA teams every year.

Speaking of the Express, there were rumors of a Bulldogs-Express merger that never quite materialized.

large_bulldog

The elephant in the room at the league meetings has been the tenuous state of the Bulldogs. I assume they will return with some roster turnover, but their questionable status as late as last month, goes to show how tough it is to keep a team together for over ten years, even when you’re winning games. You do what you have to try to put together a competitive roster and manage all the personalities. It’s challenging.

champz Owlz Clinton Cherokee

Both Jefferson Hills and Clinton are trying to make it seem like all the other teams in the league have just as good of a chance to win a title as anyone. It’s great how those guys are all about competitive balance and fair play. Some pitcher from Pitt jumped ship from the Indians to the Cherokee. Clinton’s coach may or may not have a shrine of old newspaper clippings and yearbook photos of that kid in the secret room in the sub-basement under his garage. Smallpox infested blankets for all.

Rebels Week: Day III

If the Commish would only listen to my idea: Those two teams would play a 23 game series against each other at an all dirt field with no dugouts, in Burgettstown, and then the winner would take on, and probably lose to, the fifth place fed league team in a play-in game for the right to join the Daily News league in 2016. (Hopefully the field for the play-in game isn’t double booked.) I think we need to make this happen.

I swear, I’m proposing radical shift to a two-team division with a playoff format spanning three non-affiliated leagues because I think it’s good for the league and is super fair, not because it is better for just my team and slightly improves our chances of winning.

Back to the Ducks.

I think we are going to rake this year, play more consistent defense thanks to added depth, and if we get pitchers who throw strikes we will win a lot of games. I don’t really know how good a lot of the teams are in our division, but I think we improved. I guess we’ll see. I’ve been told my ability to judge talent has been my downfall as a manager.

quack.

Ducks Win.

2014 South Oakland Ducks

South Oakland scored 7 runs in the 4th inning, overcoming a 3-0 deficit en-route to a 8-5 victory in game 1 of the semifinals at Springview Field Monday night.

Jason Fetter threw five innings, allowing 4 earned runs, and recorded his first playoff win as a Duck. Ben Sorosky pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and Anthony Ciccone recorded the save, striking out the West View cleanup hitter with the bases loaded in the seventh.

Matt Limbach went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs, Rob Galvanek went 2-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI, Brandon Culp and DJ Dover each had multi-hit games.

Ducks catcher, Rob Galvanek threw out 2 runners out at second.

Short stop Tony Casale made a diving stop behind second base and threw out a runner from his knees to save a run. It was one of the best plays by an infielder I’ve seen in person.

Game 2 is Wednsday night, 8:30PM at John Herb Field.

quack.

 

 

 

Ducks Earn #2 Seed, First Round Bye.

2014 South Oakland Ducks, pittsburgh NABA

I got the tie breaker scenarios wrong in figuring out where we would have to finish record wise to get the 2nd seed.

The first tie breaker is head to head record. Then it’s runs allowed head to head. I thought it was overall runs allowed.

We’ve outscored the WOLFPACK 19-16 in head to head play, but have a 1-2 record against them. However, our rain delayed game has essentially been ruled a forfeit in our favor since there is no time to make it up. Therefore, we have avoided the 3/6 matchup against the Monsters, and will play the winner of Sunday’s Monsters/WOLFPACK game on Monday night. Time and place TBD.

quack.

Down in Northern Virginia, I thought the cops were gonna arrest me for smoking pot in the cracker barrel parking lot, but they were there for the double homicide at the Waffle House by our motel.

2014 South Oakland Ducks, pittsburgh NABA, Recap

Donald duck bomber

Monday’s 5-4 win was big. Both teams played well, there weren’t many walks or errors. The game took like fifteen minutes. I can’t remember the last time the Ducks made a late-inning rally like this one.

***

For five innings the Bombers got key hits, and South Oakland left runners on base. We had a guy thrown out at home, left the bases loaded once and twice had two men on with less than two outs and couldn’t get a run in.

Bomberman_by_Gaston25

No one thought the Bombers had the balls to play in purple unitards and white tights.

The Bombers Pitcher located, and took advantage of the way-outside strike that ump likes to call. There’s no reason to throw it over the plate with that ump.

Unabomber

In the first inning, the Bombers scored on a two-out infield single followed by a double that died in the grass in shallow right.

Allegheny added another run in the third, and two more in the fifth on a couple hard hit balls combined with some defensive miscues.

duckmaggeden

It looked like the wheels might fall off, but Ciccone pulled it together and we stiffened up defensively.

rally duck2

The Ducks trailed 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth and started the inning with a leadoff double by Casale and three straight singles to make the score 4-2. After a walk, Iceberg singled to make the score 4-3.

iceburgh

The Bombers forced out a runner at the plate. Then with the bases loaded, Ben Hartranft hit a slow chopper to short, the Bombers forced a runner at second, but Hartranft beat the arrant throw to first. The first baseman missed the ball, and another run scored.

giphy_Pittsburgh NABA_DUCKS

In the top of the seventh, Jason Fetter walked the first batter, then turned a double play on a line drive right at his head.

UNABOMBER_SHIRTS_by_Pablonfire

I’m not saying a couple guys on the Bombers don’t look like Ted Kaczynski 

The game ended on a groundout.

giant duck

Hartranft has 4 RBI in five games without getting a hit.

The Ducks have won three straight.

Pending Tornados, we play tonight at 6:15 in Etna vs. the Warriors.

quack

Game Six Recap: Dr. Strangeglove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love Brian Strom.

2014 South Oakland Ducks, pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

Ducks starter Brian Strom (w, 2-1) scattered 8 hits, walking 3 and beaning 4 batters over six strong innings of 2-run ball Sunday night in Moore Park, helping South Oakland (4-2) diffuse the Allegheny offense en route to an 8-2 Ducks victory.

Playing without the strong-bearded veteran leadership of the Commish, the Bombers (3-1) looked flustered out of the gate.

This guy took the hill for Allegheny*.

Bomberman_by_Gaston25

He allowed back to back doubles to Gwin and Culp and the Ducks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. Culp stole third, Strom drew a walk. Matt Swetz collected his unofficial, team-leading 7th RBI of the season with a single to right.

2014-05-04 20.19.58

 one at a time. sometimes two at a time

Sorosky, formerly of the militia has been waiting for a chance to take out the Bombers for three years. He delivered a single to left to put the Ducks up 3-0.

Garrett Moore drove in a run with a single up the middle. 4-0 Ducks.

-Soul-Eater-Excalibur-Fresh-New-Hd-Wallpaper--

This is the best exclaimer image I could find.

With one out and runners on first and second, Alex Riley hit a ground ball to the shortstop who got the force at second. Moore sacrificed his pants with a hard slide and forced an arrant throw. Sorosky tried to score from second on the play, but the ball bounced hard off the wall behind first and came right back to the first baseman who blew up Sorosky at the plate. Classic 6-4-3-2 Double play.

communion pants

Who’s laughing now? Those communion pants were durable.

Strom faced 5 batters in the first and stranded runners on second and third after striking out some guy to end the inning.

The Bombers scored 2 in the second, but Strom pitched out of another jam and the Bombers left the bases loaded.

The Bombers third baseman can hit a little.

Timmy

Meanwhile, the Bombers pitcher had settled in and was in the process of retiring 9 straight Ducks with the help of a 4-6-3 double play. Judging by the Allegheny reaction, it was the first good play their infield ever made.

Fetter singled to lead off the fifth. He actually defused bombs in the military. After a Casale sac bunt, Gwin singled in pinch runner Shawn Dorsek to make the score 5-2 in the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Strom allowed a triple a walk and struck out the side.  The Bombers could not get a big hit.

In the bottom of the sixth, with Bombers on first and second, Tony Casale made a sick diving play in the hole between third and short to get the force at third. Best play by a shortstop made in the game. Two groundouts later, the Bombers again left two men on base with nothing to show for it.

In the top of the seventh, The Ducks scored three runs on five hits to put it out of reach. Strom, Sorosky and Moore had RBI.

Fetter pitched the bottom of the 7th and struck out the Bomber’s 3rd baseman looking, then induced a double play to end the game.

donaldduckbomb

***

  • Big early season win for the Ducks, missing a handful of regulars.
  • That ump called strikes a foot off the plate.
  • I love playing at Moore Park.
  • I think there will be 3 more good games between the Ducks and Bombers.
  • For a bunch of kids who have no idea how cruel and grim the world after college will be, the Bombers carry themselves well, and are probably laughing at my dated references on some weird, next-level social media platform that I will never understand.
  • I found an orange and gray hoodie someone left after the game.
  • Stanley Kubrick.
  • Don’t google “suicide bomber images.” It will make you sick.

South Oakland’s next game is Wednsday night 8pm at Springview Field vs. the Senators.

quack.