Game 9 Recap: Ducks Slay Matadors, 4-2

It took a little longer than desired, but the South Oakland Ducks returned to their winning ways Sunday, topping the Matadors 4-2.

The Ducks didn’t waste any time getting a run on the board as catcher Chris Dowling plated Tony Casale (who reached on a fielder’s choice after a failed sacrifice) thanks to an error by the shortstop in the top of the first inning.

Adam Smith worked through the first inning fairly easily, aided by a nice double play turned by Casale and Dickey. Smith did run into some trouble in the bottom of the second; walking a few batters, hitting one dude, and then allowing a single which squeaked through the middle of the infield, scoring two Matadors. Smith quickly regained his composure though, as he started off a 1-2-3 double play, before getting the third out.

The Ducks entered the third inning trailing 2-1 but turned the ship around due to some timely hitting. Dowling whacked an RBI single down the left field line, followed by a bloop single by preseason MVP Jesse Smith scoring another Duck. The Ducks would then add a fourth run in the fourth after Rick “Flailin’” Whalen cracked a ball into right field, plating a run and ending up at third with a possible triple (although I call it a double with an error).

After throwing four very solid innings, Smith was pulled by interim manager Mark Guthrie and replaced by Tyler. Tyler ended up pitching quite well in his Ducks debut, going the final three innings, allowing no runs. Matadors’ pitcher Corey Yokel went the whole game, only allowing four runs, but ended up with the loss as his team failed to score outside the second inning.

Bullet Points:

-Adam Smith is 3-1 this season. He went four innings, allowing only two runs and was arguably at his best during his last two innings.
-Both teams had to lug equipment across North Park thanks to a mean cop who had the road next to Pie Traynor shut down. What a nutty day in the park.
-We had two umpires today. They got there on time and actually seemed to give a damn, nice. Not to mention, there failed to be any glaringly bad calls today.
-Each team rolled quite a few double plays today, leading to a quick game, which was just shy of two hours.
-Mark Guthrie is 1-1 as Ducks manager.
-Dickey now has the Ducks most theatric catch of the year.



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