The Newcastle Nuclears made it look easy today as they collected the 1st Oceanic Cup championship in league history.
They swept the Christchurch Christians in straight games, winning the series 4-0. The Nuclears disposed of Christchurch 4-3 in the series finale at Drivers Ballpark.
“They were the better team this year, no doubt about it,” said Christians manager Derek Jost.
During the regular season, Newcastle put up a 36-14 record and finished first in the AUS Division.
The Newcastle Nuclears are one game away from a sweep after a 9-5 win over the visiting Christchurch Christians at Drivers Ballpark today. Nuclears catcher Les Groves was named player of the game, as he was 3 for 5 with a home run and 2 singles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once. Newcastle now holds a 3-0 advantage in the best-of-7 Oceanic Cup.
Jorge van de Kraats aided the Newcastle cause with a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth. For the game, the left fielder went 1 for 2 with a walk, while scoring 2 runs.
“Things broke our way today and that’s great,” Nuclears manager Dylan Maccarone said. “It’s important, though, to stay focused and not pat yourself on the back too much. We aren’t done yet.”
Game 4 is set to be played on Saturday, December 31st, 2016 at Drivers Ballpark. The scheduled starters for the game are Inaki-Luki Aulii for the Christians and Percy Keith for the Nuclears.
Riding the 2-hit performance of right fielder Walter Stewart, the Newcastle Nuclears got a road win against the Christchurch Christians, 8-1, in Game 2 of the Oceanic Cup today. Stewart belted 2 home runs. He drove in 4 runs and scored twice for the Nuclears, who now lead the best-of-7 series, 2 games to 0.
Stewart had a big at-bat with runners on 1st and 2nd in the top of the third inning, when he hit a 3-run home run. The Nuclears went on to win.
“I don’t feel you win baseball games by working harder than the other team or ‘wanting it more,'” Stewart told the Newcastle News. “You win just by scoring more runs.”
Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, December 30th, 2016 at Drivers Ballpark. The scheduled starters for the game are Inaki-Luki Aulii for Christchurch and Edwin Teller for Newcastle.
The Oceanic Cup got off to a quiet start today, with the traveling Newcastle Nuclears taking a low-scoring 2-1 win over the host Christchurch Christians. Newcastle right-hander Sal Arango was marvelous at Plano Fields and was named player of the game. The Nuclears now hold a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Continue reading “Arango Handcuffs Christians, Nuclears Seize 1-0 Advantage”
The Christchurch Christians players streamed onto the field at Ballpark of Yonkers in jubilation, while heads were hung and few words were spoken in the Hamilton Hammers clubhouse at the conclusion of the BOL League Championships.
In a series that had a bit of everything and went the distance, Christchurch won the final Christmas Day game 4-0 taking the series 3-2.
“It’s hard to describe what we’re feeling right now,” said Christchurch left-hander Bob Sandoval, whose strong pitching performance in the series garnered him MVP honors. “You square off against a good team like Hamilton and anything can happen. Both teams deserved to go on, but thankfully it’s us.”
For the series, Sandoval had a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings pitched. He added 17 strikeouts with a 2-0 record.
Hamilton put in a solid effort but were missing their top ace, Jeremy Pitman, who was injured in his last appearance of the regular season on December 8. Pitman was diagnosed with a torn back muscle, and was told he would miss 5-7 months. He had been 7-0 on the year for the Hammers, with a 1.23 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and just 1 HR allowed in 66.0 innings.
The Christchurch Christians will play against the Newcastle Nuclears in the next round. Newcastle won their series against the Melbourne Dockers 3 games to 1. Game 1 of the Oceanic Cup best-of-7 final starts tomorrow in Christchurch.
Tony Maldonado turned in a sparkling effort during the BOL League Championships, but it wasn’t enough.
The Newcastle Nuclears defeated Maldonado’s Melbourne Dockers 4-3 to clinch a 3-1 series win tonight at Ballpark of Chula Vista.
“It’s a pretty empty feeling to lose a playoff series and the MVP award really doesn’t help much,” said the Dockers left-hander.
On the other side of the stadium, the Newcastle clubhouse was lively as the team celebrated its berth in the Oceanic Cup. For the series, Maldonado had a 0.00 ERA over 9 innings pitched. He added 8 strikeouts with a 1-0 record.
The Newcastle Nuclears don’t know who they will face in the next round. They will play the winner of the Christchurch Christians – Hamilton Hammers series. That series is tied at 2 games apiece. The Oceanic Cup schedule will be announced after the BOL League Championships finishes.
