The 2010 TransBay Champions Celebrate

Pitching was the key to the Oakland Tech Bulldogs’ Transbay Tournament victory over the Galileo High School Lions of San Francisco, two games to one. Tech represented Oakland well after winning the OAL title with a 14-1 league record.

Galileo won the opener at SF State by a score of 5-4, in a game in which Tech took a two-run lead in the sixth, only to see Galileo come back to win. With the series moving to Oakland for games two and three, the Bulldogs went into the Coliseum and rode the pitching of Matte Cornell to an 8-0 victory. Cornell pitched his second complete game of the series and Oakland Tech was never seriously challenged, after a six-run rally in the second.

The Transbay moved to Rickey Henderson Field for the rubber game, and both teams scored in the first. Galileo loaded the bases with no outs, but scored only one run, as senior Kel McMiller struck out two and got the third to bounce into an unassisted force out at home. Tech came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by McMiller and Cornell (who else?) after a walk and stolen base by senior Azeem Ahmad.

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Matte Cornell delivers a pitch in his complete-game win over Galileo

The TransBay Series is tied one apiece, after today’s 8-0 victory by Tech over Galileo at the Oakland Coliseum. The deciding game is scheduled for 3 pm on Wednesday, May 26th, at Oakland Tech’s Rickey Henderson Field.

Today’s game was broken open in the bottom of the 2nd inning when the Bulldogs scored six times. The floodgates were opened by a deep drive to just right of center field by Francis Griffin, bringing the first run all the way from first base. Griffin made it to third base on the hit. From there it was an array of hits, walks and errors — after the side had batted around, six runs were on the board.

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A three-run sixth inning rally by the Oakland Tech High baseball team was matched by Galileo as the Lions took the first game of the best-of-three TransBay Series 5-4 on Wednesday at San Francisco State.

“That was a great game,” Bulldogs coach Eric Clayton said. “You can’t always win the great games. That’s why they’ve got to hold their heads up and know they’ve got a couple more coming.” (more…)

Oakland Tech wrapped up its first Oakland Athletic League title since 2003 without stepping on the field.

The Bulldogs (14-1 OAL) received a forfeit win from Friday’s scheduled makeup game against Castlemont and also picked up a forfeit win for today’s scheduled makeup game with Fremont. The Tigers also had a makeup game scheduled Friday against Skyline, which they forfeited. The Titans (13-2), who had won the past five OAL titles, finished in second place.

Oakland Tech opens up the TransBay Series against Galileo, the San Francisco Section champion, on Wednesday, May 19 at 3.45 pm at San Francisco State.  Game 2 will take place at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday, May 24, at 3pm, and Game 3, if necessary, will take place on Wednesday, May 26, at 3pm at Rickey Henderson Field.

(Note 1: Fremont also forfeited their remaining makeup game, vs Tech. That game may have been played Monday, if needed to decide the OAL title).

(Note 2: Tech played Lowell in the 2004 TransBay, suggesting they last won the OAL title in May 2004 — which was the 2003-2004 school year).

Tech edged closer to the OAL Baseball Championship by winning 11-0 vs Oakland High at Rickey Henderson Field today. Jason Finkelstein pitched 4 for the Bulldogs, and Daramani Swift closed out the 5th. A 7-run bottom of the 2nd sealed this one for the Bulldogs.

With this win, Tech moves to 11-1 in the OAL, with Skyline one game back, and 3 to play. This was the final regularly scheduled OAL date, but was the first of possibly 4 games in 6 days for the Bulldogs, as earlier rainouts are made up. Come see their next games vs Castlemont (Friday), and Fremont (Saturday), both at RHF. If Tech wins both these games, then the final Fremont contest is moot.

OH 0 0 0 0 0 0
OT 1 7 2 1 X 11

at Rickey Henderson Field.

This game was rescheduled from the April 2nd game, which was rained out.

at Rickey Henderson Field

Here is the schedule for the 2010 Transbay Baseball Series, pitting the Oakland Section Champion Oakland Tech Bulldogs against San Francisco Section Champion Galileo:

Game 1: Wednesday May 19th, 3:45pm  at San Francisco State University (Click here for directions to San Francisco State.)

Game 2: Monday May 24th, 3:00pm at the Oakland Coliseum.

Game 3:  Rickey Henderson Field, Oakland

Rickey Henderson Field

Oakland Tech

Here is the schedule for the 2010 Transbay Baseball Series, pitting the Oakland Section Champion Oakland Tech Bulldogs against San Francisco Section Champion Galileo:

Game 1: Wednesday May 19th, 3:45pm  at San Francisco State University (Click here for directions to San Francisco State.)

Game 2: Monday May 24th, 3:00pm at the Oakland Coliseum.

Game 3, if necessary:  Rickey Henderson Field, Oakland

Here is the schedule for the 2010 Transbay Baseball Series, pitting the Oakland Section Champion Oakland Tech Bulldogs against San Francisco Section Champion Galileo:

Game 1: Wednesday May 19th, 3:45pm  at San Francisco State University (Click here for directions to San Francisco State.)

Game 2: Monday May 24th, 3:00pm at the Oakland Coliseum.

Game 3, if necessary:  Rickey Henderson Field, Oakland

The Bulldogs prevailed 13-6 at Castlemont on Friday. They needed a win here to nail down the corners of their potential OAL Championship.

Tech rode three crooked-number innings started by their late-order hitters, and the strong pitching of Matte Cornell, to put this one in the book. The top of the fifth was pivotal for the Bulldogs, with the first batter making an out, and then 6 runs scoring before the next out. The 7th run of this inning scored on the second out, when Francis Griffin’s drive to the deepest part of the park was caught in front of the diagonally opposite 3rd base dugout, almost 400 ft from home — the runner at 3rd could tag and almost walk in.

The Bulldogs are now 10-1 in the OAL, and have one more scheduled game to play vs. O High at RHF next Wednesday. They also have 2 postponed games vs Fremont, and one vs Castlemont. The next closest team in the standings is Skyline with two losses.

Box score …

OT  1  3  0  2  7  0  0  =13
CT  1  0  4  0  0  1  0  =6

at Bishop O’Dowd

The last time Skyline held a 9-7 lead over Oakland Tech heading into the bottom of the 7th, the Bulldogs were able to mount a dramatic comeback for a 10-9 victory.  So on Friday in the exact same situation, same score, same location, Tech figured they had the Titans just where they wanted them.

Trailing 9-5 and struggling at the plate, a 2-run James Harris home run brought Tech within 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th.  This time, however, the Bulldogs were unable to mount a dramatic comeback, and went down quietly in the seventh.

Eric Robles pitched well in relief for the Titans to get the win.  Robles entered the game in the first inning and got Skyline out of a jam, and then allowed only 2 runs over the final 6 innings.

Despite the loss, Tech still has a commanding lead in the OAL race.  The Bulldogs would need to lose 2 of their remaining 3 games to avoid going to the TransBay Series against the San Francisco Section champ.

The De La Salle High baseball team, in conjunction with the Oakland A’s and Dave Stewart, will host the Dave Stewart/Oakland A’s High School Baseball Showdown at the Oakland Coliseum on May 1. Newark Memorial plays Oakland Tech at 1 p.m. to kick off action, followed by Alameda-Clovis West at 4. The Spartans will take on Mater Dei-Santa Ana at 7 to close out the day. Tickets are $10 for adults, and kids 14 and under are free.

at Rickey Henderson Field

at McConnell Field

at Rickey Henderson Field

at Curt Flood Field
Wednesday April 28th game postponed

at St. Joseph HS, Alameda

at Skyline HS

at Bishop O’Dowd