Ballers win!
The Oakland Ballers are in the Pioneer League’s playoffs this year. Eryn and I went to Game 3 of the semifinals, the last game of a best-of-3 series against the Raptors from Ogden.
We took BART across the Bay. The Ballers run a shuttle between West Oakland Station and Raimondi Park—a nondescript white van with a very friendly driver. The van really looks like the kind of thing you were told to watch out for as a child, but the fans who ride it are a lively bunch and we all had fun chatting with each other while waiting for the van and riding on it.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ogden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 1 | 5 | 1 |
The Ballers squeaked in the win, but it was a close one. The teams were very evenly matched.
We sat right behind home plate. The couple sitting next to us used to live near Nishinomiya and appreciated the Satō jersey I had on. Ollie and Mo were also at the game and sat nearby; it was so great to catch up! It’s been ages.
Whoever donned the Scrappy the Rally Possum costume for this game has some serious dance moves, and Jwalt’s Ballers Ballad really got the crowd moving.