Oakland Ballers mascot Scrappy the Possum is surrounded by Ballers fans after celebrating a series win during the Ballers last homestand at Raimondi Park in Oakland (photo by the Oakland Ballers)

September 15, 2025

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–It wasn’t always pretty, it wasn’t always free of errors, physical or mental, but it was an exciting three game series that saw the team from the town defeat the visiting Ogden Raptors, two games to one, in a hard fought trio of games that contrasted vividly with the Pioneer Baseball League’s reputation as a hitter friendly circuit. The rivals managed to score only ten runs between them and never were separated by more than two tallies.

The Ballers took the opener, 4-2 Their ace righty, Noah Milllikan, was tentative in the first two frames, loading the bases in the first and allowing an opposite field solo home run in the second to Christian Hall. Both the B’s and the Raptors have a slugging left handed first baseman named Christian. It probably doesn’t mean a thing, but it’s emblematic of how closely matched the rival squads were.

The milkman then settled down to throw a total of 106 pitches before tiring and exiting the game after seven innings on the mound, marred only by an unearned run in the sixth, facilitated by second baseman Danny Harris IV’s throwing error that allowed Carmine Lane to cross the plate. Harris’s near fatal error came after he had given a master class in fielding with a couple of sparklers earlier in the struggle.

The Ballers’ set up man,Conner Richardson’s eighth inning mirrored Millikan’s first, no runs, one hit, and three stranded. Connor Sullivan earned the save with two K’s and a fly to right that got the Ballers off on the right foot before Ogden came back to tie the series on the 12th.

Friday the 12th saw the Raptors knot up the series with a 2-1 squeaker. Five Ogden hurlers combined to hold the home team to one run on five hits—all singles—, three walks, a wild pitch, and a hit batter. Starting starboarder Cole Stasio led the way and yielded the sole Oakland tally.

It came on a two out rally in the fourth in which Lou Helmig walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and came home on Harris’s single to center. Ogden got both of their runs in the seventh on Conner Bagnieski’s lead off single to right and, after Cole Jordan flew out to the center field warning track, Christian Hall’s two run four bagger to right center.

Alain López and Ryan Velázquez, who earned the save, each pitched a scoreless inning to frustrate Oakland’s hopes for a comeback.

Saturday’s rubber game was classic baseball, the type of game that we old timers savor. The Raptors got plenty of nothing, and the Ballers didn’t get much of anything either. Each squad got five hits, none for extra bases.

The Raptors’ starter, Austyn Coleman, surrendered one run over 6-2/3 episodes, and it was both unearned and a legacy that Coleman”s successor, Cameron Edmonson, allowed to score . That heartbreaking tally came when Nick Leehey led off with a single to center. TJ McKenzie ran for him and, to nobody’ s surprise, stole second.

After Tremayne Cobb fouled out to first, Esai Santos drew a base on balls. Then McKenzie and Santospulled off a double steal, in the process of of which Ogden catcher Carmine Lane lost control of the ball. After that, it was all over except for the anxiety and then the shouting.

Sunday the 14th and Monday, the 15th, were travel days for Oaktown’s standard bearers Their destination is Idaho Falls, home of the Chukars, who also took their series, 2-1, against the regular season Northern Division Champion Missoula Paddlewheelers. The Chukaars will not be a negligible opponent; they took Sunday’s deciding game, 22-3. Contrast that to the nail biters, I’ve just been talking about.

The games in Idaho Falls are scheduled for Tuesday the 16th and Wednesday and the 17th. Then a day to travel back to West Oakland for what could be the last of the best three out five game Championship Division series. Or the suspense could continue until one team manages to win for a third time, and, with it, the 2025 Pioneer Baseball League crown.

Games one and two of the Championship Round will be played in Idaho Falls on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 16th and 17th. Then it’s one day to travel to West Oakland, and at 6:35 Friday evening, September 19, it will be game three of the best three out of five series. The division champions will battle it out until one of them notches its third win and goes home as the champions of 2025 Pioneer Baseball League season.