The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“I can die now—I’ve wanted to do that all my life”
Oh it was close, so very, very close. The Couch Petitos did everything right to set themselves up to beat the Gas Holes.
They played solid defense executing routine plays, pulled off some extraordinary plays and denied the Gas Holes their usual assault of extra base hits.
On offense, they curtailed base-running errors and pushed runners home with key base hits.
At least, they did for six of the seven innings.
It was that one inning that hurt the Couch Petitos.
The Petitos defense opened with their A-game, holding the Gas Holes to one run on a base hit by Amy Williams.
The Holes tried to score more but the Petitos wouldn’t allow it. When runners got on base, they were held on base, and when they tried to stretch for home a Petitos shortstop was on top of it and gunned them down.
The Petitos offense complemented their defensive efforts scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. John Norton led off, poking a single and scoring on a double up the middle from Mark Reaman.
Gabi Prochaska pushed Reaman home with an infield single and the Petitos were all smiles with a 2-1 lead after one inning.
So far so good.
The Gas Holes tied it up in the top of the second inning when John Hopper swatted a triple to the opposite field and scored on a single from Jim Harlan.
They took the lead back in the top of the third inning when Tyler “Wingspan” Williams doubled and scored on another RBI base hit by Amy. But the Petitos defense stepped in to cut them off at one run again as they retired the next two Gas Holes batters, including Judd Mesaris, who routinely riddles the opposite field for base hits.
Mesaris drove a high fly ball to deep right field but Molly Frame was there backpedaling for the grab, to help hold the Gas Holes at bay.
The Gas Holes defense was equally stout, forcing the Petitos to earn every run. Maggie Dethloff tapped a grounder to Mesaris at third base with runners on first and third. As Mesaris looked to first for the play, he caught the runner at third heading home and fired to Harlan at the plate for the ski-glove grab and out.
Reaman connected for another RBI base hit to center to tie the game 3-3, but Mesaris turned the force on the next hitter to end the inning, holding the Petitos in check.
Alex Mattes-Ritz put the Gas Holes back on top 4-3 in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI double. A single by Stefany Ford loaded the bases for the Gas Holes with two outs and Tyler stepping up to the plate with two doubles to his credit in his first two at-bats.
Tyler chopped a grounder to the left side of the infield and Wayde Hollis snapped it out of the air and tapped third base to hold the Gas Holes to just one run for the fourth inning in a row.
Still, so far so good.
It was the top of the fifth inning that stung a bit as the Gas Holes paired five base hits and opportunistic base running to score three runs for a 7-3 lead.
Still, three runs isn’t bad, but the Petitos’ bats were disturbingly silent in the bottom of the fifth, leaving the Gas Holes a chance to put the game well out of reach.
But they didn’t, or couldn’t, as the Petitos defense gave up just one more run and came charging back in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Base hits by Norton, Mike Montano and Prochaska loaded the bases for Hollis. Hollis answered the rally cry, blasting a two-RBI double to left center. Frame followed Hollis with an RBI single and Hollis tagged up on a pop fly to score, pulling the Petitos to within one run with one inning to play.
The work of Hollis and Rutherford on the left side of the infield took care of the Gas Holes’ first two batters and Montano pulled of the play of his life for the third out.
Montano charged off the pitcher’s mound to scoop up a grounder down the first base line and flipped it with his glove to Dethloff at first for the third out.
Upon reflection after the play Montano commented, “I can die now—I’ve wanted to do that all my life.”
Bottom of the seventh, down by one and Rutherford leads off with a single. If there was ever a time for an upset, it was now.
But it wasn’t, as the Gas Holes defense turned the next three outs to hang on for the 8-7 win and are in fourth place with the playoffs and their run at a repeat title starting in just one week.
