Baseball Blue Jackets split games over past week

Weather denies revenge with Cedaredge

The Crested Butte Blue Jackets offense racked up 25 runs over their past two games yet still came away with only one win, handing Gunnison a sound 17-6 defeat on Wednesday before losing to Cedaredge 12-8 at the Grand Opening of the new Tommy V Field on Saturday, June 12.

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Aaron Blunck was handed the baseball on Wednesday for his first start on the mound as a Blue Jacket and delivered. Blunck held the Gunnison team to just two runs over four innings of pitching, while the Crested Butte bats caught fire in the bottom of the third inning.
After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the third, the Blue Jackets put together a massive two-out rally.
Sam Reaman led off with a bloop single to shallow right and reached second on a sacrifice bunt by Dakota Wiggins.
Ian Dethloff smacked an RBI triple down the right field line to score Reaman and the Blue Jackets were on the scoreboard.
Ian Kelly jacked a two RBI double to center to give the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lead but the next Blue Jacket batter struck out for the second out of the inning as Gunnison looked to shut down the Blue Jackets rally before it got started.
As is often the case in baseball, the third and final out proved the toughest to get as the Crested Butte batters sprayed the field with hits to score 10 more runs.
Back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Ryan Costello and Costello squirted a grounder through the infield for a two RBI hit.
Peter Bright followed punching a two-RBI single to left field and another RBI single by Dakota Wiggins put the Blue Jackets up 9-2.
Troy Pike and Nolan Blunck capped the rally with consecutive RBI base hits and the Blue Jackets were sitting comfortably on a 14-2 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Gunnison strung together a couple of base hits in the top of the fourth inning, hoping to chip away at the massive Blue Jackets lead, but the Crested Butte defense came up big. Bright gunned down a base runner attempting to steal third and both Aaron and Kelly scooped up ground balls to fire to first base for the out, closing out the top half of the inning.
The Blue Jackets tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning scoring on a couple of passed balls and a base hit by Aaron before Gunnison found some offense in the top of the fifth inning.
Gunnison scored two runs and had two runners on when a grounder up the middle slipped through to center field.
Down 13 runs, the Gunnison base runner stretched for an extra base but a perfectly executed relay by Pike was on the money for the tag by Kelly at third.
Gunnison managed to push home two more runs before Nolan chased down a foul ball for the game-ending third out and a 17-6 Crested Butte win.
Crested Butte stayed home to host a double-header with Cedaredge on Saturday, June 12 as part of the official Grand Opening of the new Tommy V Field. Complete with bunting hung from the fences by Michael Blunck, the day was only marred by the weather as the two teams were met with a classic cold summer day complete with rain and wind.
Word of Cedaredge’s strength circulated through the league and reached coach Dave McGuire; nevertheless the team was feeling hot coming off the big win over Gunnison.
Cedaredge lived up to its reputation in the opening innings of the game Saturday building a 7-0 lead after two innings despite a solid effort by Pike on the mound.
“You could tell they were a well disciplined and skilled team,” says McGuire. “He was throwing good, they were just hitting the ball.”
The Blue Jackets hitters were on the opposite end of the spectrum the opening two innings, striking out eight times in the first two innings.
The Blue Jackets climbed back into the game starting in the third inning as Aaron walked and then scored on a double by Pike.