Blue Jackets return to hardball action

Prepare for post season run

[  by Than Acuff  ]

Just when the Crested Butte Blue jackets were hitting their stride, the team disintegrated, as players were committed to other endeavors including a soccer trip to El Salvador and hockey camp.
The Blue Jackets closed the first half of the season with three wins in a row, including one over down-valley rival Gunnison. Unfortunately, just as the team was starting to gel, they lost six players to the aforementioned activities.
“It was really frustrating,” says coach Vann Taylor. “Basically it finished our season mentally.”
The team returned to action last week and was primed for a late season run but was dealt another blow, losing starting catcher Peter Bright to injury and pitcher/shortstop Aaron Blunck to ski camp.
Nevertheless, Taylor pulled 10 players together for one practice in preparation for their first game in two weeks against the Olathe Pirates on Saturday.
The Pirates are on top of the league standings and handed the Blue Jackets a 21-0 crushing earlier in the season, making for a tough return to league play.
“I definitely had my concerns and was worried how we were going to show up in the field,” says Taylor. “We just worked on defense.”
Taylor turned to Quinn Winter to take the mound against the Pirates.
“Quinn was one of the few consistent faces I’ve seen from beginning to end,” says Taylor. “He’s been working hard and I had the utmost confidence in him.”
Winter opened the game strong throwing strikes in the top of the first. After giving up a couple base hits and a run, Winter fanned Olathe’s clean-up hitter, and the Blue Jackets defense did the rest to hold Olathe to one run.
The Blue Jackets’ bats have been solid all season and they opened the game on offense with some of Taylor’s “small ball” strategy.
Montana Wiggins walked and then reached second on a sacrifice bunt by Sam Reaman. Montana then stole third and snuck home on bad toss to tie the game 1-1.
Two more walks had Blue Jackets runners in scoring position but a perfectly executed pick-off play at third caught a Blue Jackets base runner sleeping, to knock off the lead runner.
Dakota Wiggins tapped a bloop single to put runners in the corners for another shot at runs but a strikeout ended the inning.
The Pirates looked to blow the game open in the top of the second inning scoring three runs and loading the bases with two outs but Reaman made his second of several solid plays at second base to turn the final out and hold Olathe’s lead at three.
Sparked by hits from the bottom of their batting order, the Blue Jackets came charging back. Tylor Byers led off with a single and reached third on a bad throw. Cristo Church, pulled out of retirement for the late season run, delivered with an RBI single and Reaman and Liam Mortell connected for RBI base hits to tie the game 4-4 heading into the third.
Winter found his groove again, recording his second strikeout of the game and the Blue Jackets defense did the rest of the work to hold Olathe scoreless in the top of the third inning.
Ian Dethloff led off the bottom of the third inning with a double up the middle and scored on a grounder by Isaac Evans, but another base running miscue by the Blue Jackets ended the Crested Butte rally.
Olathe came back to score two runs and take a 6-5 lead and then caught Blue Jackets base runners snoozing on the bases once again in the bottom of the fourth inning.
With two runners on and one out, Olathe picked off a Blue Jacket on third base. Immediately following that play, the Pirates turned and picked off another Blue Jacket at first to end the inning.
“When you haven’t played a game in two weeks, things are going to space out on you,” says Taylor. “There were several mental lapses in the game that cost us.”
Byers came in to relieve Winter on the mound. After hitting the first Olathe batter he faced, he struck out two. Olathe pushed one run across before Byers closed the inning with a strikeout.
The two teams traded runs through the next inning before the Blue Jackets rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game.
Byers and Church combined for a couple hits and a bunt by Montana pushed Byers home.
Reaman tapped a sacrifice RBI hit and the teams were notched in an 8-8 tie going into the final inning.
Olathe rattled off five runs in the top of the seventh inning paced by walks, timely base hits and a couple of errors, leaving the Blue Jackets in a five-run hole heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Dethloff led off with a single to center and then scored when Dakota connected for an error-assisted two run inside the park home run.
The Blue Jackets bench slipped on their rally caps as Crested Butte looked to pull off some late-game heroics but two strikeouts and a pop fly later ended the comeback early as the Blue Jackets fell 13-10.
“I was definitely proud of those guys for competing,” says Taylor.
The Blue Jackets open the post-season on Thursday, July 7 on the road to face Montrose if Taylor can find a full squad.
“Right now I’m not sure we have enough players to go to that game,” says Taylor. “I’m definitely confident we can play against them, I’m still confident in our abilities.”