The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Finals Monday, August 20 at Gothic Field
Green Robin remained in the hunt for the comp league title with back-to-back wins in the losers bracket this past week, including a 17-11 win over the Stash Monday night at Gothic Field.
After losing in the opening round to the Wine-O’s, Da’ Birds were sent to the loser’s bracket to play the remainder of the post-season with their backs against the wall. One loss would clip Da’ Birds’ wings for good.
They got a scare last week from the Mustache Bashers as the two teams combined for 60 runs over seven innings before Green Robin emerged with a 33-27 win.
The Stash put together an impressive run at the end of the regular season and continued to roll in the playoffs before losing to the Rent-A-Gades, to drop to the loser’s bracket.
In an effort to shake off the loss and return to their winning ways, the Stash held practice at Pitsker Field prior to their showdown with Green Robin.
The Stash carried their momentum from the workout into their first at-bat against Green Robin, racking up a quick advantage in the top of the first.
Mike Neustedter led off with a solo inside the park home run (ITPHR). Ed Dujardin doubled and scored on a hit by Terrann Wight and John Polzin flared a two-run shot over the right field fence for a 4-0 Stash lead.
Mike Pruett kept the Stash fired up on their first defensive play of the game, chasing down a pop fly in right field for a full-extension diving grab.
The excitement was short-lived though as Green Robin followed with a flurry of offense over the next three innings, spraying the ballfield inside and out with hits.
Rebecca Ofsterdahl kicked it all off with a single and scored on a triple by Pete Basile. Margie Wagner slapped an opposite field RBI single and Mikey Weil tied the game up in the bottom of the first inning with a two-RBI double.
The Stash bats fell silent in the second inning and Green Robin added three more runs to take a 7-4 lead.
Adam Jack Ofsterdahl and Joe Erickson each stroked solo shots, with Erickson’s blast hitting town hall and Mike Lauerman put Da’ Birds on top 7-4 with a RBI single.
The Stash offense sputtered in the top of the third inning and Green Robin pounced to rattle off 10 runs in the bottom of the third inning to pull ahead 17-4.
Weil cracked a solo shot to straightaway center, leaving Green Robin stuck, having reached the three home run per game limit. Rather than handcuff them though, it fueled a hitting clinic as they combined for 11 straight base hits.
Adrienne Weil tapped a two-RBI double, Rebecca added a RBI single, Basile a RBI single, Lauerman a two-RBI single and on and on until Adam Jack’s sac fly RBI pushed Green Robin’s 10th run of the inning across, forcing umps to enforce the 10 run rule.
Rather than fold, the Stash kept plugging away despite being down 13 runs.
Wight and Will Dujardin combined for back-to-back RBI base hits to score three Stash runs in the top of the fifth and then gave Green Robin a brief scare in the top of the seventh.
As the Stash came in off the field for their last at-bat, Ed stated, “If you get out, you have to shotgun a beer,” hoping to fire the team up for a comeback, or at least a quick buzz.
The Stash hitters took it to heart as Sarah Fruendt led off with a single down the third-base line. Ed doubled and Wight pushed both runners home with a double.
Rather Hosch and Tony Wildman drove two more Stash runs home to cut the Green Robin lead to six, but a big hustle play by Paul O’Connor in left turned a potential big error into a rally-crushing toss out at third. Green Robin turned the final out to seal the 17-11 win and advance to face the Wine-O’s. The Wine-O’s advanced the game before with a 21-1 win over Lobar. The two teams will play for a shot at the loser’s bracket final against the Talk of the Town. The loser’s bracket winner will then advance to the finals to face the Rent-A-Gades in the 2012 comp league title game on Monday, August 20 at Gothic Field at 5 p.m.
