Elevate continues on miracle post-season run

Hares down but by no means out

by Than Acuff

While my temporary allegiance still remains with the Hares and their quest for a title in 2015, how about that Elevate team?

Here’s a team that floundered through the regular season, finishing in dead last with a record of 1-10. In fact, I think a couple of weeks ago I was a bit unkind in pointing out how not-so-good they were.

Shows what I know because they’ve turned things around like no one I’ve seen in local softball. They opened the post season beating the number seven seeded Talk of the Town 16-4 and then the number three seeded team, KBUT, 12-3 in back-to-back games last Thursday.

I mean, here’s a team that averaged seven runs per game during the regular season and then opens the playoffs scoring 28 runs over the course of two games.

What’s up with that?

Tuesday night at Pitsker Field they looked to keep the magic alive but they would have to contend with the Hares, an equally intriguing Cinderella story.

As I’ve said before, say what you will about the Hares line up and their mad use of the 60-and-over coed rule. It reminds me of something a friend said to me about arguing with a six-year-old. “If you’re in an argument with a six-year-old, you got bigger problems.”

The same could be said of a 60-year-old.

If you can’t beat a team of 60-year-olds, you got bigger problems.

Granted, they’re not all over the age of 60 and, as Cis Berry pointed out to me last week, Crested Butte 60-year-olds aren’t your typical 60-year-olds. And the Hares definitely aren’t your typical 60-year-olds.

Nevertheless, nerves were running rampant on the Elevate bench before the game. In an effort to keep things just as they are, they made sure they kept the same batting order as the other two previous games. One player even said out loud, “I haven’t been this nervous since high school baseball.”

Elevate did manage to shake off the nerves a little in the top of the first inning as Jesse LaFountaine led off with a single, Claire Bartholomew tapped a power bunt single and Grant Spear drove a run home with a bloop single to shallow right field.

But the Hares are on a mission and have a line up that’s hard to hold down. The recipe is simple and straightforward. Get runners on, be smart on the base path and let Drew Stichter drive them home. Which is exactly what they did in the bottom of the first as Sam Lumb and Dave McGuire each singled and then Stichter stepped up to crush a three-run, single wall bat blast over the centerfield fence for a 3-1 Hares lead. Not sure if I’ve ever seen anyone go yard at Pitsker since the bat restrictions were put in place, but I have now.

Then the Hares got a little greedy. Or I should say Elevate infielder Becca Pavlik made a great play. Kent Fulton dropped a hit just over Pavlik’s head in shallow right and did what anyone would do, stretch for two. But Pavlik stayed with the ball, tracked it down and fired to second base for the out, ending the inning.

Jared Martin opened the second inning with a solo inside the park home run (ITPHR) but the Hares defense clamped down to hold the lead and stepped up to the plate set up to add to their lead. Thing was, the Elevate had some defense of their own and after giving up an infield single, Elevate turned a 1-6-3 double play to hold the Hares at bay.

Elevate then tied the game 3-3 in the top of the third inning paced by a flurry of base hits. Izabella Fenstermaker led off with a single, CJ Hoover followed with another single and Maddie Baker knocked a run in with a base hit. But a base running miscue stopped Elevate in their tracks and the Hares retook the lead on a solo ITPHR from Stichter in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Hoover and Bartholomew connected in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game 4-4 and after some big defense from both teams, the game remained deadlocked 4-4 heading into the seventh inning.

This inning would make or break Elevate’s postseason run. If they pulled it off, the rhythm would still be with them and they would head into the semifinals on Thursday on a roll. If they didn’t, the loss could pretty much suck all of the life out of them and they would drop into the loser’s bracket and ultimately out of the playoffs.

To be honest, it really came down to their lead-off hitter Alec Lindeman, and he came through in the clutch when he tapped a grounder and charged down the first base line to beat the throw for a single. McKinley Lenker did her job, which was just as crucial, advancing Lindeman with a sacrifice hit. LaFountaine followed with a single and then Fenstermaker stepped up to the plate to knock a RBI single. Hoover drove another run home with a double and Elevate was on top 6-4 with only one out.

The Hares are no slouches, though, and they stopped the bleeding, turning a double play to end Elevate’s late game rally and hold them well within striking distance.

The stage was then set for some Hares magic. While that magic touch missed their first two hitters as they proceeded to strike out and pop out, Jen Hartman came through, tapping a single with Stichter in the on deck circle.

Elevate pitcher Grant Spear tried to pitch around Stichter for fear that he would tie the game with one mighty swing, but Stichter would have none of that. After looking at two bad pitches and taking a courtesy strike on another to avoid the walk, Stichter reached out to drive a double off the netting in left center, putting two runners in scoring position.

It was about as exciting as softball could get and then… it ended as the next Hares hitter grounded out and Elevate kept their miracle run alive with the 6-4 win, sending the Hares down to the loser’s bracket, but by no means out of the postseason.