The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“Staff Infections are festering”
by Than Acuff
Well, as you are reading this, a Wednesday league champion has been crowned but before they could get there, they had to get there.
What does that mean?
Redundancy is the spice of life. Saying the same thing twice makes life more interesting.
The Staff Infections had a brief run at the Wednesday league title, opening the post-season on fire as they handed the Last Steep an 18-14 loss.
While I predicted Staff Infection player Bob Gillie would crack the game-winning RBI in the playoffs, I was a bit off but he did have an RBI hit.
The big story really was big John Montana Mahoney, who can hit the ball as far as the Montana Sky is big. So much so that he won the Ball Bash Home Run Derby this past weekend. But before that, he put on a power-hitting display against the Last Steep as a primer for his home run derby debut.
The Last Steep came out determined to make a name for themselves in what would be their last game of what has been a rough season. While their roster was stuffed and their heart was in the right place, they had their hands full with a stacked Wednesday league.
They opened the game knocking in a couple of runs as both Ben McDill and Reggie Park made the full trip around the base path to score.
The Staff Infections responded immediately, scoring four runs, including a solo shot from Mahoney that hit the top of town hall, and a two-RBI single from Dougie Fresh Collin. The Last Steep rallied back to knock in two runs and tie it up as Jason Briggs crushed a solo home run over the right field fence to lead off, and Zach Baker doubled and then scored on a double from McDill.
The Infections started spreading though, as their bats got hotter over the next several innings. Gillie sparked the first five-run rally with a lead-off single. Ian Baird doubled to the fence and Lynelle “Sanford” Stanford flared a two-RBI triple down the right field line. Mahoney stepped up to clear the bases once again with another towering home run and Collin capped the surge with a RBI single for a 9-4 Staff Infections lead.
Aggressive base running from Gillie set the Staff Infections up for additional runs in the bottom of the third. After stretching for three and breaking up the tag, Gillie then trotted home on a single from Baird. Mahoney then returned to the plate and continued to punish the ball with his third home run of the game, scoring three runs for a 13-5 Staff Infections lead.
After suffering so many losses during the regular season and now down 15-6 in the playoffs, one would expect the Last Steep to just fold up and call it a season. But, as I mentioned, the team’s got heart and they proceeded to chip away at the lead, keeping the Infections from going systemic.
A couple of base hits set up Tom “Peter” Frampton for a two-RBI double. Anna Marie Davidson followed with a RBI double and Doug Conant pulled the Last Steep within four when he stroked a RBI single.
The threat of a Last Steep comeback woke the Staff Infections back up as they knocked three more runs in, including inside the park home runs from both Stanford and Tyler Hansen.
Shane McDermott gave the Last Steep one last thing to cheer about when he crushed a three-run home run but that would be the last of the Last Steep, as the Staff Infections closed out the game for the 19-14 win.
The Staff Infections were then rewarded for their win with a game against Pita’s OGs immediately following and were subsequently removed from the playoff picture as they fell 28-15.
