The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
It was over, and then it wasn’t, and then it was
by Than Acuff
We had ourselves a game last Wednesday, June 12 at Gothic Field between CB Extreme and KBUT. While it plodded along somewhat uninspired like so many Grateful Dead shows, it eventually caught fire at the end, much like so many Grateful Dead shows, leaving the crowd to forget about the six-song first set that included a horrific cover of an endless Bob Dylan song.
“Oh mamma, can this really be the end, to be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues again…”
That song was good for a piss break and a quick slam of three beers from the “Beergarten.” But that’s just me, I’m sure it was a favorite for someone else.
Granted, the first several innings of the game weren’t all that bad. The two teams were entrenched in a back and forth battle taking turns in the lead with neither really exerting their dominance.
KBUT made the first legit push in the top of the third inning when Kat Harrington crushed a triple to deep left field. Harrington would then score on a double by Brady “Bryce” Harper, Sohrob Nimrouzi smacked a RBI triple and Shawn Harrington tacked on a RBI double for a 6-4 KBUT lead.
But, CB Extreme responded in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead as Jess Forbes tapped a RBI single and Mick Demi went full, driving a two-run shot over the centerfield fence to go up 7-6. They added two more runs to their lead, then lost those runs, but then added three more in the bottom of the fourth.
Spencer Bates swatted a high heater out of the park but the keen eye of the umpires saw the runner on base leave early and nullified the home run. Which, remarkably, rose nary a complaint. Alicia Sandstrom was called on to play for an injured player and walked, only to then jog home when Andrew Towers drove a three-run shot off of the town hall building, which should have been a four-run shot, given Sandstorm is pregnant. Either way, CB Extreme was now on top 10-6 and looking to pull away.
KBUT came right back to pull within one but the game then looked to turn in CB Extreme’s favor for good as they scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, paced by base hits from Callie Jo Aspinwall, Forbes and Amanda Delvecchia, while Demi and Bates cleared the bags with a grand slam and a three-run home run respectively.
A two RBI single from Forbes then had CB Extreme up 20-13 heading into the seventh inning and the game seemed all but over, but it wasn’t.
It all started with back-to-back triples from Harrington and Lonnie Eichinger. Alec Lindenman drove a run in with an infield single and base hits by Heather Heinz and Mel Frank had the bases loaded and you could feel a slight sense of panic creeping in on CB Extreme.
And rightfully so, as RBI hits from Scott Stewart, Kat, Lindsay Deckman and Eichinger had KBUT back in the lead 24-20.
CB Extreme wasn’t done yet though. Delvecchia led off with a key base hit, Bates doubled and Towers drove them home with a double. Rhett Yarbrough drove a RBI single to pull CB Extreme to within one with runners on and two outs.
Aspinwall stepped to the plate with a hot bat but popped a foul that looked to fall to the ground unattended. Instead, KBUT catcher Katie Harper chased it down from behind the plate reaching out for the grab. The ball bounced off her glove, her arm, her shoulder until she clamped it close to her body with almost nearly every appendage she has to secure the third and final out and the 24-23 KBUT win.
