Aces come up… Aces in win over Eldo

That was fun but now it gets real

[  by Than Acuff  ]

Pitas again? Elevate, once time has been served? Eldo? Aces? 

Tough to say but probably Pitas again. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Talk of the Town? C’mon Talk, get Mac a title.

It was quite the regular season with teams starting out hot and fizzling, teams gaining momentum as the season continued, a couple of kerfuffles and some commandments, but that season came to a close Tuesday, July 16 with the playoffs set to start Thursday.

One team that seemed to be gaining speed was the Eldo having won five of their last seven games leading up to Tuesday and moving into second place in the standings.

Meanwhile, their opponent that night, the Aces, remained erratic all season in their results. One game they seemed to be the team to beat. The next game, they were the team that got beat. But when they faced the Eldo on Tuesday, they did prove that when things are clicking, they are a potential post season spoiler as they handed the Eldo a 17-11 loss.  

The two teams started off with a bit of back and forth with both defenses coming up big.

The Aces kicked things off in the first inning scoring runs off hits from Mike Lauerman, Bryce W. Miller and Tom Harken with Derek Yeadon golfing an RBI single to put the Aces out front 4-0.

But after a hapless first inning, the Eldo bats did provide some pop with Anna Carroll, Nick Fulwiler and Nancy Jackson all driving in runs. Betsy Clark was called from her usual scorekeeping duties to step up to the plate and delivered a single to have runners in scoring position and Jack Golick next up. Golick smashed a line drive bound for either Aces’ pitcher Marcus Qualls’ head or a two RBI hit that ended up in Qualls’ glove as he channeled his inner cat reflexes to make the grab and end the Eldo’s rally.

But the Eldo defense had some tricks of their own as they turned a 4-5-3 double play in the bottom of the second to keep the Aces in check.

The Eldo then started clicking at the plate stringing together some hits to score three more runs. Jess Ladwig has returned to softball following an extended sabbatical and led off with a powerbunt single. Brian Carney then stroked a single and Ashley Huse caught the outfield in with a crushing RBI triple to deep left field. 

Almost worthy of another commandment, thou shalt not play Ashley Huse shallow.

Patrick Cashion and Carroll combined for two more RBI base hits and the Eldo was set up for more had it not been for another Qualls play on the mound, scooping, juggling and then firing to first for the third out.

Dan Brown found his swing to get the Aces back on track with an RBI double, Miller added on an RBI triple, but Eldo pitcher Pip Bailey had some tricks of his own with a leaping grab to rob Harken of an RBI base hit. Tucker Brown did follow with an RBI warning track triple, but Carney came up for the Eldo at shortstop to reel in a grounder up the middle and throw the hitter out at first to close the Aces out.

Qualls did it again on the mound to stifle the Eldo offense and the Aces gained some more momentum in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI single from Brett Gardner and a two RBI triple by Lauerman to put the Aces out front 10-6.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the fifth that things got out of hand for the Eldo. Carney did light a spark with a solo shot and Huse and Bailey each connected for RBI hits, but the Aces started filling the gaps with hits enhanced with some defensive confusion by the Eldo.

Hits from Miller, Harken, Tucker Brown and Kristi Miller had the Aces out front 13-9. Katie Brawner doubled down the third base line and scored on a double by Qualls and Marcy Bryor and Lauerman RBI base hits had the Aces on top 17-9 heading into the sixth inning.

Neither team did much in the sixth inning except for Cashion who charged on a shallow fly ball to make a sliding grab in shallow centerfield.

The Eldo had one last chance in the top of the seventh inning but managed just two runs to fall 17-11 to the Aces.

That was fun but now it gets real.