The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Wednesday league entering final stages
By Than Acuff
It took all season and then some, but I finally got to a Lords of Dirt game and it only emphasized the fact that it is going to be a tight fight for the Wednesday league title as they cruised to a 16-7 win over KBUT to push through to a big semifinal showdown with the Zuni West Renegades.
A critical element to any title run is composure and the Lords of Dirt proved composed when KBUT started things off scoring five runs in the top of the first inning.
Team Harrington, Kat and Shawn, led off with a walk and single, Carly Webb singled to load the bases and both Sonny Burgos and Ahmed Moidduin knocked RBI singles to start the early scoring machine.
A walk scored another KBUT run and Jess Ladwig scored two more with a single to rightfield for a 5-0 lead. Nick Hight followed with a single and with two on and one out, KBUT’s signal was strong. That is until a line drive up the middle was snagged by the Lords of Dirt pitcher and tossed to first base for a double play knocking out the KBUT translator.
KBUT’s defense was on point though, or perhaps the Lords of Dirt lead off hitters were not, as KBUT retired the first two batters, but the Lords of Dirt remained calm as Rob Holleran and Macey Maketos each singled and scored when Sam Evans smashed a double off the netting and Sofia Gonzales singled to left scoring two more Lords of Dirt runs.
The second and top half of the third inning was all about defense for both teams with players pulling off big time post season plays. Lords of Dirt second basewoman Katie McKernan was knocked back off her feet by a hot grounder only to stay with the play to make the toss to second base for the force out, ending a brief surge by KBUT, and Moidduin had a similar play for KBUT in the outfield when he snagged a deep fly ball while falling backwards as well.
Maketos and Gonzales then joined the defensive highlight reel as Maketos snagged a fly ball to deep right field gaining the vociferous approval of friends and family in the crowd and Gonzales sprinted in to snag a dropping liner in leftfield to hold KBUT to their tenuous two-run lead.
The tides officially turned in the Lords of Dirt favor in the bottom of the third as they found their stroke at the plate to surge into the lead. Bryce W. Miller and McKernan led off with back-to-back base hits to start the scoring. Holleran and Maketos did the same to knock two more Lords of Dirt runs in and Jake Sunter stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded to crack a three RBI triple off the fence in centerfield for a 9-5 Lords of Dirt lead.
After holding KBUT scoreless in the top of the fourth, the top of the Lords of Dirt batting order was due up and they continued to do some damage. Miller and McKernan each got on base and were then chased home by Holleran when he picked a gap with a hit and charged around the bases for a three-run inside the park home run. Sam Evans tacked on a solo home run and the Lords of Dirt were on top 13-5 heading into the fifth inning.
Things quieted down for both teams until the top of the sixth inning as the KBUT bats stirred a bit to score two runs. Burgos and Moidduin each singled and then scored when Lynch and Brady Harper knocked RBI base hits, but hopes for a comeback soon dwindled in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Lords of Dirt responded.
Evans, Gonzales and Billy Watson all drove in runs for the Lords of Dirt and the teams’ defense did the rest in the top of the seventh inning to win 16-7 and push through to the semis, while KBUT will now look to battle their way through the loser’s bracket while also looking to raise $75,000 for community radio in the Gunnison Valley.
