Pitas pushes through to meet Elevate in finals

It’s gonna be a barnburner 

By Than Acuff

Sad but true, the Tuesday/Thursday softball league is coming to a close as Pitas won both ends of a doubleheader on Tuesday, July 30 to push through and face Elevate in the finals on Thursday, August 1 at Gothic Field at 5 p.m.

It wasn’t a smooth ride for Pitas in the post season as they were knocked down to the loser’s bracket in the second round of the playoffs and were nearly eliminated but edged out a 14-12 win over Kochevar’s to keep hope alive.

Based off what occurred Tuesday though, it looks as if they are now hitting their stride as they battled past the Aces in the first game and then exacted revenge on the Eldo in the second to make it back to the finals for the seventh, maybe eighth year in a row?

While the Aces did put up a good fight in the first game keeping it tight, Pitas went into auto mode to seal the first win. They weren’t so automatic at the start of the second game though as their defense was a bit out of sorts providing hope for the Eldo and their legion of fans in attendance.

Not to mention the C-30 flyover midgame sending conspiracy theorists running for their laptops and while I’m writing this, they are no doubt deep into their chat rooms discussing contrails, Kamala Harris and the Deep State while ordering a litany of pills and tinctures from Hims.

I sure hope Colorado is a deep state this coming winter.

Before all that though, Pitas miscues and the Eldo energy made for great action early on starting with an RBI triple by Carly Webb and a second run scoring for a 2-0 Eldo lead before a charging, diving, rolling grab by Pitas’ outfielder Mike Yeager brought it to an end.

Pitas picked up where they left off in the first game with hot bats. Hits from Heather Duryea, Roland Mason and Mallory Zimmerman scored their first run. Emily Crooks knocked a two RBI single to leftfield and Thomas Mclean cranked a two-run home run to straightway center for a 5-2 Pitas lead. Two more base hits had more ducks on the pond for Emily Otter O’cañas and she blooped a hit into shallow centerfield, but Jess Ladwig charged in to making a reaching grab holding Pitas to their 5-2 lead.

Then a bit of chaos ensued, and the Eldo thrives on chaos. Patrick Henry Cashion led off with a triple and scored as Ladwig tapped a single into shallow right field. The Pitas infield then made a mess of a grounder by Gunnar Cantwell gifting him an RBI double. Joey Reed followed with a single and Pitas fumbled another grounder to give up another RBI single. Nick Fulwiler connected for an RBI single and here the Eldo was up 6-5.

Yet even when Pitas is not so good, they’re still pretty good and Scott Sanders led off with a solo home run. Mason and Rhett Yarbrough provided additional pop to score a run to go up 7-6 but that would be it and the door was open for the Eldo.

When Pitas gives you an opportunity, you better take it. Unfortunately, the Eldo did not take it and were held to one hit and no runs in the top of the third.

And there it went as Pitas went to work at the plate, as they often do, spraying the field with hits to rattle off eight runs. Hits from McLean, Yeager, Crooks and Sanders drove in the first two runs of the rally. A walk loaded the bases for Mason and he delivered with a two RBI single. Pitas then took advantage of the man walk, woman walk rule to reload the bases for McLean’s second trip to bat and he punched a high fly, three RBI double and just like that Pitas was up 15-6.

The Eldo looked like were ready to make it a game still though until a double play quashed that idea and then a baserunning mishap and solid defense by Pitas the next inning crushed another potential comeback. Or was it the C-30 flyover arranged by Pitas. I read online Drew Stichter has some contacts at Fort Carson. And what’s with the helicopter flying around? I’m gonna take a break here to check out the Parking Vigilantes Facebook page.

Nope nothing there, yet.

Meanwhile, Pitas kept hitting and running and then bombing. Two base hits set up Heather Cooper for a sac fly RBI, Yeager doubled to left to score another run and then Sanders donated a softball to the KBUT pledge drive with a two-run smash for a 20-6 lead heading into the sixth inning.

The Eldo never goes down without a fight and they brought some more stoke to the sixth inning. Not only did they score three runs on hits from Brian Carney, Kate Schmidt, Cashion and Cantwell but they followed with some tight ass defense. Mason hit a grounder into Carly’s Webb for the first out and then Fulwiler, Carney and Pip Bailey turned the tightest of tight 3-6-1 double plays.

They followed that up with a few more fireworks at the plate including a three-run inside the park home run from Carney but Pitas’ lead was safe and sound and Jill Cooper made the final out catching a fly ball to deep left field for the 20-13 Pitas win.

Unfortunately, for the first time in 20+ years of covering softball, I will not be making it to the finals on Thursday between Elevate and Pitas due to a wedding. But rest assured, I’ve got my people filming the game so when you see Tom out there with a weird looking camera, give him a beer. He’s from England and I don’t think he’s ever watched a softball game.