The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Sun throws teams’ bats off
Airhead pitcher and potential town of Crested Butte mayoral candidate Royal White gave me 500 words to write up their 3-2 win over the Rockstarrs, so here it goes.
Perhaps it was the sun that wreaked havoc upon the hitters at Pitsker Field. It has been a while since we’ve seen the sun, aka the Death Star, here in Crested Butte so it could have been a bit disorienting. Plus, it was the late game so with the batters facing straight into the sun as it descended over Mt. Emmons it probably became increasingly hard to track the ball as it was lobbed to the plate.
Not to take anything from the pitchers. Both White and Rockstarrs’ pitcher Jerry Heal are deceptively tricky on the mound as their casual deliveries cloak well-placed pitches.
Nor would I ever take anything away from the defensive efforts on both sides.
Dave White was stellar, as usual, at shortstop for the Airheads reaching for a shoestring grab in one inning and turning a 6-3 double play in another.
Rockstarrs outfielder Josh Schumacher maintained his prowess in the field as well, reeling in a bloop line drive with a diving grab and holding runners from advancing all game long with his well-renowned rocket arm.
The Rockstarrs added to their defense picking up gray hair Pat Dezell out of Chicago to play third base. The seemingly old man plays the game like a 20-something, going fully horizontal twice that evening to pull in blistering line drives.
Airhead outfielder Jesse “I hit the bank” Banks charged in on a bloop fly ball for a diving grab as well so the defense was on for both sides.
The Airheads opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Rob Houston and Dalynn Trujillo, the very Dalynn who took second place in the nation and fifth in the world in BMX racing in 1979 (see photo), each connected for singles.
Dave White then drove Houston home with a double and the Airheads were up 1-0.
The Rockstarrs tied it up in the top of the third when Amy Shellenberger and Rhett Yarborough each singled and Schumacher pushed Shellenberger home with a single down the leftfield line.
Dave White and Margie Wagner connected for the Airheads second run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Dave singled and Wagner slapped a double down the right field line to score White.
Rockstarr Jay Misare singled and reached third on a double by Shellenberger setting up Rhett Yarborough for a sacrifice fly RBI to tie the game 2-2.
Defense, or poor hitting, or the sun led the way the rest of the game until the bottom of the seventh inning. Dave White led off with a walk. A sacrifice hit from Wagner pushed White to third and Banks drove him home with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field for the 3-2 Airheads win.
Houston summed it up best in four words: “A win’s a win.”
It took me 500.
