The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“Stoner reflexes”
The Whetstoners are about as hot and cold as any team could possibly be in softball.
Just last week they handed the league-leading KBUT squad their first loss of the season on Tuesday. Two days later, the Whetstoners became one of only two teams to lose to the Gray Hares all year.
As a result, they came into their game Tuesday night against the Kochevars Bombers with a record of 5-5 looking to shake their schizophrenic ways heading into the post-season.
The Bombers, on the other hand, came in on a two-game winning streak that pulled them out of the cellar and improved their record to 4-5.
Furthermore, the Whetstoners edged out an 11-10 win over the Bombers earlier this season so the Bombers were primed to avenge the loss and move ahead of the Whetstoners in the standings.
But like I said, the Whetstoners are hot and cold and after their loss to the Gray Hares—they returned to action red hot against the Bombers.
It all began in the top of the first as the Whetstoners hitters connected for seven base hits to build a 6-0 lead.
Barb Winter opened the scoring dropping a two-RBI single in shallow center field.
A base hit by James “Whisker Wars” Newton and a walk loaded the bases for Scott McKenrick. McKenrick drove in two more with a double and Sarah Chesebrough and Zach Matthias added two more runs with RBI base hits.
Alex Mattes-Ritz crushed a two-run home run to straightaway center in the top of the second inning to build an 8-0 lead before the Bombers put together some offense of their own in the bottom of the second.
Katrina Birdsall singled and then scored on a single by Butch Hamrick. Mike Ingle pushed another Bombers home and Elise Wages tapped a RBI single to right to cap the three-run rally.
But the Bombers defense remained suspect, including giving up an error-assisted solo inside the park home run to Chuck McKenrick as the Whetstoners took an 11-3 lead in the third inning. Chuck would go on in the game to fall one base hit shy of hitting an error-assisted cycle.
The Bombers are no quitters though and they put together a flurry of base hits. Charles D. Bond, Jr. and Christine Hawk singled and Trent Naef drove Bond home with a base hit. But Matthias pulled off the first of two cat-like plays on the mound to cool things off.
Birdsall cracked a line drive up the middle bound for center field but Matthias leapt into the air off the pitching rubber to flag it down.
The Bombers defense then tightened up in the top of the fourth inning.
After the first two Whetstoners batters knocked hits to put runners on first and second, the left side of the Bombers’ infield of Jimmy Pepper and Naef turned the next three outs at third base to hold the Whetstoners scoreless.
But Matthias pulled off another play on the mound in the bottom of the fourth. Showcasing true “‘stoner reflexes,” Matthias pulled in a line drive shoe-top high for the third out in the bottom of the fourth.
Matthias followed up his defense heroics with some offense crushing a solo shot to straightaway center and the Whetstoners had a 13-6 lead in the top of the sixth inning
Matthias added another solo shot in the top of the seventh inning and Mattes-Ritz roped a three RBI triple to blow the game out, handing the Bombers a crushing 19-6 loss.
