Kochevar’s crushes Colorado Fitness in softball action

French Canadian in the house

by Than Acuff

You read that right, there was a French Canadian in Crested Butte playing softball. Not only that but it just happened to be during his two-day layover in the Gunnison Valley amidst his cross-country bike ride from San Francisco to Delaware. In addition, he is actually from Virginia not Canada.

So, I would be remiss if I did not riff on French Canadians, Virginia, riding a bike across the U.S. and Delaware.

French Canadians, no idea. Seemed like good people at a Dead show in Canada and can ski the nastiest of conditions.

Viginia, not a state but a “commonwealth.” Which means what exactly? Marlboros, Virginia Slims, Chesterfields, L&Ms and Parliament cigarettes are all made in Virginia so there’s that. Is it me or are cigarettes making a comeback? Vaping is healthier than smoking. Wait, smoking is healthier than vaping. Neither is either, by the way. Healthier that is. But who am I to say, I got a lot of unhealthy habits.

As for riding a bike across the country. You realize you will be hitting the Midwest in late June where it is flat as a pancake and effing hot.

Delaware, the first state. Hi, we’re in Delaware. Delaware does have some nice beaches and my current skin issues started in Delaware getting my “base tan” every summer.

As for the game…Colorado Fitness is a new franchise to the local softball leagues and is a bit of a mystery. While it’s evident from the snap of the throws and the pop sound of the catches during warm up, they got some players, they only had eight players when they started against Kochevar’s on Thursday, June 18.

Regardless, those eight players, including the French Canadian, held Kochevar’s to one run in the top of the first inning due in large part to their three-man infield, including the pitcher, turning a 1-6-3 double play. They then stepped to the plate to take a 2-1 lead as Paul Kirschbaum reached first on a fielder’s choice and then jogged home thanks to a two-run blast from Taylor Miller.

Problem is, at least for Colorado Fitness, Kochevar’s is the top team in the league and while their casual approach to the game at the start was perhaps due in part to the lack of players for Colorado Fitness, they decided to lock in a little in the top of second inning to put up four runs.

John Duffy kicked off the initial paradigm shift at the plate with a solo Inside the Park Home Run (ITPHR) exhibiting some base path speed and running technique that hinted at a prolific high school track career. Hunter “Hunnah” Lucas followed with a triple to deep left field, Zane Wrisley pushed her home with an RBI double and then Mark Krause swatted a two-run ITPHR just beating the toss home that actually soared over the backstop, and over Sixth Street.

By the way, if you found, or God forbid, took a black glove that is “so old there’s none like it,” please return to “Hunnah” on Kochevar’s. 

Kochevar’s did suffer a lack of concentration on defense that led to Colorado Fitness, who was now up to a full team of 10 players, scoring in the bottom of the third when Taylor Vance singled and scored on an e-assisted RBI double by Charlee Green, but Kochevar’s would then lock in on defense as well and proceed to outscore Colorado Fitness 18-0 over the next three innings.

It started in the top of the fourth inning when Andrew Arnold led off with a double and scored on a single by Kristin Tyson. John Dreher then smacked an RBI triple down the third base line, Krause doubled and scored and Ashley Huse and Dreher drove in two more runs with back-to-back RBI doubles for a 12-3 Kochevar’s lead.

The top of the fifth inning was not different as Arnold led off with a triple and Tyson, Lucas, Wrisley and Krause all combined with hits and runs to score four more Kochevar’s runs for a 16-3 lead.

Thanks to continued precision at the plate from Huse, Dreher, Arnold and Tyson in the top of the sixth inning Kochevar’s was out front 20-3 heading into the seventh inning and while Frank Paquette, the French Canadian I spoke about earlier, did single and score on a single by Jackson Smith, Kochevar’s tacked on three more runs for the 23-4 win.