Colorado Springs - Week 7 - Highlights

Kickelob Ultra (royal blue) vs Hashtag Balls (forest green):

Kickelob Ultra saved their best kickball for the last week, unleashing the beast against Hashtag Balls. In the top of the 1st, Kickelob loaded the bases and James Stuart drew a walk from the unusually unsteady pitching of Holla Holla (Scott Holewinski). Hashtag answered in the bottom half of the inning in similar fashion after Big Hurt (Adam Huerta) also got a bases loaded walk, capping a 3-run inning to tie it up. Heading into the 6th inning, the game was tied at 4-4 when Kickelob caught small ball fire. With 2 outs, Kickelob rallied off six straight singles to take a commanding 9-4 lead. Hashtag was unable to catch up against the stifling pitching of Rob Cooper. With only one extra-base hit the entire game, Kickelob played textbook small ball and got the best of the shorthanded Hashtag Balls defense.

Final Score: Kickelob Ultra 13, Hashtag Balls 4

Brews on First (navy) vs Bundt Cakes (tropical blue):

Brews on First was looking to solidify their spot as the #1 seed in the Pikes Peak Cup tournament, and Bundt Cakes was hoping to spoil their night. Aaron Kennedy got Bundt Cakes on the board first in the 1st after a leadoff single, scoring on an RBI single through the infield by Jeff Gratzmiller. Brews on First got on the board in the 2nd with a 2-out rally highlighted by back-to-back RBI doubles by Alyson Moreau and Sam Schultz to take a 4-2 lead. In the top of the 5th, Bundt Cakes’ Jeff Gratzmiller again brought home a Kennedy (Emily this time) on an RBI double to make it a 5-3 game. Bundt Cakes was unable to get anything else going in the next two innings, only getting one runner on base. Brews on First would prevail on this night, but it would be a different story when these two teams faced each other again in the Pikes Peak Cup.

Final Score: Brews on First 6, Bundt Cakes 3

Our Captain Swallowed a Kickball (black) vs Head sHot (cardinal red):

OCSK and Head sHot came prepared for battle, as this game would go to the wire, proving these teams were very closely matched. OCSK’s ace pitcher, Erik Martin, got things started on offense in the top of the 1st on an RBI fielder’s choice, scoring Shane Martin on the play. Head sHot also quickly got to work in the 1st, after Braxton Finch tied it up with an RBI fielder’s choice for himself. Head sHot took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd on a blazing RBI double to the RF gap by Joel Van Wingerden, scoring Baylor Finch to take a 2-1 lead. Baylor Finch was dealing some serious fire from the mound for Head sHot, only allowing three total baserunners for OCSK in the next four innings. In the bottom of the 5th, Joel would again try to advance Baylor on a kick to the outfield, but Cody Schumann would rob him with a stellar catch in left field, and pegging out Baylor at 2nd base in the process, who was caught not tagging up on the play. Both teams were held scoreless for the remainder of the game, giving Head sHot the close win.

Final Score: Head sHot 2, Our Captain Swallowed a Kickball 1

Willy Wonkas Everlasting Balls (carolina blue) vs Booze on First (indigo blue):

Booze on First was hoping to end their regular season with a big win before heading to their debut in the 5280 tournament in Denver. WWEB got things started in the bottom of the 2nd thanks to Kurt Singer’s RBI double, scoring Craig Behler for a 1-0 lead. Booze on First was held scoreless until the 4th inning, when Alyssa Laliberte and Marc O’Meara got lead-off singles and scored on a pair of fielder’s choice ground-outs. WWEB tied it up in the 6th, when Craig Behler again would score after a single by Kurt Singer. With runners on base in scoring position to take the lead, WWEB’s Dante Pilgrim was unable to bring home any more runs. Booze would take advantage in the 7th, when Jared Locke drove in Marc O’Meara for the go-ahead run on a clutch 2-out single. WWEB got their lead-off runner on base as the tying run in the bottom of the 7th, but then had their next three kickers retired to end the game.

Final Score: Booze on First 3, Willy Wonkas Everlasting Balls 2

Balls to the wall (purple) vs Bazinga (red):

Final Score: Bazinga wins by forfeit

Fort Collins - Week 7 - Highlights

City Park Field 1 (5:50pm)

Kicks From the Bong (Forest Green) vs. New Kicks on the Block (Texas Orange):

It was the last week of the regular season and the final chance for teams to gain an advantage in their playoff seeding! New Kicks did not take this for granted. They jumped out to an early lead and had great defensive effort. Paul Baldwin started this off by making a great jumping catching catch getting sky high and grasping the ball in midair!!! Matt Dubitzky returned the favor for Kicks from the Bong when he tracked down a long fly ball belted deep in the outfield! But Matt Kelly finished up the superb defensive plays when he made a gymnastic type diving catch, finishing with a perfect 10 somersault (See here)!!! New Kicks on the Block wins 9-0.

City Park Field 2 (5:50pm)

Oilers SLTI (Red) vs. Multiple Scorgasms (Royal Blue): 

Looking to bounce back this week, captain Paul Schwarz had is team ready to roll. Multiple Scorgasms gained an early lead by scoring when they put up three runs in the 2^nd inning. But the Oilers didn’t back down and took the lead in the 4^th when they scored 5 runs!!! Oilers SLTI relied on tough defense from there on out led by Ayesha Syed who retired the side by getting all three outs in the bottom of the 4^th. Russ Ehlinger also had his head in the game with solid pitching and defense the entire game!!! Oilers SLTI win 8-3.

City Park Field 3 (5:50pm)

Kick Pitches Get Money (Sapphire Blue) vs. High Rollers (White):

High Rollers’ pitcher, Matt “Opposite of Night” Dea, got himself a well deserved rest for the playoff this week, but he was able to contribute on the offensive side when he smashed a two run homerun!!! The High Rollers didn’t miss him on the mound, however, when they used a combined 6 pitchers to pitch a shutout, including a three and four pitch inning in the first two innings. For Kick Pitches get Money, Evan Acerbo was on FIRE in the field!!! He grabbed all three outs in the first inning, including an incredible fake out that could only occur in kickball! But it was captain and game MVP Mike Haliczuk who turned a one of a kind double play with the bases loaded and preventing a run to score! High Rollers win 22-0.

City Park Field 4 (5:50pm)

Where My Pitches At (Neon Green) vs. Balls Deep (Irish Green):
One man dominated this game… And his name is Spencer Hellwig. Bum bum bum!!! This man amongst boys and girls crushed a three run home run in the bottom of the 1^st inning, a two run home run in the 3^rd, and scored a run in the bottom of the 6^th. Hellwig had support from Kayla Roofe on the defensive end with her multiple catches in left field. Balls Deep never gave up, but they couldn’t sustain offense when it mattered most. Abbi Cohen’s falling catch in center field helped inspire her team to put some runs on the field in the following inning, but it wasn’t enough. Sad face. Where My Pitches At wins 7-3.

City Park Field 5 (5:50pm)

Ballz N Dollz (Tropical Blue) vs. Lewis for Mayor (Dark Heather):

Ballz N Dollz captain Jeremy Glanzer had his game face on as he was a defensive star out there. Great catch after catch after catch!!! But Lewis for Mayor captain Renee Vandermause was ready for a political battle and was out for the votes! Lewis for Mayor jumped out to an early lead scoring six runs in the first four innings. They wouldn’t dare let go of the lead and had great defensive strategy to get the victory! Lewis for Mayor wins 6-2.

City Park Field 6 (5:50pm)

Fortlandia Fartknockers (Heliconia) vs. The Edukators (Neon Pink):

We had the battle of the pinks this week (yes, heliconia is a shade of pink, not to mention a beautiful flower)! Both shades of pink battled early with the lead trading off each of the first few innings! But it was Steven “touch ‘em all” Tingey who broke things open for the Fartknockers when he absolutely crushed a homerun!!! Great pitching and a few runs later, Fortlandia walked away with a win in a Fartknocker way! Fortlandia Fartknockers win 9-4.

City Park Field 1 (6:50pm)

High Socks High Motivation (Gold) vs. Ace Strong (Indigo Blue):
High Socks High Motivation came out with some high intensity in the bottom of the 1^st inning, especially game MVP Trent Darrough who a hit two run homer to start things off right. Darrough also knocked in a grand slam in the bottom of the 5^th. Now that’s what I call a slugger!!! Ace Strong never threw in the towel though, especially Rusty Hund whose “weird” sitting catch in the bottom of the 3^rd made the ESPN top 10. (See it here!) Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure victory. High Socks High Motivation wins 15-4.  

City Park Field 2 (6:50pm)

Madwire (Tennessee Orange) vs. Saved By The Balls (Purple):
What a pitcher’s duel! Captain Joel Vandertop from Madwire and “Beans” from Saved By the Balls kept it tight through the 5^th inning with Save By the Balls in the lead 1-0. Finally, Saved By the Balls was saved by their offense in the top of the 6^th inning when they got some breathing room after scoring three more runs. The true defensive MVP though for Saved By the Balls was Laura Huxtable who made sure that Madwire’s offense was kept in check for the full duration. Vandertop commented after the game, “I don’t know what we would do without Laura. She is such a vital part to our defensive strategy. We are currently in contract negotiations to make sure we don’t lose her to free agency in the off-season.” Saved By the Balls wins 4-1.

City Park Field 3 (6:50pm)

Team America (Navy) vs. Just Kickin It (Grey):

While this game started as a forfeit, a few High Rollers stuck around to make a great game. While Big Ben Burnham earned game MVP by pitching a three-pitch inning in the 2^nd inning and then turned a stunning double play to end the following inning, this game was all about Thomas Klose! Filling in for the great Cody Wells, Klose all but sealed his place as the third baseman of the future, starting by making a one handed grab and throw on a bunt in the bottom of the 5^th! He further proved his worth when he fielded a shot down the third base line and made an across the diamond throw that made his team question whether Cody could even make!!! Everyone loves seeing a star in the making and we got to see one this week. This unbelievable game was decided by the one and only run scored in the top of the first!!! Team America wins 1-0.

City Park Field 4 (6:50pm)

Kicktease (Charcoal) vs. Florida Mike and the Freeballers (Neon Orange): We had yet another defensive battle in this contest! Jason “The Bobbler” Paulman’s work as catcher for Kicktease, including a couple bobbled catches, kept things interesting early on. Then John Flack’s triple for Kicktease tied things up in the bottom of the 3^rd. It was the pitching duo for Florida Mike and the Freeballers that made the difference though! “Sir Brentington” and “The Axe” rotated innings, while giving up only one earned run in the process. We will have to start calling them the new anti-bash brothers! Florida Mike and the Free Ballers win 2-1.

City Park Field 5 (6:50pm)

Little Lebowski Urban Achievers (Neon Yellow) vs. Ballz N Dollz (Tropical Blue):
What a back and forth struggle! Ballz N Dollz jumped out early 2-0 in the top of the 1^st inning, but then the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the 1^st. Ballz N Dollz would take the lead once again 4-3 in the top of the 4^th, only to get one-upped come the bottom of the 6^th by the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions… Kickball aficionado Stephen Curry commented after the game, “The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers may not win pretty, but they come through in the clutch. I wouldn’t hesitate to put my money on them for the unlikely Horsetooth Cup 3-peat.” Little Lebowski Urban Achievers win 8-4.

City Park Field 6 (6:50pm)

Lunchbox Violators (Carolina Blue) vs. Girls Love Big Kicks (Cardinal Red):
In this matchup of veteran squads, we were expecting a technical and strategic match, and boy we weren’t disappointed! The Lunchbox Violators led 2-1 after the 2^nd inning, but then Kyle Oldham for Girls Love Big Kicks stepped up to the plate… Oldham crushed a run-scoring triple in the top of the 3^rd inning that would give his team the lead for good! Captain Brady Andersen from Girls Love Big Kicks commented after the game, “After some tough losses this season, this game really puts us in a good position going into the playoffs. I have full confidence in my team to win it all!” Girls Love Big Kicks wins 5-3.