Colorado Springs - Week 7 - Highlights

Bazinga (red) vs. The Freeballers (lime):

Bazinga was looking to solidify their top seed in the Pikes Peak Cup against the shorthanded Freeballers squad. The unstoppable duo of Nate Kischer and Tim Menditto led off the damage for Bazinga in the 1^st with back to back bunt singles, later scoring to make it 2-0. In the bottom half of the 1^st, The Freeballers’ captain Vinny Nocito would get a leadoff single, and then scored on a sac-fly by Jessica Mogge to bring them within a run. Bazinga seemed to get a little nervous about the close gap, so they pounded out a 5-run 2^nd inning to help pad their lead to 7-1. Bazinga was glad to have their former 5280 MVP Matt Howes back on the mound for them, as he held The Freeballers to only five safe kicks for the remainder of the game. The Bazinga offense did most of their offensive damage by playing small ball, as Matt Howes had the only extra-base kick of the night.

Final Score: Bazinga 11, The Freeballers 1

HeadShots (white) vs. Hashtag Balls (forest green):

These two veteran teams came in very evenly matched up on paper, but Hashtag Balls was hoping to get the edge to move up in the rankings. Hashtag Balls got the action started in the 1^st, and Dan Z (Jacob Busch) came through with Big Hurt (Adam Huerta) on base, launching a monster homer over the outfield. Kickball enthusiast Chris Berman made the call on the play with his classic “back, back, back, back… GONE.” HeadShots answered in the 2^nd with a run scored by Baylor Finch on a sac-fly by Nate Van Wingerden to make it a 2-1 game. Hashtag Balls got their offense rolling again in the 3^rd after a pair of doubles by Alamo (Kenneth Jackson) and Shallow Hal (Lawrence Halby) and an RBI single by captain Holla Holla (Scott Holewinksi) to make it 5-1. In the top of the 4^th, HeadShots’ Anna Playfair got a leadoff single and scored on a kick by Caleb O’leary. HeadShots would fail to get any more runs home, stranding a couple of runners in scoring position that inning. In the final inning down 5-3, HeadShots would load the bases with 1 out, but a fly-out by Jared Dumont would turn into a double play, as Hashtag Balls picked off Roberta Benz for the final out of the game, preventing a come-back win for HeadShots.

Final Score: Hashtag Balls 5, HeadShots 3

The Freeballers (lime) vs. Hashtag Balls (forest green):

In the final battle for these two teams before the tournament, both teams stepped up their defensive efforts. In the top of the 1^st, as The Freeballers were trying to get together a rally, catcher Alamo (Kenneth Jackson) made an incredible diving grab to end the inning. In the bottom half of the 1^st, Big Hurt scored on an RBI fielder’s choice kick by Professor (Adam Clark). In the bottom of the 6^th, Horny (Camden Nahorniak) was able to score on a clutch kick by Baby Simpson (Maggie McCullough) that left her at third base after the ball was thrown around the field a couple times. Hashtag Balls’ pitcher Dan Z was able to deal some tricky pitches that caused The Freeballers to fly-out 15 out of their 21 total outs for the game, including two in the bottom of the 7^th to secure the win for Hashtag Balls.

Final Score: Hashtag Balls 2, The Freeballers 0

HeadShots (white) vs. Fresh Kicks of Ball Air (black):

The summer regular season concluded with black vs white… or good vs evil, night vs day, hot vs cold (you get the point). HeadShots wanted to prove they could keep up with the top competition, and FKOBA wanted to show they have what it takes to win it all this season. In the bottom of the 1^st, FKOBA plated 9 out of their 10 kickers, scoring 4 runs with 7 singles. In the top of the 2^nd, HeadShots’ Baylor Finch led off with a single, later scoring on Cortney Smith’s sac-fly. Nate Van Wingerden would attempt to get another run on a grounder to 3^rd base, but Alan Paquin pulled a Nolan Arenado and pegged him out as he tried to score from 3^rd base on the play, despite it not being a force play. Down 7-1 in the 4^th, HeadShots put together a string of well-placed balls to get some runs in; the Calebs (O’leary and Van Wingerden) scorched back-to-back triples to right field to knock in 3 runs, and Baylor Finch brought Caleb VW home with a sac-fly to bring the score to 7-5. FKOBA answered in the 4^th and 5^th with back-to-back 3 run innings, thanks in part to a bases loaded 3-RBI triple by Joey Vincent that went way over Nate Van Wingerden’s head in right field. HeadShots would get shut down by the nasty pitching of Erik Martin, who retired HeadShots 1-2-3 in the final two innings.

Final Score: Fresh Kicks of Ball Air 13, HeadShots 5

Fort Collins - Week 7 - Highlights

City Park Field 1 (6pm)

Saved By The Balls (Lime) vs. Little Lebowski Urban Achievers (Sport Grey):

After mental lapses in the bottom of the 1^st inning that caused Little Lebowski Urban Achievers to give up three runs, things weren’t looking too bright. Dan Warro from Little Lebowski helped keep his team stay in it defensively, as those Urban Achievers only gave up one run the rest of the game. Saved By the Balls was really saved by their pitching in this game though. Captain Jonathon Beening’s “sneaky good” pitches kept Little Lebowski Urban Achievers off the scoreboard for the rest of the game. Beening commented after the game, “I really worked on my pitching repertoire in the off-season, and I am happy to see that it is paying off… We are gunning for that Horsetooth Cup!” Saved By the Balls wins 4-0.

City Park Field 2 (6pm)

Oilers (Violet) vs. Kickin Grass and Takin Names (Purple):

This game was a little slow to go, as no runs were scored until the bottom of the 5^th inning… That’s when free agent pickup Julie “The Cat” Gaffney kicked a double that scored two runs for the Oilers! While Julie is usually known for her defensive prowess (see her skills here), she really came through in the clutch this time for the offense! Turns out, those runs were enough for victory. Oilers win 2-0.

City Park Field 3 (6pm)

Merican Made (Red) vs. Where My Pitches At (Neon Orange):

The feeling after this game for Where My Pitches At was “how the heck did we let one player beat us…?!!??” That player for Merican Made was none other than rising kickball star Nicholas O’Connell, who once again took home game MVP honors. O’Connell’s amazing catch in the top of the 4^th inning easily made ESPN’s top 10 of the week—see it here. Where My Pitches kept it close through four innings though, until the bottom of the 5^th when they gave up four runs… Uh oh! Can’t afford those types of innings in the playoffs! Merican Made wins 6-1.

City Park Field 4 (6pm)

high rollers (Ash Grey) vs. Kick It To the Limit (White):

There were lots of highlights and star performances in this contest, despite its low scoring nature! Andrew “Tiny” Jahde started things off with an impressive tip catch in the outfield for the High Rollers in the bottom of the 3^rd. Jahde’s defensive effort ended up igniting the offense, as the High Rollers were finally able to get on the scoreboard in the 4^th inning with some small ball tactics that included a sacrifice bunt and fly ball. Aaron “Super Safe” Harbour from Kick It To the Limit made sure that the High Rollers wouldn’t score again though, as his over the shoulder catch in the right field during the top of the 6^th inning ended a bases loaded scoring threat from the High Rollers. The real standout though was Matt “Opposite of Night” Dea, as he pitched a shutout for the High Rollers and never even let anyone get onto 2^nd base. It looks like the defending champs may be on track for another deep post-season run! High Rollers win 1-0.

City Park Field 1 (7pm)

Kick Balls and Kick Grass (Tennessee Orange) vs. Kickass Data Nerds (Charcoal):

Fantastic base running from Tyler Miget on Kick Balls and Kick Grass got his team on the board early, but soon the Kickass Data Nerds responded to take the lead 3-1 through the 3^rd inning. Shortly after Kick Balls and Kick Grass had taken the lead back after the 5^th inning, they went on to score four runs in the top of the 6^th to take a commanding 8-3 lead over the Kickass Data Nerds. Famous psychologist, Sigmund Freud, commented after the game, “Sometime people have a tendency to overthink and overanalyze. My hypothesis is that’s what happened to Kickass Data Nerds in this game—they should have let their id takeover instead of dealing with their superego.” Kick Balls and Kick Grass 8-3.

City Park Field 2 (7pm)

Really Really RiKICKulously Good Looking (Carolina Blue) vs. Kicktease (Neon Yellow):

Kicktease took the lead in the top of the 1^st inning off a double from Jason “The Ballman” Paulman, but they quickly relinquished the top of the scoreboard to Really Really RiKICKulously Good Looking after giving up two runs in the bottom of 1^st. Kicktease was kept in check the rest of the game by some impressive defense on the part of Really Really RiKICKulously Good Looking, with the highlight being a two-person bobble catch  between Randy “Thing 1” Albert and Amanda “Thing 2” Lark. In the end, Really Really RiKICKulously Good Looking had just enough offense and defense to secure their first ever undefeated season and the number 1 seed going into the playoffs! Really Really RiKICKulously Good Looking wins 3-2.

City Park Field 3 (7pm)

Ballz N Dollz (Tropical Blue) vs. Balls Deep (Navy):

With the opportunity to end their season on a high note, Balls Deep looked to finish with a two-game winning streak after some struggles earlier in the season. Balls Deep drew first blood in the top of the 3^rd by scoring two runs, and then clamped down defensively with Nate Sherman making a diving catch in the bottom of the 4^th that put a wrench in the scoring efforts of Ballz N Dollz. (See the highlight here!) While Ballz N Dollz did not get shut out, they still couldn’t muster much offensively to compete with the determination of the Balls Deep squad. Balls Deep wins 3-1.

City Park Field 4 (7pm)

A Swift Kick in the Grass (Irish Green) vs. Florida Mike and the Free Ballers (Texas Orange):

There were some glimmers of hope for A Swift Kick in the Grass during this game, especially on the defensive end where Doug Liedle and Matthew Pavlik made some stellar catches for outs. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the MVP-effort of Robert Axmacher for Florida Mike and the Free Ballers. “The Ax Man” hit a home run in the bottom of the 3^rd inning and a triple in the bottom of the 5^th, which gave his team more than enough runs to win. Axmacher commented after the game, “Since we are still fighting for playoff seeding, we wanted to come out today and give it 100%. No slacking at the end of the season… And I think we showed that we are deserving of a top 3 seed.” After some make-up games next week, we will see how things shake out… Florida Mike and the Free Ballers win 9-3. 

Sunday Funday - Week 6 - Highlights

Cuernavaca Field 2

Hose Draggers (Red) VS. Gone Rogue (Blue): For our second game of the morning we had a very exciting game from 2 of our best teams this season. Gone started us off in the top of the first with a couple runs and 1 was from Team Captain Gary Spetseris with a home run. In the bottom of the inning Hose came right back and matched them by bringing 3 of their own across the plate to tie it up. Hose shut down Gone in the top of the second and then started a scoring run in the bottom and brought 5 run home including a booming home run from Josh Turner to take the lead. The scoring continued for Hose over the next couple inning and Gone was not able to keep up and didn’t score again until the top of the 5^th when they added 3 more to the board and brought the score to 10-6. In the top of the 6^th Gone really made a run at Hose and almost tied it up by bringing home 3 more but it wasn’t enough to tie it up. In the bottom of the 6^th Hose wanted to give themselves a nice cushion to lock in the win and that’s just what they did by scoring another 4 runs to extend the lead. In the top of the 7^th Gone was down by 5 and needed some runs but Hose had other plans and turned up the defense and shut them down. Hose Wins 14-9.

Colorado Springs - Week 6 - Highlights

Bazinga (red) vs. Fresh Kicks of Ball Air (black):

In a rematch of the top two teams in the league, the rain couldn’t put a damper on this fine defensive battle. FKOBA was able to keep Bazinga off the board in the top of 1^st inning thanks to stellar defense by 3^rd baseman Alan Paquin. FKOBA then jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the 1^st, taking advantage of 3^rd string pitcher Shane Jahnke’s pitching debut for this season. Bazinga was given an unprecedented early deficit, and struggled to get their offense rolling without several of their key offensive weapons on this night. FKOBA’s pitcher Erik Martin served up doses of heavy curveballs and swallowed up any ball that was kicked in his direction. Bazinga managed to get a run in the top of the 7^th, but it proved to be too little too late against the tough FKOBA squad. After the game, Buster Olney got a quick word from FKOBA’s catcher Shane Martin, who said “Our team put it all on the line tonight. We couldn’t have done it without the help of DJ Jazzy Jeff.”

Final Score: Fresh Kicks of Ball Air 2, Bazinga 1

Fresh Kicks of Ball Air (black) vs. Hashtag Balls (forest green):

Coming off their biggest win of the year, Fresh Kicks of Ball Air was looking to maintain their momentum against the white trash Olympic team, Hashtag Balls. In the top of the 4^th, FKOBA scored their first three kickers after four straight singles to start the inning against Hashtag Balls’ fearsome pitcher, Dan Z. Big Hurt (Adam Huerta) scored in the 4^th to make it 4-1, but in the 6^th FKOBA scored the small ball way with 7 singles in the inning to put up a 4-spot, breaking the game wide open 9-1. Hashtag Balls would try to rally in the bottom half of the 6^th, as Wicked (Weston Martin) would score on a Shallow Hal single, but Big Hurt flied out with 2 runners in scoring position to end the game. Rumor has it that Big Hurt was seen after the game putting a big hurt on his bar tab at Jack Quinns.

Final Score: Fresh Kicks of Ball Air 9, Hashtag Balls 2

HeadShots (white) vs. The Freeballers (lime):

HeadShots came to play sporting their White Trash Summer Olympics costumes, minus the Summer Olympics part. Joel Van Wingerden celebrated his birthday by leading off the game for HeadShots with a single and later coming around to score on Luke Northam’s 2-RBI single. In the 2^nd inning, HeadShots’ Nate Van Wingerden led off with a triple and scored on a single by Eric DeCamp. However, The Freeballers would end their threat by getting three straight force-outs at third base. The Freeballers got their offense in gear in the bottom of the 2^nd when Brandon Wilson led off with a single and Jessica Mogge got a 2-out single. Mike Rustenbach scored them both on a single to center field to make it a 1-run game. HeadShots put aside their white trash babies and stepped up their game in the 3^rd, as they managed to get their first five kickers safely aboard, with Luke Northam getting another 2 RBIs and Liz Watts plating a third making it a 6-2 game. Both offenses went relatively cold for the remainder of the game, as the storms cut the games a little short just after every single girls’ loose hair strands were standing on end.

Final Score: HeadShots 7, The Freeballers 2