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.