Fort Collins - Week 1 - Highlights

Greenbriar Park Field 1 (5:45pm)

Cheba Hut (Forest Green) vs. Oilers (Heliconia): The Oilers, fresh off their championship game loss in the spring 2017 season, came out of the gate with a vengeance in this one by scoring five runs in the bottom of the 1^st inning to create quite the cushion. They would go on to score three runs in the 4^th and four runs in the 5^th to blow things wide open. Cheba Hut never gave up though, thereby making sure that a shutout was not in the cards. Garrett Dean, captain of the Oilers, commented after the game, “After losing the championship game, we did some rebuilding in the off-season. We are more focused and fine-tuned this year. We are definitely ready for another championship run!” Oilers win 13-3.

Greenbriar Park Field 2 (5:45pm)

Balls and Dolls (Violet) vs. Florida Mike and the Free Ballers (Purple): Florida Mike and the Free Ballers showed no mercy on the newbies in the bottom of the 1^st inning, scoring eleven runs! Brent “Hit Man” Behler started things off with a two-run homer, and Luke “Lance Berkman” Birky finished off the inning with a grand slam. Yowza! The defense for Florida Mike and the Freeballers was stellar as well, with “Downtown” Eric Brown making a sliding catch for a key out in the top of the 3^rd inning. But despite their newbie status, the fresh-faced Balls and Dolls squad found their footing quickly—they were able to get the bases loaded several times in the early innings, but they just couldn’t close the deal. Individually, Noah “Step-off” Steffen shined brightly in left field, especially after his sliding catch in the bottom of the 4^th inning. Next time, the whole team will be ready! Florida Mike and the Free Ballers win 17-7.

Greenbriar Park Field 1 (6:45pm)

2 Legit 2 Quit (Navy) vs. Ballz n Dollz (Neon Orange): 2 Legit 2 Kick wins 20-14. Now that is a lot of runs!!! This contest was a barnburner from the start! It was close throughout, with 2 Legit 2 Kick making some really stellar plays: Justin Wells hit a three run homer, and Eric Kossoris had a beautifully epic sliding catch for a key out. Ballz n Dollz kept the game close, but they gave up eight runs in the top of the 3^rd, which ultimately was too much to handle. After the game, Ballz n Dollz fans could be heard uttering the phrase, “So close but no cigar.” (Read here to find out where that phrase comes from.) 2 Legit 2 Kick wins 20-14.

Greenbriar Park Field 2 (6:45pm)

Flint Tropics (Neon Yellow) vs. Kickin Grass and Takin Names (Sapphire Blue): The Flint Tropics, fresh off their first championship win in the Spring 2017 season, were flying high in this one! They even improved their squad in the off-season by adding a Cy Young-award winning pitcher, Matt Dea, a former High Roller, who came out of retirement specifically to win another championship. Dea was quoted in the off-season, “I have kept my eyes on the Flint Tropics team over the last couple seasons, and they have really impressed me with their play. I am extremely excited to bring my talents to back to Fort Collins.” Dea certainly displayed an MVP-caliber level of play in this contest, with a couple foul outs during the game as well as a four-pitch inning in the top of the 7^th. The only person to get by Dea was Kyle Oldham from Kickin Grass and Takin Names in the top of the 2^nd when he smashed a triple for an RBI score. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing for Dea—just like riding a bike… Flint Tropics win 13-2.

Greenbriar Park Field 3 (6:45pm)

Little Lebowski Urban Achievers (Ash Grey) vs. Team America (Royal Blue): This game was really just a home run contest, with fill-ins for Team America knocking in homers in the top of the 1^st and 2^nd innings. Then a substitute from the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers crushed one in the bottom of the 2^nd! See the home run of the game here-ish! Team America wins 26-12.