Wednesday Cuernavaca - Week 7 Highlights

Hose Draggers vs. Dice: Lacey Moore set the defensive tone for Dice in the top of the first inning when she tipped a hard kicked line drive straight up, secured the catch and ended the inning. Dice carried this momentum into the bottom of the first inning where they plated an incredible 6 runs. Ashley Feller was responsible for one of those RBI's when she laid a bunt single down. Hose Draggers got their only run in the top of the second inning by playing some solid small ball. But in typical Dice fashion, they answered back - this time, scoring their 3 final runs of the game in the bottom of the second inning. From then on, both teams showcased some really good defense. Dice's Lisa Fitzbeck had a fantastic diving catch, in the dark, to end the game.  Dice wins, 9-1.

Punani Patrol vs. Step Parents: This was a really close game. Punani got on the board first with 2 runs in the top of the first inning. Punani's Nathan "Noodles" Newell kicked in one of those runs with a well placed single. Punani extended their lead to 3-0 by scoring their last run of the game in the top of the third inning. Punani got some great pitching from Russell Thesing to keep Step Parents off the board for most of this game. Step Parents put together a valiant effort in the bottom of the seventh inning with almost zero daylight remaining. They were able to get one run and bring the tying run to the plate. But, Punani practically turned into werewolves and got some crazy D from the right side of their infield. Their first baseman some how tipped a hard kicked line drive just enough so that the second base gal could secure a diving catch. What a great ending! Punani Patrol wins, 3-1.

Wednesday Cuernavaca - Week 6 Highlights

Dice vs. Step Parents: This game started off quietly with two scoreless innings, with both teams exhibiting some pretty great pitching and defense!!! Finally, the action began in the top of the 3rd inning when Dice was able to plate one run. Luckily for Step Parents, Amber Kassell made a nice catch in shallow right field to end the inning before too much damage could be done. Dice got some great defense from third baseman Matt Graffam. All three kickers in the bottom of the 3rd inning kicked right at Matt and he secured all three outs like the champ he is. Then, in the top of the 4th inning, Dice blew this game wide open!! They scored six runs, two of which came off a Brett Stanilka 2-run double. Step Parents would score their only two runs in the bottom of the 4th inning. Dice finished off the scoring in this game with one more run in the top of the 5th inning. Dice wins, 8-2.

Punani Patrol vs. Hose Draggers: Hose Draggers got off to a quick start in the bottom of the 1st inning. Dwayne Keaton drove in the first run with an RBI single. Then Chad Frier booted a SAC fly for the second run. Finally, Stefanie Hayes kicked a 2-RBI fielder's choice to finish off Hose Dragger's power scoring. After getting out of that inning, Punani Patrol regrouped and was able to keep Hose Draggers scoreless for the rest of the game. A big part of that was some good pitching from Russ Thesing. Punani Patrol eventually plated one run in the top of the 4th inning, but that was all they could muster. Hose Draggers wins, 4-1.

Wednesday Cuernavaca Park - Week 5 Highlights

Step Parents vs. Hose Draggers:  The Step Parents were after their first victory of the season and were able to start things off on the right foot by posting 4 on the board in the top of 1^st.  However, led by Heather CapoBianco’s RBI single, the Hose Draggers countered right back with 4 runs of their own in the 1^st.  The Step Parents recaptured the lead in the 2^nd , then extended it in the 3^rd.  Then, things started to go in the Hose Draggers favor, as they were helped majorly by Chad’s defense to slowly cut away at the Step Parents’ lead.  An opportunity for the Hose Draggers to tie up the game and win came in the 7^th, and boy did they seize the opportunity!!  David Bayouth gave the Hose Draggers their first lead of the game with his massive walk-off single to win the game!!!  Hose Draggers wins 9-8.

Dice vs. Punani Patrol.  Well boys and girls, this one wasn’t pretty…Punani Patrol got smacked around pretty good by the fighting Justin Andrew Anderson.  Dice recorded 5 runs in the 1^st and would have had more if it wasn’t for the most unlucky out at 3rd by Joe “Muscle Hamster” Robertson.  It’s also worth noting that Matt Griffen blasted a monster 2-run homer to leftfield that was closer to the port-a-potty that the fielder when it landed.  After going scoreless in the 2^nd , Dice hung a 4 spot in the 3^rd and extended lead to 9-0.  It was at this point that Nathan “Noodles” Newell  started to lose his composure and allowed another 3 Dice runs across the board. Up 12-0, Dice let off the gas a little bit and only scored 3 runs in the final 3 innings.  Dice wins 15-0.

Sunday Funday - Week 4 Highlights

On a day where an NFL Sunday win was going to show us where the balance of the league was, we too were defined in our play.  Remember, everyone gets better if they work on it, and some teams have had 4 years to do it!!  Sunday Funday is by far our best kickball experience from weather, to teams, to games…ahhh what a relief it is to have Sunday Funday!!

Fresh Kicks of Ball Air vs. Wasted Talent:  Garrett Deheer showed up in this one – he started the game out with a 2-run HR, later smacked a solo shot, and then made an amazing diving catch in foul left for the out…Garrett here’s your game ball!!  Now go watch the Packers play terribly J!!  Deheer was followed by a 3-run shot by Brad “I don’t care unless I kick a homerun” Calloway, and another 3-run shot by Brandon Frawley.  Just remember, FKOBA all have soccer backgrounds, HOWEVER the kicking display in this one (meaning no bunting – all kicks), was probably the best we will see all year.  They would admit the results were great but they also deserve credit for it too…nice work Fresh Kicks…very impressive display of booting!!  Wasted Talent learned a ton in this game, and did put it into play late in the matchup, but FKOBA was on fire…no one would have beat this team in this game!!  Fresh Kicks of Ball Air wins 12-1. 

Kevin Bacon vs. Mile High Kickballers:  Kick off your Sunday shoes, dammit!!! At least these gals should, maybe that would slow them down a bit!  Mile High DEFINITELY laces up their shoes on Sunday Funday and puts on a “How to bunt effectively, efficiently, and effortlessly WHILE still being a lady” seminar…come out this Sunday to see it again!!  Followed by, “How to play error free kickball with style, sophistication, and spunk!!”  These leading ladies started their matchup on a wonderful Sunday morning getting through their lineups twice in 2 innings and scoring 7 runs.  Yes, we have moments from the “lesser halves” on this team too, but we definitely know who wears the pants…but we’ll still give credit to Stanilka’s running, beer-in-hand catch in foul territory…always impressive, this kid is…opponents breathed WTF when he caught that ball…Stanilka, you are now confined to beers in BOTH hands!!  Kevin Bacon mounted a come back late and scored 1, but Mile High ran the clinic.  Mile High Kickballers wins 10-1.

  

Ballsagna vs. That One Team:  This was definitely the game of the week!!  Dan Burdick got Ballsagna on the right track with an RBI single and later scored to get Ballsagna the early lead 2-0.  That One Team instantly responded with 2 runs of their own and suddently we had a game on our hands!!  Justin Spanbauer of TOT and Dan Burdick of Balls both pitched excellent bouts in this match up – Justin has a low right-handed delivery that cuts the ball to the right-footed kickers inside corner, and Dan has a higher left-handed delivery with an extra “tweak” at release that sends the ball into turbulence!!  The Ballsagna group kept their focus in this one and didn’t abort from their original game plan…executing great ball placement and aggressive base running to give them more opportunities to score!!  This is exactly what happened, and even against the stylistic pitching of Spanbauer, scored 2 more runs to go up 4-2 in the 5th inning.  Even the “people from the newspaper” were commenting about the togetherness of Ballsagna – we were impressed and Manager of the Year comments were swirling for skipper, Ashley Moore.  Of course, it’s not over until…well, in this case for GO Kickball, the bottom of the 7th inning is completed and the score is tied – duh!  Going into the bottom of the 7th inning the score was 4-2 Ballsagna and many of the fans were even gathering their items for departure.  However, the TOT crew had another plan and they went to work!  TOT was able to get base runners and score 1 to cut the lead to 1 run…Spanbauer came up, took 1 and fouled 1, on the 3rd pitch he smacked the ball in the gap scoring 1.  Then Hallie Myers came up, the crowd was going crazy, everything went into slow motion like it was a movie, and Hallie belted a 2-run walk off for the win, the celebration-pandemonium started!!  That One Team wins 5-4.

Wednesday Cuernavaca Park - Week 4 Highlights

Dice vs. Step Parents:  Dice wasted no time getting revved up by scoring 2 runs in the 1^st, led by The Man, The Myth, The Legend:  Joe Robertson.  Dice added another run in the second to extend the lead to 3-0.  Step Parents was finally able to get on board the scoring train in the 3^rd, and doubled up Dice to end the inning trailing  4-1.  Then, Justin Andrew Anderson turned up the heat in the 3^rd going 3 up/3 down and striking out the last batter.  Dice added 3 more runs and then turned on cruise control to coast to the finish line.  Dice wins 8-2.

Punani Patrol vs. Hose Draggers:  With both teams playing shorthanded, this turned into a battle of endurance for both squads.  Nathan Newell brought Punani to quick 3-0 lead.  Hose Draggers batting with only 2 outs struggled early to produce base runners, but tied the game up in the 3^rd at 3-3.  Hose Draggers’ Chris Sliva turned up the highlight reel in the 4^th by making an amazing catch to quiet the Punani threat.  Derrick Keeton then blasted a deep shot to left center to give Hose Draggers their first lead of the game.  They carried a 6-3 lead into the top of 7^th but walked out of it tied up at 6-6, as Punani found their offensive juice after 5 innings of sobriety.  The game carried into the dusk of the Denver sky and both teams played solid defense in the 8^th and 9^th innings.  After some aggressive & exciting base running, the Hose Draggers walked off the 10^th with the win.  Hose Draggers wins 7-6.  

Sunday Funday - Week 3 Highlights

That One Team vs. Fresh Kicks of Ball Air:  Although this game ended up being close, the game was decided before it even started with a forfeit due to an ineligible team.  If any of you know a few guys and girls that would like to come out and play some kickball on Sunday, we have a team in need here.  Players getting married, Honeymoons, and shenanigans are not helping out That One Team as of late…let us know if you have someone to participate!!  Fresh Kicks of Ball Air wins 3-0.

Kevin Bacon vs. Ballsagna:  The real winner in this game was Kevin Bacon because they kept their clothes on!!  Ballsagna was showing skin all over the place, admittedly Dan’s abs were impressive, but we had boobs hanging out and the “evasive balls” were just too much (inside joke for some).  Wanna talk about “evasive balls,” Ballsagna scored 19 runs in this one!!  Mat Peterson dropped a ball on right field with his left foot for a 2-run shot in this one and we knew at that point it was all Ballsagna for dinner in this one!  Ballsagna wins 19-0.

Mile High Kickballers vs. Wasted Talent:  Both teams cordially shook hands to start this one out, but really we think they were sizing the competition up.  Each team scored 1 run in the 1st inning and then we waited for a couple innings to see what would happen…was anyone going to score in this one again?!!  Then, the on slot of runs came for Mile High…it’s always the one inning that makes the difference – trust us, WE KNOW.  The one inning where the base runners are aggressive, errors start happening, and the defense starts throwing the ball all over…that’s the one inning that makes the difference.  Kickball 101, the team that goes through the whole game without having this “one bad inning,” is usually the victor in a close matchup and that is what happened in this one.  Mile High capitalized on the bad inning by scoring 5 runs to take a commanding lead… and never looked back.  Mile High Kickballers wins 8-2.

Mile High Kickballers vs. Ballsagna:  Mat Peterson came to the mound in this one and was pitching some sick curves…however, Mile High was how high?!?  “Mile High!” After winning their tournament in California the weekend before, we’re not sure if these gals (and guy(s)) are coming down from that high any time soon!!  Players and teams beware!!!  Out of 6 innings to score in, Mile High scored in 5!  Dan Linn made a great cameo appearance for the team, and we took a pic to prove it…check it out!!  This Mile High crew is going to be tuff all year!!  Mile High Kickballers wins 11-1.

Wednesday Cuernavaca - Week 3 Highlights

Step Parents vs. Punani Patrol:  Did you see the picture??  You didn’t see the picture??!!  Are you checking out the shots on FB?  Tony Lusk gots hops, getting waaaay up there in the top of the 3rd inning for the unassisted double play at 1st base!  Now THAT was something to write home about! Tony, show your fam that you still belong on that kickball field (at least every once in a while)!!  The analyst booth has been talking all week about the new and improved structure of Punani Patrol…have they been able to get people in the right positions for this team to take it to the next level?  Analysts agree that this team is taking a step in the right direction, but will this team show up every week?  The talk on Punani has been consistent that they can’t play error-free defense, and they still try to throw the ball at the runner vs. to the base, and we never know what team is going to show each night.  We gotta give it to the group this week and say, IF this is going to be the consistent makeup of this group, and IF the lockdown D can continue WITH unselfish kicking…we are moving this group up in Power Rankings for sure!!  Very impressive group effort this past week and we’re excited to see it!!  Russell Thesing made his mark in this one with a Grand Slam in the bottom of the 4th inning but this team manufactured 5 more runs on top of that…we’d have to say it was a good day!!  Scott Singer stopped a shutout by smacking a solo shot for Step Parents in the top of the 6th inning...clutch even with the L…again, Punani was probably not beatable on this night.  Punani Patrol wins 9-1.

Dice vs. Hose Draggers:  Ever see a bunch of talent organized by a great captain…oh yea, we see that every week with Dice.  Ever see a bunch of talent organized by a lot of blame on each other…yup, there’s trouble in Hose Dragger town and this locker room is in disarray.  All the talent in the world comes with the showing of Hose Draggers without the direction to bind it.  HD, we wanna see you in High Definition, but until there’s a little pre-week preparation we’re wondering if we’re only gonna get Standard Definition each week???  The highlight of this night was an easy one…Kyle Boyd came out for a solid pitching performance against a heavy hitting HD arsenal…nice work Kyle…HD was scoreless for 5 of 7 innings of play!!  Dice had 9 runs scored in 5 innings before HD could make it home.  Matt Graffam started the on-slot with a 3 run jack and the team followed his lead.  Lee Gullickson saaaamashed a 2 run bomb in the bottom of the 7th for HD, but that needed to be the start of the game!!  WE WANNA SEE HD IN HD!!!  Dice wins 10-4.

Sunday Funday - Week 2 Highlights

Kevin Bacon vs. Fresh Kicks of Ball Air:  Is there anyone who isn't connected to Kevin Bacon in one way or another?  Even the Indianapolis Colts are!!  They joined Bacon for this game as they were in Denver to take on The Broncos for the NFL's season opener...now this was a classy bunch of folks!!  Thanks Colts fans for being a part of our Sunday Funday!!  We met a new fella who quickly became known as "Pepperdine," and he showed us his AMAZING chugging skills...and made some great catches on the field as well!!  Pepperdine, Pepperdine, Pepperdine!!!  A ball was hit SO hard in this one it actually exploded...we're gonna blame Nate Trujillo on that one...usually it's the kicks before the actual one that the does the damage and Nate has one heck of leg.  It was all blue and white skies with red balls flying when Nate was kicking the ball...made us all proud to be an American (check out Instagram)!!  Finally, a new pitcher pitched for Fresh Kicks!!  This seemed to improve moral over all for the day since Frawley is just too good!!  However, Anthony Domenico still pitched 4 scoreless innings in this one and managed the Baconapolis team.  We were still impressed by the flavor of Baconapolis, only playing together for the first time this week against a very seasoned Fresh Kicks team.  Fresh Kicks of Ball Air win 8-3.

Wasted Talent vs. That One Team:  Wasted Talent came in support of Matt Prater this week and for that we thank you!!  We have decided to reach out to Prater as well, we want to free him as well...we just wanna see him kick once!!  TOT's were hot to start in this one and scored 2 runs right out of the gate.  Speaking of tots, we'll be back...sounds good for lunch.................................................
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We're back, and starting in the 3rd inning!!  Holy smokes tot's were good, but not AS good as Wasted Talent was in the 3rd inning...super aggressive base running and great ball placement scored 3 in this inning and WT was on top 3-2.  TOT's answered the next inning scoring 1 and may have scored more but WT's Jeff Wilkens made an amazing, diving catch to end the inning...we had ourselves a tie ballgame!!  TOT's put some "extra cheese" on the playing field bringing in heavily sot after recruit Dominique Hubert to play and that payed off as Hubert ran the base in record time in the bottom of the 5th scoring the winning run.  Players questioned whether or not he actually touched all the bases so we sent it to ESPN for replay.  They tried to slow it down and couldn't tell, so then we sent it to NASA for study (why NASA is better than ESPN we're not sure) and it was confirmed, he did touch all the bases and score.  TOT's shut down The Talent for the next 2 innings, thanks in part, to fantastic pitching from Justin Spanbauer...very impressive sir!!  That One Team wins 4-3.

Ballsagna vs. Fresh Kicks of Ball Air:  Welcome back Ballsagna!!  Now this game was filled with amazing D!!  Ballsagna got on board in the 2nd inning with extremely aggressive base running...these guys and gals are fast!!  Ballsagna was destined to score more, but Garrett Deheer made an amazing diving grab to end the inning...nice work Garrett!!  Fresh Kick answered right back with 3-runs of their own thanks to Anthony Domenico's 2 RBI smack and then came around to score.  Neither team scored again, but this game was filled with excitement the whole way...look to see if these two teams face each other again, we're sure to get ESPN out here.  Fresh Kicks of Ball Air wins 3-1.

Wednesday Cuernavaca Park - Week 2 Highlights

Dice vs. Punani Patrol:  Dice came out with a game plan to score early, and that’s exactly what they did with taking an early 1-0 lead.  Ashleigh Feller “flashed the leather” in the bottom half and doubled up “Noodles” of Punani…that’s worth a Golden Glove Award on one play!!  The score remained 1-0 until the top of the 4th when Dice threw in double “snake eyes” and took a commanding 5-0 lead.  The play of the game was in the 6th, when Andrew Rohr of Punani Patrol “one-upped” Ashleigh’s double play by being a part of one of his own!!  It was a catch in right field and a throw to the plate on the runner tagging for the out…in kickball, that’s the play we all dream of making and one of the most difficult to do…very impressive Andrew!! Punani was able to pound one in late but that was just the tip...of the iceberg.   Dice wins 6-1.

 Hose Draggers vs. Step Parents:  This was a classic match-up of 2 smart veteran squads.  Hose Draggers got first blood thanks to Lee Gullickson’s huge RBI triple in which he later came around to score.  However, the Step Parents were able to match the Hose Draggers attack and finish the inning 2-2.  Hose Draggers then turned up the RPM’s and banged in 3 runs in the second to take a comfortable (but not commanding) 5-2 lead.  Jeremy Wagner’s great base running lead to the Step Parents cutting the lead to 5-3 in the 4th. We all know basic kickball algebra is aggressive base running = more opportunity = more runs!!  Then in the 5th, the stellar D of Stefanie Hayes stopped the Step Parents in their tracks before they could inflict any more damage.   Defense wins championships; offense just gets the fans to the game!!  Hose Draggers are coming closer to having both sides of the game fine-tuned!!  Hose Draggers win 5-3.

Wednesday Cuernavaca Park - Week 1 Highlights

Welcome to Wednesday!!  With 4 of the most competitive teams showing on Wednesday’s, we are sure to get close games, close plays, and smart decisions!! 

Minus Dice, our first order of business is getting teams complete!!  Not that we need to be “father figure” here, but how do you get better?  Repetition.  In order to repeat, you have to have a consistent team showing, this starts with signing up.  Let’s make that happen!!  Let’s get some weekly chatter out there amongst teams, comment on these highlights, and raise the competition!!

Dice vs. Step Parents:  Speaking of repetition, we remember seeing Matt Graffam at the park working on his line drive shots before the Mile High Kickball Open August 2nd…you talking bout practice?!  Yessir!!  And we’ve noticed a big difference in Matts’ shots through the gap!!  It happened in this game too…Graffam smacked a line drive shot in the top of the 3rd inning for Dice to bring in 3-runs and make this game a 6-1 margin.  We have a lot of talented athletes on our fields, but it’s the execution of aggressive base running, strategic pitching, unselfish kicking, and errorless fielding that create a margin of 6-1…Dice brings this every week and kudos to them.  Both Brett Stanilka and Justin Andrew Anderson were able to confuse Step Parents at the plate…nice werk fellas!!  It seems everything does end with Dice.  Dice wins 8-1.

Hose Draggers vs. Punani Patrol:  Both teams started this one out with makeshift rosters, but heck…better to be where we’re at on August 27th than being at the same spot on September 3rd!!  Let’s see what happens between these two teams when rosters are full and we don’t hear, well we didn’t have this person, this person, and this person!!  One person who has improved with time/practice/repetition is pitcher Chad Ferrier with Hose Draggers…we were impressed with Chad painting corners…way to raise your game Chad!!  Both teams started out scoring in this one, but Punani was the team able to calm down after the 1st.  Punani went on lockdown defense for the rest of the game and stymied the offensive presence of Hose Draggers by having more errorless innings!!  In the end, it’s all about base runners, NOT the huge blast to deep center that ended up getting caught for an out, and that is what Punani focused on scoring 4 out of 6 innings…great execution Punani!!  Punani Patrol wins 6-2.

Sunday Funday - Week 1 Highlights

It was a beautiful Sunday morning at Cuernavaca, perfect skies, perfect highs, and the perfect breeze.  As a normal group of Sunday ballers rolled in, we were all a little discombobulated…weren’t we just finishing up summer?  Some of us refusing alcohol due to the evening before and some starting out where they’d left off!! J We laced them up and got straight as can be, for about an hour!  A lot of us had our sights on Blake Street but knew we had to muster up some competitive moxie, and we did, like we always do…

 Mile High Kickballers vs. That One Team:  We aren’t judging this week, we’re just glad to have been out on the field.  Kay Kamienski was heading Mile High and Justin Anderson had That One Team and we were bringing it all together.  Mile High started the game and kicked through their order in the 1st as That One Team had a tuff time snagging that ball!!  Before we knew it Mile High was out to a 9-0 lead in the top of the 1st!!!  Again, let’s just focus on the fact that we were out there, on a beautiful Sunday, there were hints of lilac in the air, a lot of us had a kinda weird stare (minus the parents – up and at em!!), and (thanks GKB) no t-shirts to wear!!  There was a “don’t call it a comeback,” idea/moment for That One Team…but really, how do you comeback from a 9-0 deficit in k-ball.  Mile High Kickballers win 17-7.

Kevin Bacon vs. Wasted Talent:  To be talented and wasted is to be a Sunday Funday Baller!!  A perfect fit for the group who easily dominated Cup In Hand AND continue to play that way!!  KB was just getting their team formed and we were stoked to have them, but they were still learning each others names (not really), but it was a last minute get together.  This game, had hints of booze, dogs, and fireball with a touch of nasty ‘N’ word rap in the background…you know, the kind of park experience you take mom too!  The Talent had 15 runs in 4 innings and started getting the grill ready.  KB is re-grouping on their week off for Labor Day and planning on coming out sizzling on the 7th…be ready!!  Wasted Talent wins 18-2.