If there is one team that has gotten under the skin of the Green Mountain Rams, it's the Wheat Ridge Farmers. In their game of League play, the Rams didn't dominate the game like they had been all season long. That's why every member of the team was looking forward to today’s championship matchup.
But the first inning didn't go begin as planned. Leadoff hitter Jake Staley hit a grounder that was fielded by the short stop. Arley Anderson struck out, and Alex Haussmann mirrored Staley's grounder and was thrown out at first.
Pitcher Wyatt Featherston showed a fierce desire to hold the Farmer's batters at bay and set down three of the first four batters. The score after one inning: Rams 0, Farmers 0.
Featherston started out the second inning for the Rams by drawing a walk and scoring the first run of the game, off the bat of Trevor Willson. Austin Jones laced a double and scored when Ben McHugh smacked a line drive. McHugh was tagged out stealing third a few plays later.
In the second-half of the inning, Featherston struck out the next three batters keeping the score in the Rams favor, 3 to 0.
Ben Boyd started the third inning with a single up the middle. Jake Staley also singled and sent Boyd home. Arley Anderson drew a walk and stole second base. Alex Haussmann drilled a single up the third base line scoring both Boyd and Anderston. But, as Haussmann was taking his secondary lead toward third base, Wyatt Featherston smoked a steamer up the middle that was snagged in the air by the Farmer's second baseman. The Farmers completed the double-play when he tagged Haussmann before he scrambled back to the on base. Willson struck out to end the inning.
The Farmer's bats came to life in the bottom of the third inning when they tagged Featherston for two runs. It could have been worse. Boyd ended the inning on a beautiful catch in deep left field. Jones earned one run back for the Rams with his second hit of the game. He was sent home by Joe Anderson, who belted a single that nearly rolled to the back fence -- his best hit of the 2008 season. McHugh hit his second line drive, but the next three batters struck out before either Anderson or McHugh could get home.
Featherston continued to give it 100% effort in the bottom of the fourth and allowed only one run in. Outfielder Garrett Storm helped him out by raking in a high fly in center field. Score Rams 6, Farmers 3.
As the Rams took to the plate to begin the fifth inning, the team was growing in confidence. Arley Anderson drew another walk, as did Haussmann. Both scored off a scorcher by Featherston that sent him all the way to third base. Featherston was sent home by a Willson, who hit a single. But the next two batters struck out to end the rally.
Featherston began the bottom of the fifth for the Rams and tried his best to gut out another inning. But after one run scored and the bases were loaded, it was clear that he was out of gas. Colton Faubion took over the pitching job, but he couldn't stop the bleeding. The Farmers tallied five runs. Unfortunately, the Farmer’s pitchers could sense the momentum change and struck out the final three Rams' batters in order: McHugh, Fabion, and Storm.
In the bottom of the sixth, Faubion faced the top of the Farmer's order. The lead-off batter drew a walk, and scored off the bat of the next hitter. The Rams held him on base, but the next hitter also smacked a single and drove the winning run to third base. When the #4 batter drove the winning run home, the Rams watched their dreams of winning the title fade away.
"It's a tough loss, and I understand that you are disappointed," said the coaches after the game. "But I am proud of each and every one of you. You played that game to win, and we came up a bit short. But there are only two teams in the league left playing the game. You out to be proud that your are one of them."
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Rams Win Tight Game Against Lakewood in a Forfeit
The ball parks in the Broomfield Industrial Sports Complex are nicknamed the "Field of Dreams." Every ballplayer who plays on the finely manicured lawns gets a chance to see what it feels like to play in a big-league type park. Dugouts are below ground, there's a huge score board, and a microphone system for calling plays. For the boys on Les Willson's Green Mountain Rams baseball team, life doesn't get much better than this.
The Rams played its first game of the Jefferson County Championship Tournament against Joe Lucero's Lakewood Tigers, a team that represented the Southern Division of Jefferson County baseball. Jake Staley took the mound for the Rams and proved once again why he's the team's ace. The first inning saw two runs score off some impressive hits by the Tigers, but Staley didn't allow it to shake his composure.
Acting as the home team, the Rams were up to bat in the bottom half of the inning. Staley was the lead-off batter and he hit a hot grounder that was fielded by the short stop. Two-hole hitter Arley Anderson drew a walk. He scored the first run for the rams when Alex Haussmann laced a double to deep right field. Inspired, Wyatt Featherston decided to have a little hit of his own. He hit a Ruthian blast over the left-field fence. Austin Jones was the next batter to tatoo the ball, and he also hit a double into deep left field. At the end of one inning the score: Rams 3, Tigers 2.
Staley contained the Tigers for the next two innings and didn't allow a run. The only tally for the Rams in these two innings came from Haussmann, who hit a single, and scored when he stole home.
In the top of the 4th, the Tigers bats gained some life and the drove two runs home. Catcher Joe Anderson hit a single to keep the Rams in the game. He scored off the bat of Center Fielder Garrett Storm, who belted another ball into the deep outfield.
Staley held the Tigers to no runs in the fifth inning, but it was clear that he was losing steam in the hot sun. As he got up to bat, though, he laced a single up the middle to get on board. Arley Anderson smacked a line drive to send Staley home. Anderson stole second, and Haussmann drew a walk, as did Featherston. That set up a bases loaded situation for Trevor Willson.
Willson answered the call with a hard hit ball up the third base line. But the Tigers executed perhaps the best play we've seen all season long. The third baseman stepped on the plate, forcing Haussmann out. Then he threw the ball on a rope before Willson crossed the plate. Out number two. Then, to make the triple play, the second baseman tagged Featherston out to end the inning.
The Tigers were excited when they came up to bat and quickly loaded the bases and scored three runs to tie the game. The Rams defense succeeded in getting two outs, when the ballgame took an unexpected turn. In a play that the Tigers had executed twice in the previous innings, the third base runner was sprinting for home before the pitcher was set to throw the ball to the batter. Staley threw a bullet to Catcher Joe Anderson to prevent the go-ahead run. With a swoop of his glove, Anderson tagged the runner out. Tie ball game.
That's when the opposing coaches and parents lost control of their emotions. Lead by several aggressive parents, the Lakewood fans let out a loud and raucous protest to the umpire. Ultimately, the tournament director forced the Tigers to forfeit the game to the Green Mountain Rams.
At the after-game meeting, the coaches used the opportunity to talk about sportsmanship to the Rams and their parents. "I don't care if you're 10 years old or 100," coach Steve advised. "In sports, you do your playing on the field. Not with your mouth."
The Rams played its first game of the Jefferson County Championship Tournament against Joe Lucero's Lakewood Tigers, a team that represented the Southern Division of Jefferson County baseball. Jake Staley took the mound for the Rams and proved once again why he's the team's ace. The first inning saw two runs score off some impressive hits by the Tigers, but Staley didn't allow it to shake his composure.
Acting as the home team, the Rams were up to bat in the bottom half of the inning. Staley was the lead-off batter and he hit a hot grounder that was fielded by the short stop. Two-hole hitter Arley Anderson drew a walk. He scored the first run for the rams when Alex Haussmann laced a double to deep right field. Inspired, Wyatt Featherston decided to have a little hit of his own. He hit a Ruthian blast over the left-field fence. Austin Jones was the next batter to tatoo the ball, and he also hit a double into deep left field. At the end of one inning the score: Rams 3, Tigers 2.
Staley contained the Tigers for the next two innings and didn't allow a run. The only tally for the Rams in these two innings came from Haussmann, who hit a single, and scored when he stole home.
In the top of the 4th, the Tigers bats gained some life and the drove two runs home. Catcher Joe Anderson hit a single to keep the Rams in the game. He scored off the bat of Center Fielder Garrett Storm, who belted another ball into the deep outfield.
Staley held the Tigers to no runs in the fifth inning, but it was clear that he was losing steam in the hot sun. As he got up to bat, though, he laced a single up the middle to get on board. Arley Anderson smacked a line drive to send Staley home. Anderson stole second, and Haussmann drew a walk, as did Featherston. That set up a bases loaded situation for Trevor Willson.
Willson answered the call with a hard hit ball up the third base line. But the Tigers executed perhaps the best play we've seen all season long. The third baseman stepped on the plate, forcing Haussmann out. Then he threw the ball on a rope before Willson crossed the plate. Out number two. Then, to make the triple play, the second baseman tagged Featherston out to end the inning.
The Tigers were excited when they came up to bat and quickly loaded the bases and scored three runs to tie the game. The Rams defense succeeded in getting two outs, when the ballgame took an unexpected turn. In a play that the Tigers had executed twice in the previous innings, the third base runner was sprinting for home before the pitcher was set to throw the ball to the batter. Staley threw a bullet to Catcher Joe Anderson to prevent the go-ahead run. With a swoop of his glove, Anderson tagged the runner out. Tie ball game.
That's when the opposing coaches and parents lost control of their emotions. Lead by several aggressive parents, the Lakewood fans let out a loud and raucous protest to the umpire. Ultimately, the tournament director forced the Tigers to forfeit the game to the Green Mountain Rams.
At the after-game meeting, the coaches used the opportunity to talk about sportsmanship to the Rams and their parents. "I don't care if you're 10 years old or 100," coach Steve advised. "In sports, you do your playing on the field. Not with your mouth."
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