For the week of August 1 - 7, 2001

Wicked Spud holds off Evergreen 10-9

Hailey champs need two games to repeat

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Make it two-in-a-row for the Wicked Spud/Valley Market team of the Woodside RV/Sawtooth Auto Hailey Coed Softball League.

Given an opening by Evergreen Restaurant misplays, the Wicked Spud veterans capitalized on the golden opportunities to beat Evergreen 10-7 and 10-9 in Sunday’s Hailey Coed Softball League tournament finale.

Wicked Spud pitcher Jim Carlson brought the champions back through the loser bracket with his pitching and finished off the triumph with the game-winning hit in Sunday's championship game. Express photo by David N. Seelig

Wicked Spud (18-4, 54-9 three years) captured its second consecutive Hailey city title with a well-rounded hitting attack led by tourney MVP Buddy Isom and All-tourney outfielder Deb Bumpus.

The champions, 18-game winners each of the last three summers, have now won three straight regular-season Hailey league titles in addition to two straight city tournament titles.

They’ve established themselves as the third dynasty in the league’s 13-year history.

Spud won five of its six games during the two-day, eight-team double elimination meet at Hailey’s Lions Park—losing 12-2 to Evergreen Sunday morning and then winning three consecutive games through the back door.

In the first championship game, Wicked Spud/Valley Market built an 8-1 lead after two innings with five unearned runs. Steve Van Gelder had a couple of two-run singles and Bumpus (2 hits and 3 runs) added a two-run single as Spud took the initiative.

Evergreen (14 hits) chipped away. T.J. Peterson and Greg Edwards (3 hits, 2 RBI) cranked homers while outfielder Bobbi Edwards (3 hits, 2 runs) and pitcher Benjy Walker (2 hits) sparked Evergreen with their solid play on defense and offense.

But Wicked Spud (15 hits) killed a couple of late rallies with 6-4-3 twin killings—shortstop Bryan Burrell to Isom to first baseman Laurie Wolfley—and third baseman Brigette Gross made a fine play in the field.

Wicked Spud, with Bryan Burrell’s two-run double in the fifth providing needed insurance, hung on to win 10-7 and force a deciding game.

In the finale, Evergreen Restaurant jumped ahead 7-0 in the second on two-run homers by T.J. Peterson and Scott Call and a two-run single by Greg Edwards.

The damage in the nine-hit inning would have been worse if not for a sensational over-the-head catch by Jeff Burrell of Terri Sherbine’s long drive to left field.

Jeff Burrell quickly cut into Evergreen’s healthy lead with a three-run homer in the home second. Wicked Spud tacked on another four runs in the third for an 8-7 lead on a two-run double by Bumpus (2 hits, 3 runs).

Wicked Spud continued to make great plays in the field—Isom climbing the ladder to stab a pair of liners at second base, Bumpus grabbing another tough catch in the outfield and pitcher Jim Carlson starting a pair of twin killings from the box.

In the visitor sixth, Evergreen’s Greg Edwards (2 hits) and Terri Sherbine led off with hits and scored on sacrifice flies by Buddy Peterson and T.J. Peterson for a 9-8 lead.

But Wicked Spud had the winning answer in the home sixth. Bumpus ripped an opposite-field single with one out, Bryan Burrell reached on an error, Gross singled and Carlson (3 hits) drilled an opposite-field two-run double down the left field line for the eventual game-winning hit.

Once again, in the decicer, five of Wicked Spud’s 10 runs were unearned. For third-seeded Evergreen Restaurant (15-6 overall), Scott Call and Lisa Sjoberg each had two hits.

Carlson, of course, led the Red Elephant squad to a 77-11 record and three titles between 1989 and 1993, then Uhrig Fencing/River Run Auto Parts (133-19-1 over eight seasons) became the league’s most fearsome dynasty with seven championships from 1992-99.

"Cinderella" team, for the second straight year, was Sun Valley Brewery (9-12 overall)—once again climbing from the sixth seed and winning three games for third place.

League players gave a $300 Donnelley Sports gift certificate to organizer William Cantrell for his hard work during the 2001 season.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.