Wicked Spud
withstands Bud’s rally
Unbeaten Spud wins
17-12 in 10 frames
The Wicked
Spud/Tune-Up Express team of the Hailey Coed Softball League hadn’t been
tested much in the early stages of 2002 league slow-pitch action. Most of
its games have been run rules, going only five.
But
Budweiser, the other unbeaten team in the league, had a challenge waiting
when the teams clashed Monday night at Hailey’s Lions Park. Not only did
Bud push Spud past five, the game went to 10 innings.
The longest
league game in several years finally was resolved when Wicked Spud
exploded for six runs on seven hits in the visitor 10th. Five of the runs
came with two outs as Wicked Spud won going away 17-12.
The first
meeting of the season between the two protagonists in last year’s Hailey
Coed tournament championship game won by Wicked Spud was all it was
cracked up to be.
In the
early going, it looked like two-time defending Hailey champion Wicked Spud
(5-0 this season, 59-9 four years) was going to resolve another win in
five innings. They took a 9-2 lead with two big at-bats.
Jim Bradley’s
three-run homer and a solo shot by Brigette Gross (5 hits, 3 runs) put
Wicked Spud ahead 4-0 in the first frame.
The
eventual winners added five runs in the third on a leadoff double by Buddy
Isom (3 hits, 3 runs), a two-out single by Gross and a two-run homer by
southpaw Mike Kluge (3 hits, 2 runs).
Budweiser
showed it was in the game to stay with a four-run third, cutting its
deficit to 9-6. Three straight hits by Bobbi Edwards, Greg Edwards (3
hits, 3 runs) and Anna Kolash got the rally going and T.J. Peterson
cranked a two-run homer.
Then, in
the fifth, Greg Edwards delivered a two-run homer tying the contest 10-10.
Budweiser added a run, and Wicked Spud had to scramble for a 11-11 tie
after regulation—Brian Nelson (2 hits, 2 runs) scoring on a sacrifice
fly by Mike Watson.
With both
teams out of home runs, the game settled into a defensive battle with only
two runs scored in the sixth through ninth innings. It featured fielding
gems and outstanding pitching by Mike Watson of Wicked Spud and Benjy
Walker of Bud.
Spud right
fielder Gross made two great running catches on wicked Bud liners. Bud
right fielder Anna Kolash added her own diving catch. Walker stabbed a
line drive up the middle by Brian Nelson, and Nelson was solid at
shortstop for Wicked Spud.
In the
10th, Isom’s one-out single quietly started the game-winning explosion.
Laurie Wolfley split the left field gap with a double and Isom came
chugging home. Gross delivered a two-out RBI double and Kluge followed
with his own RBI double.
Kim McAtee
ripped an RBI triple, Nelson pulled an RBI double down the third base line
and Kathy Kerrick blooped a run-scoring single into no man’s land for a
17-11 Spud lead.
For
Budweiser, Buddy Peterson cranked two doubles and a triple, while Terri
Sherbine added three hits.