Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Color Haus paints a second coat on perfection

Only second team to run Coed Softball table


By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

Firefighters outfielder Jillian Storm cranks out another hit during last weekend’s Ketchum Coed Softball League tournament at West Ketchum Coliseum. Storm (.524, 12 runs, 2 HR), the tournament women’s MVP, played college softball last spring for Biola University in southern California. Photo by Willy Cook

They made it look easy.

Unbeaten during the Ketchum Coed Softball League season, the powerful Color Haus/Bishop Builders team wrapped up a rare 12-0 campaign Sunday with a commanding 17-4 title game victory over Lefty's Bar and Grill at West Ketchum Coliseum.

Color Haus/Bishop pounded out 17 hits and scored 14 runs in its first four at-bats and coasted to victory behind pitcher and tournament leading men's hitter Chris Hoshaw (.875 in 4 games). Hoshaw (3 hits, 5 RBI) belted a three-run homer in the first inning.

Another key player was women's leading hitter Shannon Webb of Color Haus (.750). The Most Valuable men's player for the tournament was Color Haus shortstop and leadoff hitter Bryan Burrell (.733)

The top-seeded champions out-hit #3-seeded Lefty's (9-4) by a 22-11 count and brought the two-day, nine-team slow-pitch tournament to a close. All 12 Color Haus batters hit safely in the championship game.

Color Haus, last year's tournament runner-up became only the second unbeaten team in the league's 19 years, along with the 1994 Park Rats (16-0). It was the eighth Ketchum Coed Title for Color Haus, which won six straight from 1996-2001.

The champions (.613 team batting) averaged 17.8 runs per game in four tourney wins and escaped their only close call with a 13-12 victory over 2005 league king Casino in their second game Saturday.

It was the closest game all season for Color Haus. The champs outscored their regular-season foes 21-7 on the average and prevailed by five runs over Lefty's 12-7 and Cowboy Cochina 22-17 in their only close games of the regular year.

Color Haus batted around against Lefty's in the first inning of the championship game sparked by Bryan Burrell's triple. Another leadoff Burrell triple propelled Color Haus to a 7-0 lead after two frames.

The bottom half of the championship lineup led by Jeff Burrell (3 hits) was nearly as potent and productive, Phil Uhrig smacking an inside-the-park homer off the bench.

Lefty's came into the final game off a 21-hit, 18-4 win over the third-place Firefighters (7-6). Golden Glove center fielder Buffalo Rixon of Lefty's (3 hits, 3 runs, 3 RBI) ripped a two-run single in Lefty's nine-run second. Others with three hits were Dave Hausmann, Tucker Hall and Jen Embree. Shortstop Anthony Anderson (double, triple) drove home four.

The Firefighters, averaging 16.4 runs, matched their best-ever Ketchum Coed tournament finish achieved in 2004.

Firefighters leading the way were left center fielder Jillian Storm (11-for-21 for .524, 12 runs, 2 HR), the tournament women's MVP who played softball last spring for Biola University in southern California; and southpaw slugger Pat McGee (16-for-22, .727, 15 runs, 19 RBI, 6 HR, 3 triples).

The other Golden Glove winner was Firefighters infielder Karly Maratea.

Full game reports and tournament summary on this week's Express Web site.




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