Gunnison U14 baseball defeats Alamosa

Gunnison's U14 baseball team thumped Alamosa 8-1 with dominant defence and precise pitching in the Summer Slam Tournament opening game on June 6.

“Alamosa beat us twice [last week] and our boys came back ready to play,” said coach Kevin Walek. “We played a hard, complete game and played well.” 

The game started slow for the home offense, and only Wyatt Stone made it on base in the first inning. Joseph Stoeber highlighted the bottom of the first from the mound. The Gunnison pitcher faced only three batters, keeping the score 0-0. 

“We have a great team with a lot of talent and I’m proud of how our team was able to battle,” Stoeber said. 

Gunnison’s offense came to life in the top of the second. Ace Watson knocked a double down the right-field line but the boys still went scoreless in the inning. Despite the cold bats, the team's defense continued to keep Alamosa scoreless, thanks in part to a miraculous diving catch by Bohdi Bacalis.

Leadoff batter Cody Vick started a third inning rally after reaching first on a catcher's interference. Then, Vick was driven home by Bacalis to get Gunnison on the board. 

Gunnison led 1-0 heading into the bottom of the third. The inning was again highlighted by Stoeber’s pitching, who only faced four batters while keeping Alamosa scoreless.

Gunnison continued to maintain control, scoring two more runs and moving the score to 3-0. The fourth inning started with a pitching change, bringing Lane Stone to take over on the bump. Alamosa began to fight back in the bottom of the fourth getting runners on base, but still going scoreless against the strong Gunnison defense.

The Gunnison bats continued to heat up  in the fifth inning. Bacalis knocked a two-bagger followed by RBIs from both Stoeber and Wyatt Stone. Finishing out the top of the fifth, Gunnison led by a staggering six runs over a scoreless Alamosa team. The bottom of the fifth continued with more elite pitching, preventing any chance for Alamosa to come back. 

Gunnison again tacked on another run in the sixth inning, moving the score to 7-0. Alamosa eventually drove a runner home in the sixth, but it had little effect on the outcome.   

The Stone twins led the offense in the seventh and final inning. Each got on base and scored one run putting Gunnison up by seven. After a crucial Alamosa baserunning error, Gunnison sealed the game at 8-1.

In the following Summer Slam games, Gunnison’s U14 team lost their final two against Cortez and Durango 12-0 and were eliminated from contention. Gunnison U13 team also went 1-2 in the tournament alongside two U12 teams: The Hammerheads and Home Run Heroes going 1-2 and 0-3. 

The U14 boys will return to action on June 18 against Montrose at Jorgensen Park.  

(Evan Bjornstad can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or intern@gunnisontimes.com.)