A's Tie it Up Before a Loss to the Rockies Sunday

As the teams switched sides in the last inning of Sunday’s Glendale Little league game between the Rockies and the As, the two coaches smiled as they walked past each other. “This is a lotta fun,eh?” the Rockies’ coach, Kirk Krychowiak said.  “What a game.  What a game.”  Matt McCabe, the A’s coach said. The Rockies broke a 5-5 tie scoring on a play at the plate with two out in the bottom of the last inning to win 6-5.

After the tough loss, McCabe told his team, “You played with heart. You never quit. You came from behind to tie it against a league leader.  That’s the first time we’ve done that all season. You played a great game.”

The game had all kinds of action from the very beginning.  In the first inning each team threw an opponent out at the plate for the third out. 

The As scored the game’s first run in the top of the second, when Addison Elliot walked and advanced to third on two wild pitches and slid under the tag at the plate on a third wild pitch.

The As went ahead in the fourth when Jack Weigler blasted a ball to the left field wall for a two-run home run.

Down three runs with three innings to play, the Rockies rallied.  Stefan Hinz walked and scored when the next batter Bryce Krychowiak tripled. With one out, Krychowiak scampered home on a fielding error that allowed Jason Scheuer to reach first.  Angelo Morgano then singled. After both he and Scheuer had advanced to second and third, they scored on Brandon Peace’s single.

The Rockies made it 5-3 in the bottom of fifth when Nikhil Bhadakamar walked to second on a wild pitch, stole third and kept coming when the throw to third skipped into the outfield.

With one inning to go, it was the As turn to add to the excitement.  With one out, Noah Glidden singled.  He stole second and then third as Weigler reached first on a past ball on a third strike.  Weigler stole second. Glidden came home on a wild pitch that put Weigler at third.  Weigler slid in a cloud of dust just beating the throw from the catcher to the pitcher on another pitch.  His run tied the game at five.

That set up the exciting conclusion.  With the scored tied at 5-5 going into the bottom of the sixth, Glidden struck out the first batter.  Then the Rockies’ John Quam walked. Quam stole second and took third on the pitch as Glidden struck out the next batter.  Morgano walked to put runners on the corners.  Then, Quam raced home.  The throw to the plate, and Quam, arrived at the same time, but Quam slid in before the tag. The Rockies had another run and another victory to put in their record book.