Colts send owners, Goodwin out with a title

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie manager Ryan Goodwin, right, talks to Tyler Kipke Saturday at Cowboy Field.

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

With the Laramie Colts winning their second straight Mountain Collegiate Baseball League post-season title, and third overall Saturday night, they have now established themselves as the class of the MCBL.

In the league's five years of existence, Laramie has now won two regular-season titles and three post-season titles to Fort Collins’ two post-season titles and two regular-season titles, while Cheyenne has one regular-season title.

Owners Matt and Heidi Peterson have built a winning tradition for the fans in Laramie, but the tradition will continue in a different direction, as the franchise was sold to Dr. Kent Kleppinger and his wife, Nicko, both of Laramie.

“I think it’s great for them,” Colts center fielder Josh Warren said of winning the championship for Matt and Heidi Peterson. “They’ve put in so much time and effort and money into this team. The fact that we could come out and do that at the end; I’m sure it means the world to them. It means the world to us, too. It’s fun to end the summer like that.”

Dr. Kleppinger is no stranger to the Colts serving as team doctor, as well as being a season ticket holder.

It is safe to say the winning tradition will continue in Laramie with some familiar faces returning. However, among those faces will not be Colts manger Ryan Goodwin, as he will step down after compiling a 96-55 record at the helm in three years in Laramie.

“This is it,” Goodwin said. “I love Laramie and I love this organization and I’m going to do everything I can to help them (the Kleppingers) out, but I feel with them coming in as new owners and also me, I don’t want to say I’m looking for a new challenge, but I would like to give another league a try if I’m going to coach next summer. I just think it’s in everyone’s best interest if I step down right now and help them (the Kleppingers) find a great replacement to keep this tradition going.”

The Colts will miss Goodwin's leadership, Warren said.

“Even when we’ve struggled this year he’s always believed in us,” Warren said. “He’s always believed we’re the best team put together. He did a good job of keeping that in our heads and keeping us upbeat. I think that’s the way it ended up at the end because we got here (to the MCBL championship) and believed we were better (than Cheyenne) and we went out and proved it.”

After losing a heart breaking game one on the road Friday, the Laramie Colts put it all together at the right time and won their second straight MCBL title with a pair of wins on Saturday.
Earlier in the day at Cowboy Field, the Colts, 26-23, stayed alive by stopping the Grizzlies 8-3, before winning the championship at Pioneer Park in Cheyenne with an 8-5 victory.

Kyle Roliard picked up the win in the second game against Cheyenne to finish 5-0 on the season. Roliard went 6 1/3 innings and gave up seven hits and four runs, walking two and striking out three.

“The biggest thing people don’t know about Kyle is we actually had to shut him down the last eight, nine, 10 days because he had tendinitis in his shoulder,” Goodwin said. “We weren’t even sure, until about two days ago, that he was even going to be able to answer the bell if we got to this situation. To come out and give us 98 pitches and give us 6 1/3 and get us to the point where we could turn it over to the veterans like Ryan (Forrest) and Nathan (Hardy), I can’t say enough about the effort he gave out there and what he did against a great hitting lineup in Cheyenne. I can’t say enough to the credit of those guys.”

Laramie jumped on Cheyenne early, scoring three runs in the first and leading 8-1 heading into the bottom seventh. The Grizzlies battled back with three in the inning and one more in the eighth, but Nathan Hardy, in for Ryan Forrest, shut the door with a perfect ninth inning for the save.

“We just wanted to come out and play and have fun,” Warren said. “We got the W (win) today. Everybody is flying high right now; it’s a great way to end a summer with a great group of guys.”

Offensively, the Colts finished with 12 hits, led by Warren, Keith Towne, Erik DeJong and Casey Martin, who all had two hits in the game. Towne knocked in three runs, with DeJong and Martin with two RBI each. DeJong had a home run in the game for Laramie.

Colts take two from Grizzlies, win MCBL title

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie outfielder Josh Warren, 19, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run Saturday in game two of the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League Championship Series against Cheyenne.

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

After losing a heart breaking game one on the road Friday, the Laramie Colts put it all together at the right time and won their second straight Mountain Collegiate Baseball League title with a pair of wins on Saturday.

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Earlier in the day at Cowboy Field, the Colts, 26-23, stayed alive by stopping the Grizzlies 8-3, before winning the championship at Pioneer Park in Cheyenne with an 8-5 victory.

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Kyle Roliard picked up the win in the second game against Cheyenne to finish 5-0 on the season. Roliard went 6 1/3 innings and gave up seven hits and four runs, walking two and striking out three.

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Laramie jumped on Cheyenne early, scoring three runs in the first and leading 8-1 heading into the bottom seventh. The Grizzlies battled back with three in the inning and one more in the eighth, but Nathan Hardy, in for Ryan Forrest, shut the door with a perfect ninth inning for the save.

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Offensively, the Colts finished with 12 hits, led by Josh Warren, Keith Towne, Erik DeJong and Casey Martin, who all had two hits in the game. Towne knocked in three runs, with DeJong and Martin with two RBI each. DeJong had a home run in the game for Laramie.

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Look for comments from Laramie manager Ryan Goodwin and Warren on the title on Sunday in Wyoming Sports.org.

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Laramie 8, Cheyenne 3 (Saturday's First Game)

The Grizzlies got on the board first this time when right fielder Donovan Petta hit an RBI single to send in catcher Michael Surina for a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

The Colts would come back in the bottom half when Martin blasted a solo inside the park home run to the left field wall to tie things up.

“The last time I got a home run like that the bases were a lot closer together,” Martin said. “It’s one of those things you don’t expect, but it got us rolling a little bit. Once you get that one run under your belt, it’s a lot easier to kind of go out and relax a little bit.”

Laramie was not done there, as Warren hit a sacrifice ground out to first base to score right fielder Brock Guetzke, and then two batters later, catcher Jesse Tierney's single that scored shortstop Eric Cain and second baseman Tyler Kipke for a 4-1 lead after two innings.

Laramie kept things going in the fourth when Kipke hit an RBI single that sent Warren home to lead 5-1 heading into the fifth.

Cheyenne stayed within striking distance after left fielder Nikolas Frederick belted an RBI double to center field that scored second baseman Sam McNeil, cutting the lead to 5-2 after five innings.

The Grizzlies scored again in the sixth because of a balk by relief pitcher Kolt Browder that allowed Surina to score making it 5-3 going into the seventh inning.

The Colts would get some much needed insurance in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI single by Tierney, an RBI double by Towne and an RBI single by Martin for an 8-3 lead and the Grizzlies would get no closer.

Browder got the win on the mound through five innings with only allowing one hit.

“Kolt (Browder) is a kid that’s really grown up since the summer started,” Goodwin said. “It’s very fulfilling as a coach to see a guy like him grow up the way he has from May 30th to coming out here today to the biggest situation in the year and he steps up and shuts them (Cheyenne) down when we needed him to.”

Laramie had 13 hits compared to just seven for Cheyenne. Martin went 2-for-2 with a home run and a single for two RBIs with a walk.

“It’s good to have momentum going into this last game,” Martin said. “Yesterday, we kind of lost the momentum coming into today and we were able to fight it off today.”

“I love these pressure games and playing for all the marbles,” added Goodwin. “You really find out who steps up and who you’re true players are.”

Grizzlies rally past Colts in 10

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

CHEYENNE -- The Cheyenne Grizzlies overcame a late three-run deficit to rally past Laramie 5-4 in 10 innings in the first game of the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League championship series Friday night at Pioneer Park.

Laramie, 24-23, can force a decisive game three back in Cheyenne Saturday night with a win at home Saturday afternoon (12:35 p.m.) at Cowboy Field. Cheyenne, 27-16, can win its first MCBL championship with a win in Laramie.

“We probably should have won,” Colts manager Ryan Goodwin said. “I thought we made a couple more mistakes than they did and some things got out of whack there. I also feel like I can look at two key pitches in that game that went against us that if they go differently, we’re winning that game no matter what.”

The Colts would strike first, thanks to a single and two stolen bases by second baseman Tyler Kipke, which allowed him to come home when center fielder Josh Warren grounded out to first base for a 1-0 lead after the first inning.

Cheyenne would answer in the second inning when right fielder Donovan Petta hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right field that sent catcher Michael Surina home to tie things up 1-1 heading into the third inning.

Laramie would retake the lead in the top of third after Grizzlies shortstop David LeResche bobbled a ground ball by Colts designated hitter Keith Towne, allowing him to get to first base safely, scoring Kipke. Warren would then come home off a wild-pitch from Cheyenne starting pitcher Josh Boyer for a 3-1 lead after three innings.

The Colts would increase their lead in the top of the seventh when Kipke scored his third run of the day after first baseman Casey Martin got a sacrifice ground out to first base to lead 4-1.

The Grizzlies would stay close and answer with a run of their own in the bottom half with center fielder Kyle Konicek scoring off a ground out to first base by third baseman Sam Radbil, making the score 4-2.

Cheyenne was not done there, as it would tie things up in the eighth with two-out RBI singles by Konicek and Radbil.

The Grizzlies would then load the bases in the bottom of the ninth with one out, but Nathan Hardy relieved closer Ryan Forrest and got the final two outs to force extra innings.

Laramie could not score in the top of the 10th and it came down to the final out in the bottom of the inning for the Grizzlies. Second baseman Sam McNeil hit the game winning RBI single for the 5-4 come from behind victory.

The Colts will try to stave off elimination Saturday in the friendly confines of Cowboy Field. If Laramie wins, there will be a deciding game three at Pioneer Park at 7 p.m.

“We need to stay mentally locked in and that’s how we’re going to win it,” Goodwin said of game two. “We can’t make the mistakes when we make them because that puts us in tough situations. If we come out tomorrow and don’t make mistakes, then we’ll be fine. We’ll be all right.”

Colts hold on to advance to championship series

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Laramie Colts advanced to the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League championship by holding off the Greeley Grays 11-9 in the single elimination first-round playoffs at Cowboy Field Thursday night.

Laramie, 24-22, will begin a best-of-three championship series with the MCBL regular-season champion Cheyenne Grizzlies, beginning in Cheyenne. Game two will be in Laramie and game three (if necessary) will be in Cheyenne.

After limping into the post-season, it certainly did not show for the Colts Thursday. Trailing 1-0 after one inning, Laramie tied things up when third baseman Erik DeJong grounded out to first, which allowed Colts first baseman Casey Martin to score.

Laramie used a big third inning, scoring three runs off of two hits. The scoring started on an errant throw by Grays second baseman Nick Huckaby that sailed wide of first baseman Greg Herbst, sending Colts second baseman Tyler Kipke home. Laramie shortstop Eric Cain hit a two-run RBI single sending in catcher Jesse Tierney and designated hitter Keith Towne for a 4-1 lead.

Greeley would make up a run in the top of the fourth inning when designated hitter Rhys Roberts got an RBI walk off of Laramie starting pitcher Alex Alemann.

The Colts answered that run in the bottom half of the inning when Kipke hit an RBI single bringing home right fielder Lee Orr to up their lead to 5-2 going into the fifth inning.

Both defenses held serve for the next two-and-a-half innings, until Orr stole third in the seventh inning and scored on an errant throw by Grays catcher Nick Stepanovich that put the lead at 6-2.

The Colts would some much needed insurance runs in the eighth inning when a two-run throwing error scored Towne and Martin, and Cain would come home off an RBI triple by Orr. Laramie made it 11-2 when Orr scored off Kipke’s second RBI single of the night.

Greeley was not ready to quit playing and rallied in the ninth with seven runs starting with a two-run double by Herbst. Right fielder Cotton Nolan got an RBI walk off Colts reliever Branden Jamison and O’Dowd and Stepanovich scored off a dropped ball by Cain. Nolan scored off an RBI walk, left fielder Darron Lattomus came home off an RBI single by third baseman Patrick Roche, and Leo then came home off an RBI sacrifice fly by Huckaby.

The Colts, however, finally shut the door and ended Greeley's comeback attempt and ended the Grays season.

“I would have liked to thrown the knockout punch in the bottom of the eighth,” Colts manager Ryan Goodwin said. “Once they got a couple guys going, you just had that feeling that was way scarier then we wanted, but a dub’s (W) a dub and you just move on and fight the next day.”

Laramie had 11 hits on the day, highlighted by Tierney going 3-for-6 with three singles.

“In the playoffs, you just got to be able to shut the door,” Tierney said. “I think that’s going to be the biggest thing in these next couple of days is getting the lead and giving them (Cheyenne) no life. What we did tonight is just keep giving them stuff; pitchers are getting behind in their counts later in the game and taking bad approaches, but all in all it was a team win today.”

Alemann got the win on the mound through eight innings, allowing 12 hits and striking out six.

The Colts will begin the championship series Friday against the Cheyenne Grizzlies, with game one beginning at 7 p.m. Game two will be Saturday at Cowboy Field at 12:30 p.m. If both teams split the first two games, then the series will move to a deciding game three in Cheyenne on Saturday at 7 p.m.

“We got (starting pitcher) Taylor Henry on the bump tomorrow,” Goodwin said. “We’ll just go out and take our approaches with us. If we can go out and steal the opening game at their (Cheyenne) place, then that puts us in the drivers seat giving us a chance to clinch at home and you can’t ask for more than anything then that.”

Tierney said it would be big for the Colts to win that first game.

“Coming back (to Laramie) with home-field advantage, with the way we’ve been playing here lately, it’s been pretty good," Tierney said. "Getting up 1-0 on the series is huge; we need to shut the door right on Cheyenne and let them have no life.”

Colts' notes
The Colts will be under new ownership next season, as owners Matt and Heidi Peterson sold the franchise to team doctor and long time Laramie physician Kent Kleppinger.

“We owe Matt and Heidi a lot,” Tierney said. They’ve been doing a lot for us. This is my first year here and bringing home a championship to them would be awesome; it would be a pretty big accomplishment for us.”

Colts-Grays rained out

The Laramie Colts Mountain Collegiate Baseball League playoff game with the Greeley Grays scheduled for Wednesday night at Cowboy Field was rained out.

The two teams will try again at 6:35 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of the second-place/third-place game will take on regular-season champion Cheyenne in a best of three format.

Laramie manager Ryan Goodwin said that there was still some discussion on the rest of the tournament schedule, which could possibly be Friday through Sunday. That still is up in the air, though, as the league might try to finish the tournament sometime on Saturday.

Colts continue to struggle, fall to Foxes

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

Same story, different day for the Laramie Colts, as the Fort Collins Foxes used a five run first inning to pull away for a 7-2 win in Mountain Collegiate Baseball League action at Cowboy Field Tuesday night.

The frustrations of the highs and lows in the 2009 MCBL regular season have appeared to catch up to the Colts, with the home crowd witnessing the ejections of Laramie manager Ryan Goodwin and left fielder Jonathon Olla in the sixth inning for arguing calls by the home plate umpire.

What was shaping up as a promising regular-season finish with a league high six-game winning streak, has quickly turned sour, as the Colts have been beaten up in three straight games.

While repeating as back-to-back-to-back regular season champions is still possible, the Colts more likely will play for second place for the right to host a first-round playoff game.

However, that game may be against the Foxes, a team that has taken seven-out-of-12 meeting from Laramie this season. If the playoffs started today, then the Colts would host the Greeley Grays, a team they have been more fortunate against this season, but the Foxes are making a strong case for the post season riding a four-game winning streak, while the Grays have lost seven straight.

Fort Collins, 15-21, took a 7-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth when first baseman Cameron Duckworth hit an RBI single sending third baseman Eddie Allen home.

Laramie, 22-20, would finally get on the board in the bottom half when right fielder Lee Orr hit an RBI single of his own, scoring center fielder Josh Warren in his first game back from a hamstring injury.

“It’s doing better,” Warren said of his hamstring. “It’s still pretty tight, but I wanted to get back out and get going again and get a couple games in before we go down the last little stretch. It’s at least strong enough that I can run.”

Colts shortstop Eric Cain would lead off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single and would eventually score off a ground out by first base by Kolt Browder, but that would be all Laramie could muster in defeat.

“I just think we need to relax and play like we have been,” Warren said. “We’ve kind of got really up tight the last few games for some reason. We’re not playing like we can, this team plays best when we’re loose and just having a good time. I think if we just get back to that, then we’ll hit the ball a lot better and have fun and we’ll win.”

Laramie will hit the road for two games, starting Thursday in Fort Collins, Colo., hoping the third time is a charm against the Foxes at 6:15 p.m., followed by back-to-back games with the first place Cheyenne Grizzlies beginning on the road Sunday at 7 p.m., then with the conclusion of the regular season at Cowboy Field Monday at 6:35 p.m.

Colts fall to Foxes, drop second straight

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Laramie Colts have yet to shake the cobwebs of the end of a recent six-game winning streak, as last place Fort Collins rolled to an 11-5 win Monday night at Cowboy Field.

It was a windy and cold night at the ballpark, and Colts first baseman Casey Martin refused to use the weather as an excuse.

“Actually, we did a pretty good job with it,” Martin said of the wind. “It was definitely a factor, but the wind was blowing for them (Fort Collins) too, so you can’t blame it (the loss) on that.”

Laramie, 22-19, has now lost two straight, including a humbling 17-5 defeat to the league-leading Cheyenne Grizzlies 17-5 in Cheyenne Sunday night.

The Colts remain in second place of the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League standings, but are running out of time to catch the Grizzlies.

Meanwhile, Fort Collins has now won three straight and is making a late playoff push.

The Foxes got off to a quick start scoring in four of the first five innings, jumping all over the Colts for an 8-0 lead.

Laramie did not get anything going until the bottom of the fourth inning when a throwing error by Fort Collins shortstop Josh Lopez allowed Colts first baseman Casey Martin to safely reach first, scoring two runs.

Colts center fielder Lee Orr hit a double in the fifth and would later score off a wild pitch to cut the lead to 8-3.

Fort Collins answered in the top of the seventh with three runs to make it 11-3.

Laramie would try to rally in the eighth when Martin scored off a sacrifice fly hit by second baseman Eric Cain, followed by an RBI single scoring third baseman Eric Krznaric. That would be as close as the Colts would get, as they fell to 2-4 against the Foxes at home this season.

“We missed a lot of opportunities tonight. We had some guys on base and we left them out there,” Martin said. “I think that’s the big thing; we get guys on base, especially in scoring position with less than two outs, you know, we got to get those guys in. We had the bases loaded a couple times today.”

Colts manager Ryan Goodwin was unavailable for comment.

The two teams will meet again Tuesday night at Cowboy Field, beginning at 6:35 p.m.