So, too, did teammate Devon Forkner, whose work with the glove might have had some fans thinking of the Colorado Rockies’ gold-glove third baseman, Nolan Arenado.
What stood out during the Cortez Summer Micros Tournament at the Cortez Rotary Fields on July 1 were not just the powerful hits and the dazzling plays however, but the sheer joy with which players on all sides approached the game.
In other words, smiles, laughter and good times were aplenty throughout the four-team all-star tournament, which saw the Southwest Colorado Youth Baseball team from Cortez claim the tournament championship by defeating teams from Ignacio, Bayfield and Durango in successive order.
“It was an exciting tournament, and the team played the best that I’ve seen them play all year,” said the Cortez team’s manager, Jason Hall. “It’s nice to see (the players) learn how to win and be excited about winning.”
After defeating Ignacio 18-7 and beating Bayfield 17-3, Cortez faced off against a Durango team that won its opening two games in a contest that amounted to a de facto tournament championship.
Clearly suffering from some early jitters, Cortez yielded fell behind 3-1 during a first inning that featured several defensive mistakes by the hometown team.
Feeding off encouragement from their coaches, Cortez eventually tied the game 4-4 on a two-run double to left field by Hall in the third inning before seizing the lead later in the inning when Kyler Wyatt grounded into a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
“(The double) was one of my longest hits of the season,” Trey Hall said. “It was exciting.”
“My favorite part about playing little league is that we just go out and play,” added Wyatt, when asked about the hit.”
Other key run-scoring hits by Cortez players were produced by Branson Lee, whose two-run single in the fourth inning put his team ahead 7-4. A two-run single by Asher Bennetts later in the inning put Cortez ahead 10-4.
Key hits by Hayden Giannone, Branson Lee, Forkner and several others also aided Cortez in the championship game, which ended with the scoreboard favoring the home team 12-4. Players on the Cortez roster included Owen Balfour, Cael Beanland, Levi Hampton, Jaydon Lard, Conner Rosenbaugh and Preston Tanner.
“Last year, we had a similar tournament in Durango, and we ended up coming in second,” Jason Hall said. “It was nice to beat Durango in the final game.”
“(The tournament) was crazy, and it was hard,” added Forkner. “The Durango team was probably the hardest (that we played).”
Overall, more than 350 players between the ages of 4 and 16 participated in Cortez’s Southwest Colorado Youth Baseball League this year. According to coaches, the season began in April and will last into July, during which all-star teams across several divisions will attempt to advance in state and regional tournaments.
“We’ve known each other since at least Kindergarten,” said Forkner, describing one of the many things that makes Little League special. “(Little League) is a lot of fun.”