Aspen baseball breaks victory drought

Patience and perseverance paid dividends for the Aspen High School baseball team.

Base hits, solid pitching and defensive gems helped, too.

The AHS baseball team finally broke its winless drought with a 10-5 victory over Grand Valley in the second game of a doubleheader last weekend at Crawford Field in El Jebel.

“It was exciting,” Aspen head coach Ryan Triece said of the win that snapped a streak of 11 consecutive losses to open the season. The Skiers opened Saturday’s doubleheader with a 13-3 loss to the Cardinals.

Early in the second game, Triece approached the umpires to ask about the ejection of one of his players for a throwing his bat as he left the batter’s box.

In questioning the decision on the player, Triece also was ejected.

“But the players responded,” the first-year head coach said. “The seniors got the team together and they … decided they wanted to win one for their coach. That was cool to see.”

Forced to watch the game from the grandstands, Triece said the Skiers played with a “lot of energy and enthusiasm.”

That translated to solid hitting from the top of the lineup to the bottom, Triece said.

“Patrick Martin pitched a great game. We pushed him a little … 103 pitches. But he was really into it,” he said of the senior’s complete-game performance on the mound.

“He also had a nice double down the left-field line, and he had one other hit in the game,” Triece said.

The Aspen coach said senior captain Max Marolt helped move the Skiers into position for their first victory.

“He’s our best player. He’s basically the kid who can do anything on a baseball field and do it well,” he said of Marolt, the usual starting catcher for the Skiers.

He helped power the Aspen offense in the win over Grand Valley.

He also contributed to a key double play at shortstop when he took a throw from Martin and tossed on to first base.

“Max is always steady,” Triece said. “He has a great attitude.”

Triece said Marolt consistently puts the baseball in play for the Skiers.

As a senior leader, Triece said Marolt is “very much respected.”

“We had some good performanes from both ends … of the lineup,” Triece said.

“Ty Zasacky … it was really his day. He threw a guy out at the plate from right field,” Triece said. “He also had two hits and a (successful) bunt. It was by far his best day.”

The AHS roster for 2014 includes Zasacky, Marolt, Martin, Alex Bush, Andy Vernier, Ben Belinski, Christian Lewis, Cole Schwab, Harry Kahn, Johnny Stryker, Kincaid Daniel, Ryan Scheidt, Ryer Gardenswartz, Tristan Niskanen and Zane Heald.

The Aspen High School baseball team will take its new win streak to Carbondale on Saturday when the Skiers will face Roaring Fork in a conference doubleheader.

The first game will start at 11 a.m.

The Skiers will play at Coal Ridge next Monday. Next Thursday, Aspen will play Basalt.

The regular season will close with a doubleheader against Cedaredge — played on the Skiers’ home field in El Jebel.

dstrode@aspentimes.com