One of the most closely contested games of the Adult Summer Softball League headlined Week 5 of play.

However despite key wins for two of the top four teams, the standings remained the same due to run differential.

An eight-man Red Rocks Rotary team beat Pagos 7-6 after being down 6-4 heading into the seventh inning, with Eilis Brackin hitting in the game-winner.

But the most exciting, and controversial, part of the game came in the bottom half of the seventh.

Pagos led off the seventh with a single and the next batter was called out on the infield fly rule around the area of second base. Pagos argued the call because no infielder was in the area to make the routine catch.

The next at bat saw a pop fly drop into center field, thrown to second for a force out, and then to home. The Pagos runner was called out on the play at the plate, another call that did not sit well with the home team.

“We believe the outcome of the game was from [the umpire], not us,” Pagos’ Fernando Machado sai

d. “We don’t like that they were pretty obvious calls blown. But congrats to the other team, they did what they had to do.”

Rotary did play smart ball. With only three infielders and three outfielders, there was a gap where second base and a second centerfielder normally would be.

With a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third frame, and runners at second and third, Rotary intentionally walked a batter. The idea worked; the next Pagos batter hit into a double play to preserve the lead.

“It was good strategy, he would have hit it out,” Rotary’s Phil Tanner said. “We just used good strategy when it was available.”

Rotary got out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the third, but Pagos chipped away. It took a 6-4 lead after five when Randy Rodriguez hit a two-run single, and advanced to third on throws. The next batter plated Rodriguez.

Third-place Reddell Construction, after starting the season 0-2, has won five gmaes straight after their 7-4 win against second-place Rokzoo Bucket List. It was a game in which both teams played solid defense throughout, but only one began to get hot with the bats down the stretch.

Reddell got up 1-0 after the top of the first with an RBI by Jeff Lynch, but Rokzoo tied it immediately on an RBI by Edgar Rodriguez. Both defenses locked down, including a double play by Reddell, until the fourth.

Lynch got on base to lead things off and later crossed home to make it 2-1. Reddell’s defense held, and continued to get its leadoff batters on base.

In the fifth, the leadoff man reached on an error before a base hit. Mike Alvarez then doubled the lead with a two-run double.

Rokzoo pegged one back in the bottom half of the frame when Mark Butler drew a bases-loaded walk. But Reddell answered with another score, this time Lynch hitting a leadoff triple before Kado Keane brought him home.

“We’re never doubtful of our bats,” Reddell’s Justice Keane said. “They will come alive one way or another.”

Rokzoo got two back in the sixth to close the gap to 6-4, but Reddell tacked on an insurance run with just three outs remaining at Rokzoo’s disposal.

“They just starting hitting,” Rodriguez said. “There was nothing we could do about it. We were hitting but they were catching all the balls. I think we’ll do better next week.”

Rokzoo, Reddell and Rotary have run differentials of 30, 21 and 19, respectively, which means there was no movement in the standings.

The L’Auberge Mighty Ducks, after forfeiting both games in Week 4 due to a lack of players, won its first game, 10-0 against ABC Body Shop. It went up 5-0 after two innings, the fifth run driven in by Arley Leyva.

“We were putting the ball in play, the last few games we weren’t really hitting,” Leyva said. “We were making them make the plays, which really helped.”

L’Auberge then played Pagos, losing 10-4.

In the first round of games, defending champion A Day in the West stayed undefeated with a 7-4 over Dirty Rats, its closest win of the season. Rough Country Pools & Spa picked up its second win of the season with a 13-3 win over ABC.

Adult Summer Softball
Standings — Week 5