Barbara Lawlor, Gilpin County. In the evening, as the day cool down and thunderstorms roll into a darkening sky, the summer sounds of softball are heard over Weber and Elk fields across from the Timberline Fire station on Hwy 46.

The Gilpin County Co-ed Adult Softball League was supposed to begin on May 19, with games on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, but the thunderstorms shut down three games in one week and already make-up games are being scheduled for Mondays in June. The games are held at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and played for seven innings or until they run out of time.

Orrin Snyder, who has managed the league for six seasons, says there is one fewer team than there was last year. “We ended up with seven teams this summer, down from eight last year. We lost the Rollinsville Rockies to ‘Father Time.’”

The Rockies began as the original Peak Players when the league first began and they have always been pounding the door of the championship. Some of their players have integrated with other teams.

First St. Pub & Grill also did not field a team. Snyder says, “ Out of that shuffle we have two new teams. One is basically the old Eldora group, which is now named Whistler’s Café; and the other includes players from the Lazy Z neighborhood, the Misfits.”

The teams consist of many long-time families: players and their children; sometimes players and their wives and their children. The games are colorful in spirit and loyalty to each other. Every now and then a cooler of beer adds to the  cheerful, competitive atmosphere.

Last year, the Champs, appropriately enough, won the championship; and they are beginning the season in the lead once again. Former champions the Players were right behind them until last Thursday night, June 4, when the Mean Machine beat them and pulled into the lead.

Mean Machine manager Pete Morgan says, “Our team has basically become the Wrestling, with almost everyone on the it being affiliated with some level of Gilpin Wrestling. We are off to a great start and it feels like we have a really competitive team again.”

But it is still early in the season.

The teams will play the regular season until Aug. when the Tonya Putnam Tournament begins—the fight for the trophy. A total of 59 games will be played during the season, weather permitting.

Team                          W/L    Win%    Streak

1..The Champs          2-0      1.000     W2

2  Mean Machine      1-0      1.000     W1

3  Players                    1-0      1.000     W1

4  Whistler’s Café      0-1     0.000     L1

5  Misfits                     0-1     0.000     L1

6  Blue Sox                 0-2     0.000     L2

7  Acers                       0-0     0.000     N/A