Englewood, CO.  The Colorado Aces came into their game against the Spartans on Sunday licking their wounds from a 10-0 thrashing at the hands of the first place Mudcats a week earlier.  That did not deter them on this Sunday as they took out the feisty Spartans in walk-off fashion 6-5 at Englewood High School.

  The drama unfolded beginning in the 8th inning with the Aces trailing the Spartans 5-4 after Sparty had scored 2 runs in the 7th.  Jason Leue lead off the 8th with a hard single down the third base line to get things started.  He would promptly steal second base and leave the stage open for catcher Mitch Gross.  Gross would battle his way through a 6 pitch at bat before grounding to short but moving Leue over to third.  Manager Eric Meyer followed Gross' groundout with a bloop single to left center that scored Leue and tied the game.  Dan Clemens, pinch hitting for Chris Schneider then singled but that was all the Aces could generate and the game went to the 9th inning tied at 5.

Leue had taken over for starter Dan Clemens in the 7th with one out and gotten the Aces out of that jam and entered the 9th needing to get 3 outs to give the Aces a chance for 9th inning heroics.  Leue would not disappoint as he literally mowed down the Spartans in 1-2-3 fashion in the top of the 9th setting the stage for Shane Saunders and Dennis White to put an exclamation point on this game.

  Saunders lead the inning off with a hard fought 7 pitch walk.  He would then steal second on the first pitch to White putting him in scoring position.  White would work the count to 2-0 before launching a stinging double into the right center field gap scoring Saunders from second and giving the Aces an exhilarating 6-5 win.

  The win moved the Aces to 8-4 on the season and they held onto a tie for second place with the Shockers who beat the Blacksox 9-6 earlier in the day.

  Dan Clemens started on the mound for the Aces and even though he admitted he did not have his best stuff, he kept the Aces in the game with guile and making pitches when he needed to.  He tired a bit in the seventh and Clemens and Meyer decided to go to Leue to finish things off.  Leue finished the game getting 5 outs while only facing 6 batters to get the win.  Clemens struck out 7 and did not walk a batter in his 7 1/3 innings and Leue only gave up a single in his 1 2/3 innings of work.

  Steve Jay carried the offensive load for the Aces before Meyer and White came through in the late innings by going 2-3 with 3 RBI to keep the game close.  Saunders also had 2 hits on the day keeping his hot streak going out of the 2 hole.  Zach Cook singled in the 5th, and Andy Philemon also had a single in the 7th for the Aces.

  Defense carried the day as well with Craig Olson, Sherman Lodge, Chris Schneider, Tony Walsh, Keith Losey, Jeremy Sparks, Mitch Gross and Pat Poppen all making plays in the field in support of Clemens and Leue.  

  With 4 games to go the Aces are just 1 1/2 games behind the first place Mudcats with a game looming in two weeks between the two rivals.  But first they have to take care of business with a game next Sunday against the Greensox at Bear Creek High School. 

  The season is shaping up to have an interesting and exciting finish to it before the playoffs begin on September 13th.