BUTLER, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Colton Christie doesn’t throw hard. He won’t be confused with Randy Johnson by the eye test on the hill, either.
At 5-foot-7, the sophomore on the Karns City baseball team doesn’t look the role of the next great intimidating Gremlin hurdler, but the left-hander is building quite the resume with an array of baffling pitches that cross the plate with uncanny and merciless accuracy.
(Pictured above, Karns City’s Colton Christie)
When things get tough for Karns City, Christie has been usually the one summoned lately. He hasn’t disappointed.
He was called upon again on a breezy Friday afternoon against rival Moniteau at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park. Karns City was down 4-1 early against its nemesis and entered with a runner on and one out in the bottom of the sixth.
Christie gave the Warriors nothing by zeros, keeping the game knotted until the Gremlins could push a run across in the top of the eighth in a 6-5 extra-inning victory.
“He knows how to pitch,” said Karns City coach Josh “Sluggo” Smith, who has seen a lot of exceptional ones while wearing a Gremlin uniform, both as a player and now a coach. “Colton came in and just threw strikes. We know when Colton is on the mound, they’re going to have to hit around to beat us.”
No one has hit around on Christie this year.
He’s given up just one unearned run in 12⅓ innings this season. He’s allowed just five hits. Walked just three. Struck out five. Opponents are batting a mere .119 against him.
Christie was sharp again against Moniteau, giving up just one hit, striking out two and walking no one in his 2⅔ scoreless innings to get the win.
Of his 33 pitches, 22 were for strikes.
“He isn’t going to walk a guy,” Smith said. “He doesn’t care if he has to throw it 35 miles an hour, it’s gonna be a strike.”
Christie certainly throws considerably harder than 35 mph and his fastball looks even speedier thanks to his effective off-speed pitches, which he also sweeps across the corners, inside and outside.
He confounded Moniteau, which got to Jacob Jones for four runs in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness from the Karns City starter and ace.
Jones walked four in the frame, and two errors also inflamed things. Keagan Book delivered the biggest blow with a two-run single.
But the Gremlins (12-2) clawed back, chipping away for two runs in the top of the fourth to close the gap to one run. After Moniteau moved ahead 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Karns City tied it with two in the sixth on a RBI single by Tyson Frazer and a bases-loaded walk by Tyler Kelly.
The Gremlins took their first lead of the game in the top of the eighth when Hobie Bartoe beat out an infield single with one out and advanced to second on the errant throw. Bartoe, the leadoff hitter who is second on the team with a .407 average, moved to third on a groundout by Tyler Kelly and scored on a sharp single by Jones.
Christie worked around a one-out single to end the game with back-to-back strikeouts.
“Super proud of my guys,” Smith said. “That’s an effort that you would like to see every night. It doesn’t always happen, but that’s the grittiness that I love to see and that’s our brand of baseball.”
Few are as gritty as Christie, who has that and poise that belie his youth.
Christie seems to relish that role as fireman — taking the ball with the game on the line.
“This year it’s been fun coming in for these clutch situations,” Christie said. “I thrive in those moments. Just for our team to come back is great. The main thing for me whenever I go out there is I try to clear my mind and take deep breaths between every pitch if I’m not hitting my spots or something. I’ll step off the mound and take a break. Rub the ball down.”
That doesn’t happen often.
Smith has shown complete confidence to Christie.
“I have no problem putting him in that situation,” Smith said. “He’s that calm, cool, collected kid. He’s a lefty with different stuff and he has the demeanor to go with that stuff. That makes him a good setup guy, closer, whatever you want to call him. I have no problem putting him in any situation.”
Connor Ealy got the tough loss for Moniteau (10-7). He also pitched well in relief, giving up that one unearned run on two hits in 2⅓ innings after taking over for starter Dawson Cook.
Book was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and James Gillen also had a pair of hits for the Warriors.
Bartoe was 2- for 3 with RBI double, and Joey O’Donnell had a two-run double for Karns City.
“We’re a real gritty team,” Christie said. “If we get down, we won’t stop. If we’re up, we won’t stop. We’ll just continue no matter what. Doesn’t matter what’s going on. We’ll keep fighting.”
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