The big inning fueled Craig’s Just Another Ball Team (JABT) into the final day of the Triple Crown Mountain Magic men’s softball tournament.

But when the big innings stopped, so did the team’s weekend.

After losing Friday in its second game of the tournament, 11-6, to Colorado Rocky’s Auto from Castle Rock, JABT was banished to the losers’ bracket.

That left the Craig Men’s League team with two games Saturday and then a potential marathon of 10 games Sunday if they kept winning.

“We didn’t play well Friday,” said shortstop Bo Camp. “After losing our second game, I thought we could have gone out quickly.”

The tournament moved to the friendly fields of Craig’s Loudy-Simpson complex Saturday and JABT played like it had a home-field advantage the second day.

In the first game, JABT sent the Marriott Team from Fort Collins back to the hotel with a 17-0 romp. Included in the game was a nine-run third inning.

The second game looked like it would be another blow out as JABT scored seven in the first and shut out the Boulder Bulldogs in its at bat. The ‘Dogs still had fight in them as they shut out JABT the next three innings and scored eight of their own runs to take the 9-7 lead into the bottom of the fifth. The big sticks came back for JABT in the fifth as it rolled off 12 runs to end the game prematurely with the 10-run-rule.

The win set up an 8 a.m. game in Steamboat Springs Sunday morning for JABT. The early rising didn’t leave the Craig players drowsy as they scored five in the first and six in the second to take an 11-run lead. The Denver Tap Out team took a while to get going, but after a six-run bottom of the second, the team was awake. JABT would only score twice more the rest of the game and the Tap Out added 10 more to move on in the tournament with a 16-13 win.

“We needed that big inning today and didn’t get it,” Camp said. “But we came back well and played hard this weekend.”

JABT was one of 17 teams left in the tournament from a field of 60. Not bad for a team that isn’t even leading the Craig Men’s League softball standings.

“We’re the only team (in the league) to go to tournaments,” Camp said. “I think we step up and play better on the weekends. It may also get us better prepared for the post-season tournament than other teams.”

David Pressgrove can be reached at 824-7031 or by email at dpressgrove@craigdailypress.com