By Ben Rossi

Just one night after Denver Colorado was the center of the baseball universe, hosting the annual midsummer classic, the community of Pueblo Colorado gathered for an eventful night of baseball. Pueblo, a town located hours south of Denver, hosted their seventh annual $1 beer night.  

This event drew a large crowd to Hobbs Field at the legendary Runyon Sports Complex. The field was officially established in 1938. It has since hosted a minor league baseball team and been a pit stop in barnstorming tours for several Major League Baseball legends including Babe Ruth. It played host to the Pueblo Dodgers who were the Brooklyn Dodgers Western League farm team between 1947-1958. Today, the complex hosts high school, youth baseball teams and the Mile High Collegiate Baseball League’s Spradley Collegians, the team who founded and has continued to host the dollar beer night.

“We’re very fortunate that Pueblo and the high school coaches produce good talent,” said event co-founder and Collegians head coach Tony Pechek. “It’s kind of our way of playing in front of the people that have gotten a lot of our players to the position so far.”

A good chunk of the Collegians team grew up or currently attends college in Pueblo. For them, this was an extra special opportunity to put on a show for their community.

“It’s awesome getting the community out here and playing for this city that we’ve grown up in,” said Collegians shortstop Kyle Jameson. “It’s a great feeling to be out here with all the people we know and play hard for them.”

The facilities also play host to one of the biggest high school tournaments in the country, the annual Tony Andenucio Memorial Baseball Tournament. This event started on Thursday.

Apart from the $1 beer sales, the event had the Chamber of Commerce giving out free hot dogs. After the game was over as is done every year, several of the Collegians coaches and other high school coaches in the area gather to finish the remainder of the postgame keg.

An eventful summer night gave baseball fans and beer lovers alike a night to remember, combining affordable beer with two thrilling seven-inning baseball games.

There was no shortage of excitement for the event from the visiting Colorado Lumberjacks.

“I’m from Colorado, so I’ve played here many years and I know the tradition and the guys that have played here a lot before,” said Lumberjacks general manager Steve Thompson. “It’s always fun to come down to Runyon and play in such a nostalgic ballpark as Runyon Field.”