CLASS 2A BASEBALL UPDATE
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
As April rapidly works its way to a close, the jockeying for postseason positioning in Class 2A really begins to ramp up. A number of top teams have key contests on the schedule, assuming the weather cooperates. Many early week games have already been impacted by rain and snow, and there is more uncertainty regarding the likelihood of getting games played in the second half of the week. All rankings are from the most recent release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index (Wednesday morning), and any games mentioned are always “weather permitting”.
MONDAY
Monday had a very light schedule, with only five games that were actually contested on the diamond. Tenth-ranked Colorado Springs Christian earned a forfeit victory over Dolores Huerta Prep, the third straight forfeit surrendered by the Scorpions, and fourth this season.
Ethan Quinn helped power #21 Meeker past Grand Valley, 15-1. Quinn went 4-4 with two doubles and two RBI in the victory. The Cowboys held Grand Valley to two hits in the contest.
It was a tough loss for #24 Wiggins, who fell to 1A #3 Akron by an 11-4 count. Akron erupted for seven in the bottom of the fourth to blow the game wide open. The Tigers committed six errors, leading to eight runs being unearned.
TUESDAY
We started to see the weather become an issue on Tuesday, but even with all of the rain and snow in the state, several top teams were able to get games in. The highest ranked team to see action was #9 Lyons, who earned a fifth straight win by beating SkyView Academy 15-5. The Lions took the lead for good with a five-run fourth. They followed that with six in the fifth to finish the game on the run rule. Freshman Jake LaCrosse had a pair of doubles and scored three runs, while also pitching a scoreless inning.
Monte Vista and Sargent combined for 17 first inning runs, with the #12 Pirates plating a dozen. They would add seven in the third to run away with the 19-7 victory. Jeremiah Baumgardner collected four hits, including a triple, and drove home four runs. Eleven of his 18 RBI have come in Monte Vista’s last four games.
Two four-run frames helped propel #13 Dawson School past #14 Estes Park in Mile High action, 13-6. Tyler Burridge was a triple away from the cycle for the Mustangs and his three RBI tied him with Dawson Kusel for team-high. The homer was the first of the season for Burridge. Michael McCown had three hits and two RBI for Estes Park.
Yuma’s grip on a top-20 took another blow, as the #19 squad dropped its fourth straight game, this time to 3A #13 Sterling, 23-1. Yuma only trailed 2-1 after one inning, but the Tigers struck for 11 in the top of the second and added 10 more in the third. Reyli Trejo drove in the lone run for Yuma, as the team was held to just two hits.
Dayspring Christian anchors the #20 spot in the Seeding Index after handing Wiggins its third straight loss, 16-2. The Eagles led 7-2 after three innings and put the game away with nine in the sixth. They did not have an extra base hit, just seven singles, but benefited from eight walks, five hit batters, and nine Wiggins errors. Gage Davis got the win by giving up two runs (one earned) on eight hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Crowley County broke a three-game slide by holding off Byers, 9-8. After scoring five in the bottom of the sixth, the #22 Chargers saw Byers get to within a run in its final at bat before securing the final out of the game. Byars Brown drove in three runs and Landon Smith scored three for the Chargers, who used eight pitchers in the contest. None worked more than one inning.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesdays are usually light on games to begin with, but postponements left the slate with just four contests as of Wednesday morning. Dawson School was slated to put its five-game winning streak on the line at home against Rocky Mountain Lutheran, the #20 team in 1A. The Eagles also had a five-game winning streak heading into that match-up.
The only other game on the calendar with teams inside the top-25 had #25 Rangely hosting Meeker. Both were unbeaten in Western Slope play. Meeker’s win over Grand Valley on Monday was a seventh consecutive for the Cowboys. Rangely has won five in a row.
THURSDAY
We start to see teams inside the top-five get in on the action on Thursday, with two of the top three facing highly-ranked 1A foes. First, #2 Limon puts its six-game winning streak on the line at Akron, who picked up its fourth straight win by beating Prairie 14-4 on Tuesday. For the Badgers, they’ve scored at least 12 runs in each game during the winning streak, and won all by at least eight runs. Keon Bandy still owns a share of the classification home run lead, as his four have been matched by Dawson’s Ashtin Gilio and Miles Edgar of Bishop Machebeuf.
Third-ranked Denver Christian finds itself at home against Flatirons Academy, the #6 squad in 1A. The Thunder has won eight straight, and has outscored the opposition 125-10 in that stretch. That includes four shutouts. They have not lost in April. The Bison are unbeaten in their last four, which includes a 14-all tie against CSCS last week. They have scored at least 14 runs in every game of the unbeaten streak, and in five of their last six.
Wray dropped its last two, a sweep loss at the hands of 1A #1 Haxtun last Saturday, and the Eagles are sitting 18th in the Seeding Index ahead of their home doubleheader against a very good Goodland (KS) squad. The Cowboys won their seventh straight on Tuesday, with Mason Hernandez hitting his second and third home runs of the season. Wray has a pair of big flies as a team, one by Joey Uyemura and the other by Brodie Riggleman.
Other games involving top-20 teams on Thursday have Lyons at Wellington, Estes Park at Bishop Machebeuf, and Meeker hosting Basalt.
FRIDAY
Fourth-ranked Buena Vista puts a week of rest in the rearview mirror as the Demons host Ellicott for a doubleheader. The Demons have won three straight since suffering a 14-4 loss to top-ranked Peyton almost two weeks ago. Buena Vista swept Cedaredge last Friday, 9-0 and 7-1. Caleb Camp and Zandon Mitchell each scored three times in the opener, and Camp earned the shutout victory on the bump by holding the Bruins to just four hits and three walks, while striking out a career-high 19. It was the fourth time this season, and sixth in his career, that Camp struck out at least 10 in a game. Mitchell worked five scoreless innings to get the win in the nightcap. Ellicott suffered its seventh consecutive loss earlier in the week, 20-2 against Strasburg.
Swink has put four straight wins in the column, with the #16 Lions sweeping Las Animas and Crowley County last week. They host winless John Mall, looking to extend their season-high winning streak to six. Hunter Bauserman, Hunter Reynolds, and Landon Mills all enter the doubleheader with 17 RBI on the season. Jackson Tomky (14) and Justin Paolucci (10) give the Lions five players with at least 10 RBI to date. To say that it has been a rough season for the Panthers would be an understatement. They have been outscored 208-18 and have been blanked in three of their last five outings.
Burlington was supposed to have hosted Peyton on Tuesday, but the weather forced that game to be postponed. As a result, the #15 Cougars have been off since suffering a 1-0 loss to 1A #9 McClave last Saturday. Matthew Gutierrez worked 6.2 innings and struck out 11 in that contest, and was saddled with the loss when McClave scratched out a run in the top of the seventh. The Cougars are the latest 2A team to take a shot at 1A Akron, as Burlington travels for the single game.
SATURDAY
There are a couple of big doubleheaders on the Saturday slate, including #7 Fowler hosting Crowley County, and #6 Del Norte visiting Monte Vista, but we take a look first at a top-ten twin bill that has CSCS hosting #8 St. Mary’s.
Thanks to the forfeit win over DHP on Monday, the doubleheader with St. Mary’s will be the only action on the diamond this week for the Lions. They will put a five-game unbeaten streak on the line, one that includes the tie against Flatirons Academy, against a Pirates squad that has lost its last four. None of those losses were to any slouches, as the first two were against #1 Peyton and the last to #2 Limon. In between was a 7-2 defeat by 3A #15 Manitou Springs. Remarkably, these will be the first meetings between the Lions and Pirates since 2016. The schools are separated by six miles. These will be the Tri-Peaks openers for both sides.
Holly, the #4 team in 1A leads the mixed Santa Fe league with an 7-0 mark, but right behind the Wildcats are Fowler and Swink, both at 4-0 in league play. Crowley County sits fifth at 3-3 in the league. The Grizzlies won’t play Holly, who has to wrap up the regular season on Saturday, but can maintain league title hopes with a sweep of the Chargers. Fowler has won six straight overall this season and five in a row against Crowley County. Jakob Manchego is tied for sixth in 2A with 25 RBI. Gunner Hughes leads the Chargers with 18 and Byars Brown has 17.
Del Norte had its unbeaten run to begin the season end at nine games, as the Tigers dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to 3A #26 Pagosa Springs last Tuesday. The Tigers could only muster two hits in the loss, and six errors led to all three runs allowed being unearned. Monte Vista puts its seven-game winning streak on the line, and sole possession of first place in the Southern Peaks is up for grabs. If either team completes the sweep, they would have a two-game lead in the standings. A split and they are tied.
Those three doubleheaders aren’t the only huge match-ups on the schedule. Limon will host 1A #2 Merino in a clash of defending state champions. The Rams are coming off a tough split with #5 Holyoke last Saturday. Merino won the opener in extras, 16-9, after the Dragons tied it with five in the sixth and one in the seventh. Merino put eight on the board in the eighth to get the game one win. Holyoke gained the split by walking it off, 11-10, with four in the bottom of the seventh.
Another top cross-classification tilt sees Burlington traveling to Holly. Holly, who has appeared in the last two 1A title games (winning in 2021 and finishing second last year), has won 13 straight before its important doubleheader against McClave on Friday. The Wildcats have not lost since dropping the last two games of the Fowler/Crowley County tournament to begin the season. Those losses were to Monte Vista and Limon. Truman King leads 1A with 28 RBI and Nick Vasquez is seventh with 24. King (3) and Julian Terrazas (4) have combined for seven of the 11 home runs hit by the Wildcats.
We’ll also be keeping a close eye on the Santa Fe league doubleheader between #12 Rye and Las Animas, as well as single games between Dayspring Christian and 1A Flatirons Academy, and the big county rivalry contest between Wray and Yuma. Yuma eked out an 8-7 win in extra innings at home over Wray two weeks ago. The Eagles will try to even the score, this time on their home field.
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