CLASS 1A BASEBALL WEEKEND REPORT – APRIL 19TH-22ND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
District tournaments in Class 1A begin in just over a week, and the fight for seeding in all five brackets is getting fierce. Different formats for seeding those tournaments range from record in games against teams in the district, to the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, to a simple crossing of top teams from two different leagues. The rankings in this article are from the Friday morning release of the Selection and Seeding Index, and all games are subject to postponement or cancellation due to weather.
FRIDAY
Stratton (#7) hosts #8 Eads, with a shot to lock up the #1 seed in District 4. Stratton already owns the tie-breaker over #9 McClave and a win over Eads would put them two games clear of their fellow Eagles. Even a loss at #18 Cheyenne Wells next Tuesday wouldn’t be enough to knock Stratton out of the #1 spot. Eads can create some havoc with a win, following its 10-4 victory over #6 Holly on Thursday. A road win on Friday forces a three-way tie atop the district standings, including McClave.
Eads got a six-run fourth to pull away from Holly on Thursday, with Spencer Uhland and Case Nelson both collecting two RBI in the 10-4 win. That was in support of freshman Adyn Hough, who got the complete game victory, allowing only two earned runs. Stratton’s game at Byers was postponed due to field conditions on Thursday, but the Eagles were victorious on Tuesday at #15 Wiley, winning 10-4. Cyler Notter, Bex Seaman, and Dawson Thompson combined to go 10-18 at the plate.
McClave hosts #17 La Veta in a doubleheader, with the Cardinals needing to win the opener to keep the pressure on Stratton and Eads. The Cards plated four runs in the top of the seventh on Tuesday to force extra innings at Eads, and then secured the victory after scoring six more in the top of the eighth. Kielan Mallard drove home three runs in the 15-11 win. La Veta pushed its winning streak to three with a 20-0 win over Granada on Tuesday. Brayden Nix did not allow a baserunner in the three inning contest, striking out eight of the nine hitters he faced. Vicente Vallejos homered and drove in three.
Sierra Grande is the lone undefeated team in the classification at 8-0. The #10 Panthers travel to Centennial for two, with a win in the opener setting up a showdown next week against Antonito. Sierra Grande has scored double digits in every game, and has topped 20 three times. Adrian Casados had four RBI in a 17-13 win over Monte Vista’s JV on Wednesday. Centennial dropped a 15-8 decision to Antonito on Tuesday, surrendering nine runs over the final two innings. Samuel Aguilera drove home a pair of runs for the Rams.
SATURDAY
Much of the Saturday schedule has top 1A teams squaring off against top 2A squads, but, there is a big match-up in the San Juan Basin. Dove Creek (#22) visits #26 Nucla, having swept a DH against the Mustangs just short of three weeks ago. The Bulldogs have dropped their last five games, including getting swept by 2A #21 Ignacio on Tuesday, 13-2 and 38-17. They’ve allowed 95 games in the current slide. Nucla broke a three-game skid with a 5-4 walk-off victory over 2A Grand Valley in the second game of a DH. Paxtin Caruso had three RBI for the Mustangs, who have still lost six of their last eight.
Top-ranked Akron hosts 2A #4 Yuma in a LPAA doubleheader, with the Rams coming off a DH sweep of #4 Merino on Wednesday, 7-3 and 7-1. The win in the opener pushed Akron to the top of both the District 5 and LPAA standings. Anderson Filla and Caleb Poss combined on a one-hitter in the nightcap, after Tucker Stahn got the complete game victory in the opener. Yuma’s Silas Baucke hit a two-run bomb as part of a three-run fifth on Wednesday as the Outlaws beat rival Wray 4-2. The Outlaws could not replicate the effort on Thursday, as they were shutout 16-0 by Highland. It was the second blanking in their last three outings.
Merino looks to get back on track when 2A #3 Holyoke visits for a double dip. The Rams have dropped three straight and four of their last six games overall. Jaxson Samber had the lone hit in the second game against Akron, doubling before scoring the only run of the game for Merino. Holyoke is seeing its first action in more than a week, with the last trip to the diamond resulting in a 15-4 win at #5 Flatirons Academy last Thursday. Reid Sprague, Wyatt Sprague, Tyson Mosenteen, Colby Weber, and Colton Sporhase each had two RBI in that win.
Another cross-classification contest in the LPAA has #3 Haxtun hosting 2A #25 Wray for a twin bill. The Fightin’ Bulldogs have been red-hot since getting walked off in the opener of a doubleheader by Merino last Saturday, winning three straight. They got the split by beating Merino 9-6 in game two, and then swept 2A Sedgwick County on Monday, 17-5 and 11-4. Ryland Wolff was a homer away from the cycle in game two against the Cougars. Wray has dropped its last four games by a total of 11 runs. The Eagles scored twice in the bottom of the first in their rivalry game with Yuma on Wednesday, but could not tack on and lost 4-2.
McClave will host 2A #8 Burlington, with the Cardinals hoping to have some arms left after the Friday DH against La Veta. They’ll be facing a Cougar squad that has won a season-high four games in a row, thanks to a 16-0 win on Thursday at Calhan. Freshman Lenny Ramirez, making his second start of the season on the hill, tossed a four-inning no-hitter, and helped his cause with two RBI. Dylan Franz, Zack Foose, and Maguire Franz also had two RBI apiece.
MONDAY
There are a lot of nice match-ups on Monday, but without question the marquee clash has #2 Otis visiting Flatirons Academy for a top-five fight. The Bulldogs split with #19 Prairie on Monday, falling 15-13 in the opener and winning game two by a 17-2 count. Otis led 5-2 going to the sixth in game one before giving up six in that frame and eight in the seventh. The Bulldogs scored four in the bottom of both innings. Mitchell Stivers drove in a total of seven runs in the DH, five in the first game. Flatirons Academy has won three straight since its loss to Holyoke, outscoring Front Range Christian (26-4), Estes Park (17-2), and Colorado Springs Christian (17-6) by a combined tally of 60-12. Jude Meyer had 10 RBI during that stretch.
Other contests to keep an eye on are McClave visiting Wiley and Prairie hosting #25 Briggsdale. Both are doubleheaders.
MileHigh Prep Report 