CLASS 2A BASEBALL MIDWEEK REPORT – MAY 7TH-9TH by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 2A BASEBALL MIDWEEK REPORT – MAY 7TH-9TH

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Class 2A wraps up its regular season next Tuesday, and some of the best match-ups of the year are still on the calendar. The home stretch gets started on Tuesday with contests that will help determine who hosts regionals, and others that will either bolster the chances that some teams on the bubble will make the field of 32 or see their dreams shatter. All rankings are as of the Tuesday morning release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

TUESDAY

#11 Dawson School @ #2 Denver Christian

We start things off in the Mile High, where third place Dawson School challenges one of the co-leaders in the standings, Denver Christian. The Mustangs blasted 4A Thornton 22-2 last Saturday, giving them their second straight win. Milo Richtel went 1-2 with four RBI and four runs scored. Denver Christian won its tenth straight by upending #29 Byers 8-1 last Friday. Asher Hawes homered and drove in two, in support of Caleb Stork and James Lord, who combined on the two-hitter.

#9 Lyons @ 3A #27 Valley

Lyons is the other co-leader in the Mile High and the Lions put their three-game winning streak on the line at 3A Valley. The Lions took advantage of six Liberty Common errors last Saturday to beat the Eagles 10-4. Finn Oetting tripled and homered, driving in three runs. Henry Johnson also had three RBI. Valley’s 11-0 win over Fort Lupton last Saturday was just the second in the last five for the Vikings. They got a strong outing on the hill from sophomore Seth Kissler, who tossed a two-hit shutout, walking two and punching out 10.

#18 Wiggins @ #4 Holyoke (DH)

The top three teams in the LPAA standings are all in Class 1A and still in the regional bracket. Holyoke is the highest 2A team in the league and the Dragons enter play riding a four-game winning streak. They swept #13 Yuma last Saturday, getting three RBI apiece from Wyatt Sprague and Caiden Krueger in a 9-4 victory to start the day. Tyson Mosenteen, who got the win in game one with six shutout innings, went 3-4 in the nightcap. Sprague picked up the win, giving up one earned run in the complete game 7-2 decision. Wiggins earned a nice 1-0 win over 3A #21 Platte Valley last Saturday, with Payton Nance plating the lone run on an RBI single in the second inning. Jace Yzaguiree scored the run for the Tigers. Marcus Steinbar went the distance, allowing three hits and two walks, while striking out a dozen.

#3 Las Animas @ #6 Burlington

Barring a late collapse, Las Animas is all but locked in as a regional host. The Trojans pushed their winning streak to 14 by sweeping Walsenburg 10-0 and 14-0 last Friday. TJ Ortiz and Logan Servaes combined on a no-hitter in the opener, and Orion Martinez had four RBI. Martinez was a double shy of the cycle in game two, scoring three runs and driving in three more. Cordell Reisch tossed a three-hit shutout to earn the victory. Burlington is also in a hosting position, but the wiggle room for the Cougars isn’t the same as that for the Trojans. The Cougars haven’t played since collecting a 2-1 walk-off win over 1A #9 Holly on April 27. Rowdy Humrich drilled the game winning single off the base of the fence in right field.

#8 Fowler @ #5 Peyton

In another clash of teams that currently hold regional hosting spots, Fowler could help its cause with an upset on Tuesday. The Grizzlies swept Rocky Ford last Friday, 15-0 and 12-1, to run their winning streak to six. Gage Gottbehuet threw a one-hitter in the opener and Joe Salvo gave up an unearned run on two hits in the closer. Peyton put a scare into #1 Limon last Saturday, eventually dropping the first game of a DH by a 10-8 count, snapping its three-game winning streak. The Panthers plated five in the top of the seventh, but couldn’t complete the rally. Bryce Love homered twice and drove in four. Game two was a slugfest, won by Limon 22-12. The Badgers scored 14 in the third.

3A #42 Salida @ #7 Buena Vista

This match-up wouldn’t normally move the needle, but after Salida earned a 16-15 walk-off victory at home over the Demons last Tuesday, the rematch deserves attention. Buena Vista led 11-4 going to the fourth, but Salida struck for nine in the frame and things got really interesting. Nolan Vernier tripled and drove in three for BV, while Anthony Taverna homered and had five RBI for the Spartans.

#24 Trinidad @ #31 Sanford (DH)

Trinidad’s place in the regional bracket is pretty safe, though the Miners know they will have to play on the road. Sanford’s spot is quite a bit more tenuous. Sanford opened the season 8-0, but the Mustangs are just 3-5 in their last eight. That includes a current three-game slide in which they’ve been outscored 57-29. Twenty-one of their runs came in a 24-21 loss to Del Norte. The Miners have dropped their last four, getting swept by Ignacio and Monte Vista.

WEDNESDAY

#3 Las Animas @ #21 Rye (DH)

The important week for Las Animas continues with a double-dip at Rye. The Thunderbolts are safely in the regional field, but they need to string together some wins in the final week to enter the postseason on a positive. They fell 4-1 in game two against #14 Swink on Saturday after winning the opener 5-1. That win was the only victory for the Thunderbolts in their last seven games. Axton Ehrlich and Branson Burbidge combined to hold Swink to a run on three hits in the victory.

#14 Swink @ #25 Dolores Huerta Prep

Speaking of Swink, the Lions are most likely set as a #2 seed in a region, but a couple of losses could have them flirting with a #3 seed. By earning the split in the doubleheader against Rye, the Lions have won four of their last five. Landon Mills hit a two-run homer and pitched the final two innings to get the save in the 4-1 win. Nick Paolucci got the win after holding Rye to one unearned run on three hits and three walks in 6.1 innings. Paolucci struck out 12 T-bolts. It’s been a season like no other for the Scorpions, whose three-game winning streak has them on the verge of clinching the program’s first-ever postseason berth. Cameron Stringfellow homered, and the duo of Cristo Esquibel (5) and Bryan Mendoza (4) combined for nine RBI in a 20-3 win over Calhan last Friday. Stringfellow was a home run short of the cycle when the same two teams met the following day. The senior drove in four runs in the 13-6 win, completing the home-and-home sweep.

#32 SkyView Academy @ #17 Ellicott

SkyView Academy currently occupies the final regional qualifying spot, but a lot can change in a week. A win on Wednesday would go a long way to helping solidify that position for the Hawks. They’ve dropped two straight and five of their last six. After getting two-hit by #12 Dayspring Christian in a 7-0 loss last Friday, the Hawks played four strong innings against 4A Gateway on Monday. Trailing 4-3 heading to the top of the fifth, SkyView Academy gave up 13 runs in the final three frames to fall 17-6. Ellicott split a big DH with #22 Colorado Springs Christian last Saturday, falling 5-1 in the first and winning 20-7 in the second. Logan Wilson had two doubles and four RBI to spark the attack in game two.

THURSDAY

#6 Burlington @ #26 Sedgwick County

As mentioned above, Burlington probably needs a couple wins this week to secure a home regional. This seems to be one the Cougars cannot afford to let slip, as the difference between the two in the Seeding Index is quite large, and a loss could drop them out of the top-eight. Sedgwick County still has doubleheaders with Wiggins and Holyoke on its schedule, so any wins this final week will boost its chances of making the regional bracket. The Cougars from the extreme northeast corner of the state had a three-game winning streak snapped in an 8-2 loss to #27 Wray last Friday. Tate Renquist had two of the three hits for Sedgwick County, including a double. He also had one of their two RBI in the contest.

#32 SkyView Academy @ #19 Front Range Christian

Every game down the stretch for SkyView Academy is huge, and getting a second straight shot at a top-20 team is an opportunity the Hawks can’t afford to waste. It won”t be easy, though, as the Falcons pounded out a 17-6 win over #37 Arrupe Jesuit last Saturday. Nate McInturff hit his first home run of the season and collected four RBI in the victory. He also earned the win on the bump, allowing six runs (two earned), on six hits and two walks in five innings. The junior struck out a dozen.