CLASS 1A BASEBALL REGIONAL PREVIEW by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A BASEBALL REGIONAL PREVIEW

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

All four regions in Class 1A will be played on Saturday, with the field of 16 being whittled to the final four. Merino, Flatirons Academy, Eads, and Simla all earned the right to host a region.

REGION ONE (MERINO HS)

#1 Merino vs #16 Nucla

Merino slugged its way to the championship in District 5, blanking Haxtun 11-0 in the semifinals and then walking off Otis 20-19 in the finals. Kaden Piel and Josiah Mackintosh combined on a two-hit shutout in the semifinal victory, with Piel earning the victory by tossing six innings. Zavier Trenkle scored three runs in the win, but would play an even bigger role in the finals. The freshman’s lone hit in the championship game drove in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Mackintosh got roughed up, allowing seven earned in the top of the first, but went 4-4 at the plate, collecting 6 RBI on the day.

Nucla broke a 6-all tie in its District 1 semifinal against Sierra Grande with four in the top of the sixth. The Mustangs added one in the seventh to advance to the final with the 11-6 victory. Steele Arnold recorded four hits in five at bats, and was one of three Mustangs with 2 RBI. Nucla jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the finals against Dove Creek, but would need to score a run in the seventh to force extras. Dove Creek walked it off with two outs in the ninth, 7-6. Brycen Rummel had a big game at the plate, going 5-6.

Merino took down Nucla 18-0 in the 2022 state semifinals, en route to winning the championship.

#8 Otis vs #9 Stratton

The Bulldogs upset the top seed in the District 5 bracket, Akron, in the semifinals 8-5. Most of the damage was done in the third, when Otis plated six. Tayte Smith tallied three RBI, helping JJ Ward earn the victory. The Bulldogs carried the momentum over into the championship clash with Merino, as they built an 11-2 lead through two and a half. However, they would need three in the top of the seventh to force the Rams to bat in the bottom of the frame. Carter Wells had three doubles in his four hits, and his three RBI tied Smith and Paxton Davis for team-high honors.

One big inning helped propel Stratton into the District 4 finals, as the Eagles beat Wiley 7-4 in the semis. Stratton got six of its runs in the fourth, and then held on to get the win after Wiley scored three runs in the final two innings. Ethan Bohnen picked up the victory with six strong innings of work, allowing two runs (one earned). Bex Seaman drove in two runs to support him. The championship game against Eads started great for Stratton, with four runs coming home in the bottom of the first. That was about it for highlights, as Eads scored 11 in the second and rolled to the 13-5 win. Seaman had three more hits, including a double and a triple.

Otis swept a doubleheader over Stratton earlier in the season, winning the opener 15-6, with Ward homering and driving in four. Brody Webb went yard for the Eagles. The Bulldogs won the nightcap 7-6, scoring the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the seventh. Austin Hornung doubled twice for Otis, while Seaman hit a pair of triples for Stratton.

REGION TWO (BYERS HS)

#2 Flatirons Academy vs #15 Sierra Grande

With only two teams in the district, Flatirons Academy only needed one win to claim the District 3 title. The Bison pushed six runs across the plate in the bottom of the third to break a 2-all tie against Rocky Mountain Lutheran, and they went on to earn an 8-4 victory. Parker Wilson drove in three runs, and Mateo Pope struck out 10 in six innings to get credit for the win.

Sierra Grande got three hits from Rolando Najera and two RBI from Patrick Sanchez in its district semifinal loss to Nucla. Brian Ontiveros went the distance on the mound and took the loss.

#7 Haxtun vs #10 Holly

Haxtun had its 10-game winning streak snapped in the 11-0 loss to Merino in the District 5 semifinals. The Fightin’ Bulldogs only trailed 2-0 going to the seventh, but surrendered nine runs in the frame. Kaiden Schelling had two of Haxtun’s three hits in the contest, including a double, while Colin Cone had single for the remaining knock.

Holly suffered a similar result in its District 4 semifinal contest with Eads. The Wildcats trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom half of the third, before the Eagles exploded for eight runs to complete the run-rule victory, 11-1. The Wildcats only managed one hit in the defeat, a double by Dylan Tamayo.

Holly beat Haxtun 6-5 in the 2022 semifinals, and then lost the championship game to Merino, 4-3.

REGION THREE (EADS HS)

#3 Eads vs #14 Caliche

Case Nelson twirled the one-hitter for Eads in the semifinal victory over Holly, striking out nine and walking two. Nelson also drove in two runs. Johnathan Vasquez led the way with three RBI. Adyn Hough worked 5.1 innings in the championship game against Stratton, allowing five runs (three earned), and Nelson finished it with 1.2 scoreless innings. Vasquez drove home three more runs and Keenan Smith stole three bags.

Caliche dropped its final four games before regionals, including a 15-10 defeat at the hands of Otis in the District 5 quarterfinals. The Buffs led 4-0 after one and 8-2 going into the bottom of the third. The Bulldogs got to within one in that frame and then outscored Caliche 8-2 the rest of the way. Ayden Ring went 4-4 with two runs scored and two RBI to pace the Buffs.

#6 Akron vs #11 Evangel Christian Academy

Akron had troubles coming up with timely hits in the semifinal loss to Otis, leaving 14 runners on base. Most of those were in scoring position. Brock Swedlund had half of the six hits mustered by the Rams, including a double, and he scored twice. Caleb Poss drove in a pair. Tucker Stahn took the loss, despite only allowing one earned run (six total).

A four-run fifth inning helped Evangel Christian advance to the District 2 finals, as the Eagles beat Elbert 9-3. David Damborg and Levi Alexander had two RBI apiece, and Alexander picked up the complete game victory on the bump. Down 4-0 entering the fourth inning against Simla in the championship contest, the Eagles plated eight runs to grab the advantage. It didn’t last very long, as Simla tied it in the bottom of the frame. ECA got one in the sixth, but gave up six and fell 14-9. Andrew Stephenson roped a pair of doubles, and Damborg added two more RBI, but four errors by the Eagles led to five unearned runs.

REGION FOUR (SIMLA HS)

#4 Simla vs #13 Wiley

Ten different Cubs had RBI in Simla’s 16-1 district semifinal victory over Kiowa, with T.J. Eurich, Treven Kochera, and Andrew Patino each having two. Simla also had 21 stolen bases, six by Kochera and five by Eurich. Caston Cox was the beneficiary of all of the offense, as he got the win by allowing one unearned run on one hit in four innings. Eurich went 3-4 in the championship game against ECA, driving in four more runs, and also stealing four more bases. Wyatt Stanko had four thefts, as well. Tatum Kochera worked one scoreless inning in relief to collect the victory.

Wiley’s loss to Stratton was just the second in the last seven for the Panthers, who reached the semis by beating McClave 9-1 in the quarters. Evan Larrick played a big role in the quarterfinal victory, driving in two runs, stealing two bases, and throwing two innings of scoreless relief. Grant Mauck, who scored three times, took the win with five innings of work, only allowing one unearned run.

#5 Dove Creek vs #12 Elbert

Dove Creek rode a nine-game losing streak into the District 1 semifinals, but the Bulldogs picked a great time to get off the schneid. Gage Buffington and Aiden Chadd each had three RBI in a 20-2 semifinal victory over Antonito. Hunter Daves allowed two unearned runs in four innings of four-hit ball to get the win. Buffington scored three times in the 7-6 title game victory over Nucla, and he worked six innings to get the win. None of the five runs he allowed were earned.

Elbert was held to just five hits in its semifinal loss to ECA, with Michael Hermes registering two of them. Eight errors by the Bulldogs led to eight of the nine runs allowed being unearned.

It’s been 12 years since the two programs have met on the diamond, with Elbert collecting a 7-2 regional victory. The Bulldogs lost in the state semifinals that season.