CLASS 2A BASEBALL REPORT – REGIONAL ROUND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Denver Christian won the third baseball title in program history last year, beating Limon 5-3. It prevented a three-peat by the Badgers. Limon is back atop the bracket as the #1 seed, while the Thunder are seeded second. Regional play began on Friday, with Peyton hosting Region 4 and Holyoke hosting Region 5. Region 4 crowned the first state quarterfinalist, while Region 5 wraps up play on Saturday morning.
REGION ONE (SATURDAY AT LIMON)
#1 LIMON (22-0) VS #32 SANFORD (12-7) 12:30PM
The Badgers have not dropped a contest since falling in last year’s title game. Pitching has been a main reason, as Limon has allowed two runs or fewer 14 times this season, with seven shutouts. Five of those came in succession in early April. Four Badgers are hitting over .400 with three more over .300. Keon Bandy leads at .565 and Jordan Rockwell is at .540. The duo has nine home runs between them, five by Rockwell, and each has more than 30 RBI. On the mound, those two have 18 wins (Bandy, 10), with ERAs under 1.60. Bandy has recorded 106 Ks in 63 innings and Rockwell has 68 in 40 innings. Trey Smith leads the staff with a 1.19 ERA.
Sanford started the year 8-0, but only won four games the rest of the way. The Mustangs ended a five-game skid with a forfeit victory over Walsenburg last Thursday. Stats haven’t been updated for several weeks, but the Mustangs had 10 players hitting .360 or better as of the last entry. Joshua Fairhurst was leading the way at .571 and Cash Caldon was next at .553 with a team-high 25 RBI. Travis Canty (.537), Lucas Miller (.517), and Trason Gartrell (.500) rounded out the top-five hitters for Sanford. Pitching has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the Mustangs, with a staff ERA near nine. As of the last update, only Miller, Caldon, and Gartrell had worked double figure innings, with Miller’s 20 topping the team.
#16 IGNACIO (17-6) VS #17 RYE (11-11) 10AM
Ignacio dropped four of its first give games to open the season, but then put together winning streaks of eight and seven. The Bobcats enter regionals having won their last two. Eight hitters in the lineup are batting .300 or better, with Phillip Quintana and Stoney White Thunder leading the charge. Those two come into regional play at .481 apiece. Quintana has 19 XBH in his season tally, including four HR and a dozen doubles. His 35 RBI are tops on the squad, just ahead of White Thunder, who has 30. Devante Montoya is the only pitcher to work more than a handful of innings and sport an ERA under 2.00, coming in at 1.96. As a unit, the Bobcats’ ERA is 4.46. Quintana has a team-high 61 strikeouts in 49 innings.
Rye has lived up to Frank the Tank’s words from the movie Old School, “we’re going streaking!” The Thunderbolts dropped their first four, won their next six, lost five, and enter the regional round on a four-game winning streak. Axton Ehrlich has the most impressive offensive numbers for Rye, posting a .500 average, 31 hits, and 22 RBI. Will Hamler leads with 27 runs scored, just ahead of Aydin Swald, with 24. Ehrlich, Swald, and Branson Burbidge have each worked more than 30 innings, and have a combined 140 Ks between them. Burbidge is the only one of their top-four arms to have a sub-3.00 ERA, entering play at 2.94.
REGION TWO (SATURDAY AT DENVER CHRISTIAN)
#2 DENVER CHRISTIAN (18-4) VS #31 CROWLEY COUNTY (6-14) 10AM
The defending state champs came out of the gates strong, winning their first five games. But, an 8-6 loss to Limon triggered a four-game slide. The Thunder haven’t lost since. Of the 11 players who have appeared in at least 17 games, 10 are hitting over .300 this season. Asher Hawes stands atop every offensive category for the Thunder, completing the regular season with a .548 average, 31 runs, 40 hits (23 XBH), and 39 RBI. Of his extra base hits, eight were triples and eight more left the yard. Nathan Bueher is second with 30 runs, and Mason Reilly has 34 RBI, plus 14 XBH, 10 of them doubles. Reilly is the staff ace, posting a 5-1 record, 1.28 ERA, and 80 Ks in 38.1 innings. Brayden Epperhart has been a very good second option, as he’s also 5-1 with an ERA of 2.48. He’s struck out 57 in 42.1 innings. Caleb Stork leads with six wins.
Nothing has been easy this season for Crowley County, who was held scoreless over the first 16 innings, going 0-3 to open the campaign. The Chargers have not won more than two games in a row at any point, and come into the bracket having lost their last two. Derreck Buford paces the Chargers with a .426 average, 21 runs, and a homer. John Rusher is tops with 15 RBI, one ahead of Landon Smith, and two in front of Seth Schultz, who has a team-high five triples. Buford (2.94) and Tritt Buhr (3.71) are the only two pitchers with ERAs under 4.00 on the year.
#15 MEEKER (15-8) VS #18 WIGGINS (9-12) 12:30PM
After starting the year 2-2, Meeker went on to drop five of its next six, including a four-game streak. From that point on, the Cowboys won seven in a row, lost one, and finished the regular season with five straight victories. Pitchers have had trouble getting Jake Blazon out this year, as he enters the postseason hitting .493 with 23 runs and 25 RBI. Ethan Quinn leads with 29 runs, and Spencer Gates sits first with 32 RBI. Gates has 10 doubles and a home run on the year. Carson Klinzmann has posted a 2.40 ERA in 49.2 innings, striking out 62 batters along the way. Skylar Browning stands at 3.97 in 24.2 innings with 31 K. Ryan Sullivan has punched out 39 in 18.1 innings.
Wiggins struggled to get over the hump early in the season, dropping its first five. Three of those were by one run apiece, two to 1A champion Merino. As late April rolled around, the Tigers closed things out by winning five of their last seven, including a split with #5 Holyoke. Grayson Johnson has put together a strong senior season, hitting .455 with 17 RBI and 12 XBH. Those include nine doubles and two home runs. Riley Thomas, the team leader with 20 RBI, owns a home run as well. Despite a batting average in the .150s, JR Meyer has scored a team-high 18 runs. Freshman Larry Garcia has seen the most mound work for the Tigers, putting in 36 innings, posting an ERA just over five. His 44 strikeouts are just ahead of Marcus Steinbar, who has 40 in 25.1 innings.
REGION THREE (SATURDAY AT LAS ANIMAS)
#3 LAS ANIMAS (21-2) VS #30 DOLORES HUERTA PREP (11-12) 10AM
After suffering a 3-2 loss to #4 Peyton in the fourth game of the season, Las Animas did not taste defeat again until last Wednesday, when Rye won game two of a DH, 5-4. That’s a span of 16 straight wins by the Trojans. TJ Ortiz has done a bit of everything for the Trojans, and done it very well. The seniors leads with a .586 average, 41 hits (15 XBH), and 36 RBI, while also crafting a 4-1 record on the hill. His 2.10 ERA is third among the main throwers for Las Animas, as are his 30 IP and 41 strikeouts. Younger brother Braydon, a freshman, has been the ace, building a 7-0 record, 0.60 ERA, and 86 strikeouts in 47 innings. He’s thrown two shutouts. Damien Baca also has a 7-0 mark. He has compiled a 2.02 ERA and 70 K in 45 innings. Back to the offense, Orion Martinez had swiped 36 bases, helping him score a team-high 39 runs.
Dolores Huerta Prep won four of its last five games to secure the first postseason berth in program history. The Scorpions could have been seeded even higher if not for two four-game losing streaks during the season. Cameron Stringfellow leads the attack in just about every category, including a .500 average, 31 hits (13 XBH, 4 HR), 47 runs, 26 RBI, and 26 stolen bases. Noah Acuña (.383), Cristo Esquibel (.379), and Anthony Ruybal (.371) have combined for 63 runs, 53 RBI, and 16 XBH. Acuña owns four doubles and five triples, while Esquibel has six doubles to his credit. Stringfellow, Esquibel, and Joshua Maestas have logged all but 9.1 innings on the hill between them, with Stringfellow racking up 52.2; Maestas, 40.1; and Esquibel, 22.1. None have a very shiny ERA, but they have combined to strikeout 120 batters.
The teams are familiar with each other, as Las Animas earned a 6-3 win over the Scorpions on April 3rd. A four-run top of the fourth by the Trojans was the difference in the contest. Martinez stole four bases in the win.
#14 ST. MARY’S (9-12) VS #19 FRONT RANGE CHRISTIAN (12-7-1) 12:30PM
Things were looking a bit rough for St. Mary’s midway through April, with the Pirates riding a four-game losing streak, and having losses in nine of their last 12. But, they strung together five wins down the stretch, including a sweep of #26 Ellicott to finish inside the top half of the final 32. When you look at the stats, you’ll find Ryan Strub’s name atop almost every category. The junior is batting over .500, with 10 XBH in his 36 knocks, 23 runs, 21 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Luke Pepin (20 RBI), and Cole Eberhardt (20 runs) are hot on his heels. Strub, along with Garret Klein, have carried a lot of the pitching load for the Pirates. Klein has worked 40.2 innings, registering 37 strikeouts and an ERA 4.48, while Strub has an ERA of 7.53 with 45 K in 30.2 innings.
The opening month of the season had just about everything you can see in baseball for the Falcons. They had a win, a loss, and a tie. Not long after that, Front Range Christian was involved in a stretch of five straight shutouts, with four going the way of the Falcons. Wesley Marshall leads the team with a .475 average and eight doubles. His 19 RBI are third to Nate McInturff (24) and Haeden Morton (21), while his 20 runs place him third behind Harrison Esper (25) and Morton (22). Marshall (44.2 IP), Morton (40.1 IP), and McInturff (25 IP) have combined to work all but nine innings for the Falcons. They have 186 strikeouts between them, 81 from Marshall.
REGION FIVE (FRIDAY/SATURDAY AT HOLYOKE)
#5 HOLYOKE (14-7) VS #28 COLORADO SPRINGS CHRISTIAN (7-12-1) FRIDAY 5PM
Holyoke’s region will play semifinals on Friday night and the finals at 9am on Saturday. Three of Holyoke’s losses came to teams who played for the 1A title on Thursday, as the Dragons split with runner-up Akron and dropped both ends of a DH to champion Merino. Overall, only three of their losses were to 2A teams, all of whom are in the field. Tyson Mosenteen has his name among the state leaders with a .595 average, 47 hits (13 XBH, 3 HR), 37 runs, 33 RBI, and 36 stolen bases, but he’s far from a one-man show. Colby Weber (.527), Wyatt Sprague (.500), and Reid Sprague (.500) are all hitting .500 or better. W. Sprague has scored 32 runs, driven in 23, and mashed three homers. Mosenteen usually gets the first call to the mound, working a team-high 52.2 innings. He’s recorded 84 strikeouts and a 3.59 ERA. W. Sprague is the #2 starter, working 32.1 innings, garnering 51 K and an ERA of 3.25 on the season.
CSCS had a similar start to the season as Front Range Christian, posting a 1-1-1 record in the first few weeks. The Lions would not register consecutive victories until late April, and come into the postseason having dropped their last four. Mike Sandlin will look to build upon his .560 average, while Ben Garl is only a few hits away from batting .500 himself. Garl has two home runs in his 11 XBH, and his 22 RBI lead the Lions. Jace Velasquez (22 runs) and Jessen Eng (20 runs) have crossed the plate the most times for the Lions. Micah Davies (4.28 ERA, 48 IP) and Garl (8.17 ERA, 24 IP) are the main starters for CSCS and they’ve combined to punch out 103 in their 72 innings.
#12 LYONS (14-7) VS #21 TRINIDAD (10-9) FRIDAY 7:30PM
Lyons very nearly made it through the regular season without losing consecutive games, but that ended with losses to Valley and Estes Park last week. A defeat by Denver Christian on Tuesday sent the Lions into the postseason having dropped three of their last four. A familiar last name sits atop several categories for the Lions, as Jake and Zack LaCrosse are 1-2 in BA at .483 and .460, respectively. Zack leads the team with 22 RBI and is second in runs with 23, trailing Davis Abernathy by three. Finn Oetting owns four HR, while Z. LaCrosse has two. Wyatt Waters has done a lot of the heavy lifting for the pitching staff, posting a 2.92 ERA and 111 K in 64.2 innings. The next two in terms of innings are Z. LaCrosse (28.2) and J. LaCrosse (24). They have ERAs of 0.49 and 1.73, respectively, with 93 strikeouts between them.
Trinidad had to overcome a rough start to the year to make the postseason, as the Miners dropped five of their first six. They responded with a seven-game winning streak, but then dropped their next four. The Miners enter postseason winners of their last two. Anthony Sandoval leads a pack of four hitters at .400 or better, carrying a .451 average into play. Brett Kendall (.410), Joey Just (.404), and Jeremiah Romero (.400) round out the group. Jayson Guzzo supplies quite a bit of power to the lineup, with 11 doubles, a triple, and four HR, helping him drive in a team-high 30 runs. Sandoval (41) and Kendall (29) have combine to score 70 times. Five pitchers have worked at least 12.1 innings, led by Just at 33.2 and Jace Rogers at 28.2. As a staff, Trinidad has an ERA of 5.78 with 163 strikeouts.
REGION SIX (SATURDAY AT BURLINGTON)
#6 BURLINGTON (14-7) VS #27 WRAY (5-15) 9AM
Burlington suffered an early four-game losing streak, including a pair of shutouts, but has been red-hot since, winning 11 of its last 14. The Cougars were 9-3 in games decided by three runs or less, including a pair of 4-3 walk-offs over Yuma last weekend. Freshman Lenny Ramirez leads the way with a .439 average, 15 RBI, and nine doubles. His classmate, Scout Humrich, has scored a team-best 19 runs. Older brother, Rowdy Humrich, owns two doubles, three triples, and both of the team’s home runs. Zack Foose has been the #1 pitcher for Burlington, posting a 2.05 ERA in 58 innings, while R. Humrich has a 3.16 ERA in 44.1 innings.
It’s been a really tough season for Wray, one that included a nine-game losing streak. The Eagles did not win consecutive games until sweeping an interrupted doubleheader over Sedgwick County last weekend and into this week. The roster is flooded with youth, as only three seniors and one junior are part of the program. Sophomores Brodie Riggleman (.368) and Gage Waitman (.310) are the only hitters batting better than .275 on the year. Riggleman is tied with Rydge Peterson for the team lead with 13 RBI. Waitman has the team lead with two HR, and Gabe Kechter is tops with 19 runs scored. Peterson is 4-6 on the bump, but has a very nice 2.45 ERA in 56 innings. Jack Frerichs holds a 5.96 ERA in 22.1 innings.
Burlington swept a doubleheader over Wray back on April 13th, scoring three in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off game one, 7-6. The Cougars won game two by a 7-4 count, scoring four in the sixth to secure the win.
#11 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (13-5) VS #22 BYERS (8-12) 11:30AM
Dayspring Christian reached the middle of April with a 4-5 record. Since April 16th, the Eagles have strung together nine straight wins to enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the classification. Owen Steward (.452), Josiah Rodriguez (.417), and Logan VanIddekinge (.407) have combined for 19 doubles, a triple, and two home runs. VanIddekinge leads the Eagles with 22 RBI, with Steward next at 16. VanIddekinge has been stellar on the hill, posting a 6-0 record and 1.04 ERA in 27 innings. Gage Davis leads the staff with 40 innings pitched. His 3.15 ERA is second.
Byers started the season 0-3 and by the end of March was sitting at 3-5. A five-game losing streak to open the month of April had the Bulldogs deep in the pack and in danger of missing the postseason, but they finished the regular season by winning five of their last seven. Chas Butterfield is one of just three hitters over .300 on the season for the Bulldogs, leading the pack at .407. His 24 RBI are also tops, and half of his 22 hits have gone for extra bases. Chase Long (.351) is tied for the team lead for runs scored with Gabe Price, both with 25. They have stolen 27 and 26 bases, respectively. Jaxzen Egger is the only main pitcher for the team with an ERA under five, checking in at 4.80 in 42.1 innings. Long’s 44.1 IP are first on the squad.
Dayspring Christian won a wild 17-15 decision over the Bulldogs on May first, with the Eagles running out to an 8-0 lead and then having to hold on as Byers scored five in the bottom of the seventh. Steward and Gavin Bohl each homered in the contest and drove in a total of eight runs. Long had a big fly for Byers, and Alan Brewer added five RBI.
REGION SEVEN (SATURDAY AT MONTE VISTA)
#7 MONTE VISTA (17-3) VS #26 ELLICOTT (10-9) 10AM
Monte Vista went into the regular season finale looking at having to travel for the regional round. However, the Pirates upset Buena Vista 6-3, sending them into the top-eight of the Selection and Seeding Index. They finished the regular season on a 12-game winning streak. Kaden Mellott enters play hitting .397 with 27 runs, 15 RBI, and seven extra base hits. Kobe Jiron’s 34 runs are the most for the Pirates, while Azariah Hurtado has used his power to plate 29 runs. Hurtado has nine doubles, two triples, and two homers. Mellott is one of three pitchers with at least 20 innings under their belt, throwing a team-high 50, posting a 1.68 ERA. Jiron (34.1 IP, 2.65 ERA) and Jeremiah Baumgardner (21 IP, 2.67 ERA) round out the trio.
Ellicott made a big splash by beating Peyton 1-0 on April 18th, with Logan Wilson tossing a one-hitter. The Thunderhawks then dropped their next three and finished the regular season losing seven of their last nine. Without the last few games entered, Wilson was hitting .647 with 34 RBI and 19 XBH. The latter includes 10 doubles, two doubles, and seven home runs. Jedrick Howarth had a line that included a .543 BA, 30 runs, five doubles, a triple, and two homers. At the last update, Wilson was 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. Howarth (23.1 IP) and Jacob Overstreet (21.2 IP) have combined for 76 Ks in 45 innings.
#10 DAWSON SCHOOL (16-4) VS #23 RANGELY (11-9-1) 12PM
Consistency was a big key for Dawson School in the regular season, as the Mustangs were able to avoid losing consecutive games at any point. They had winning streaks of two, three, five, two, and four around their four losses. Two youngsters lead the team in average, with freshman Milo Richtel hitting .548 and sophomore Shelton Johnson checking in at .467 to date. They’re the top two in runs with 36 and 26, respectively, while also standing second and third in RBI with 24 and 17. Richtel has 13 doubles, five triples and a HR. Dawson Kusel is the team leader with 26 RBI. The Mustangs have five arms with ERAs under four, led by Jimmy Leuchten (1.62) and Charles Heathwood (2.08). Heathwood leads in innings with 33.2.
The Panthers will have to put a tough final week of the season behind them, as they lost their final three games by a combined tally of 68-5. They had won three straight prior to that. Landon Bollinger has built a nice sophomore season for himself, leading the Panthers with an average of .547, 35 hits (14 doubles, one HR), and 28 RBI. His 26 runs are fourth behind Kobey Chisum (36), Marcos Quintana (32), Landon Carlson (31). Chisum has 36 stolen bases. The pitching staff has an elevated ERA of 8.72, with only Carlson entering the regional under seven. He’s at 6.76 in 29 innings. Tristan Scott leads with 38.2 innings pitched.
REGION EIGHT (SATURDAY AT BUENA VISTA)
#8 BUENA VISTA (15-6) VS #25 DEL NORTE (11-9) 10AM
Prior to the loss to Monte Vista on Tuesday in the regular season finale, Buena Vista was sitting sixth in the Selection and Seeding Index, thanks to wins in 12 of its previous 13 outings. The only loss in that stretch was a crazy 16-15 walk-off at the hands of rival Salida. Balance throughout the lineup has helped the Demons earn the right to host a region, with six players recording between 17 and 23 RBI. Hudson Wingo stands atop that group, followed by Trey Cardwell (21), Nolan Verrier (20), Kaden Schell (20), Elio Rizzi (19), and Knox Reid (17). Caleb Camp has scored a team-leading 33 runs and 26 stolen bases. Camp is the ace of a very solid staff, registering a 5-2 record, 1.12 ERA, and 92 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.
Wins in six of the last seven games helped Del Norte overcome a four-game skid. The Tigers had two winning streaks of four during the campaign. Nickolas Atencio leads the Tigers in average at .543, just a tick in front of Tytus Atencio, who clocks in at .542. They are in the top three in runs and RBI, with Nickolas recording 24 and 20, while Tytus has 22 and 20. Gage Trujillo’s 25 runs lead the way. As a team, Del Norte has 28 doubles and 10 triples. N. Atencio leads the pitching staff with a 1.39 ERA in 40.1 innings, followed by T. Atencio at 2.51 in 22.1 innings.
#9 FOWLER (16-7) VS #24 ESTES PARK (8-12) 12:30PM
After having a six-game winning streak snapped in a close loss to Peyton, Fowler bolstered its chances of hosting a region by taking a hard-fought doubleheader over Swink last Friday. Heading into the regular season finale, the Grizzlies occupied the final hosting spot. Rye scored three in the bottom of the seventh to grab a 5-4 walk-off. Coupled with the Monte Vista victory over Buena Vista, the Grizzlies fell to ninth in the final Selection and Seeding Index. Seven players have double figure RBI, led by Gage Gottbehuet with 25, and three more have at least seven. Hagen McCuiston leads with 35 runs scored. No one on the roster has an ERA above three, with Weston Johnson’s 1.94 topping the staff. Harrison Proctor (2.16, 32.1 IP), Joe Salvo (2.29, 33.2 IP), and Gottbehuet (2.85, 34.1 IP) round out the main options for the Grizzlies.
Estes Park lost its first five games of the season, and then didn’t lose consecutive games again until late April. The Bobcats then dropped three straight before winning four in a row to help lock up a regional appearance. They lost their last two to end the regular season. Zecariah Moss is the lone Bobcat hitting better than .300, with the sophomore reporting to the postseason with a .338 mark. He’s first in runs (21) and tied for third in RBI (11). Leo Balduzzi leads with 13 RBI, followed by Drake Kearney (12), and Caleb Sumner (11). Noah Webster is the only Bobcat pitcher to post an ERA under five, as he enters play at 4.59 in 21.1 innings of work. Moss (5.30, 33 IP) and Sumner (6.30, 46.2 IP) are their other top arms.
MileHigh Prep Report 