CLASS 1A BASEBALL REPORT – WEEKEND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
As the weekend hits, the schedule is a bit short on key match-ups across the state in 1A, but there are still a few involving top teams. As always, the rankings in the report come from the most recent release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index. Before turning our focus to the weekend, we take a look back at the bigger contests from Thursday.
THURSDAY
The marquee match-up had to be #2 Haxtun visiting #3 Akron in a doubleheader. Colin Cone had a double and two RBI for Haxtun in the 5-4 opening game win by Haxtun. Akron won the nightcap 13-3, with Kolten Randel going 2-2 and driving in two runs.
Most of the other highly-ranked teams cruised to wins. Fifth-ranked Flatirons Academy exploded for a 33-1 win over Denver Academy, with Everson Nelson collecting five RBI. Caleb Doughty, Noah Evans, and Parker Wilson had four RBI apiece.
Sixth-ranked Otis outscored Wiley 19-1 and 18-1 to sweep a doubleheader. Tayte Smith went 3-4 with a double, triple, and four RBI in game one. He added two more triples in game two, and Mitchell Stivers drove in four runs.
In a clash between teams currently ranked in the top-16, #15 Evangel Christian Academy picked up a 7-3 victory at #11 Rocky Mountain Lutheran. Jackson Lehman got the win after allowing three runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings. Zack Rice and Judah Sternhagen each stole two bases for Rocky Mountain Lutheran.
Nucla (#12) outlasted Grand Valley, 17-14. Brycen Rummel tallied four RBI, while Paxtin Caruso and Josh Platt added three apiece. Caliche (#19) upset #14 Prairie, 10-8. Colton Cochran delivered two RBI and two stolen bases for the Buffs, and Zander Yost stole three bags in the victory.
FRIDAY
#13 CHEYENNE WELLS AT #8 HOLLY
The only match-up between teams in the top-16 sees one of the hottest teams in the classification, with Holly hosting the Tigers. The Wildcats have won seven straight since opening the season 1-6. Holly swept a DH against Granada on Tuesday, 18-6 and 19-4. Truman King went deep twice in the opener, giving him three on the season. King went 4-4 with four runs scored in the second game, and Jerry Holdren added a homer and three RBI. Cheyenne Wells got past Wiley on Tuesday, 9-5. Ethen Garay laced a pair of doubles and had two RBI and four stolen bases. Trey Scheler also had four steals.
SATURDAY
#4 MERINO VS #19 CALICHE (DH)
Merino heads into the doubleheader having lost a 4-2 decision to 2A Highland on Tuesday. Zavier Trenkle and Josiah Mackintosh each drove in one of the runs scored by the Rams. Coen Schmidt took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings, with four walks and seven strikeouts.
#5 FLATIRONS ACADEMY AT #9 SIMLA
Simla has won a pair of games this week, beating Custer County 16-0 on Tuesday, and following that with a 16-1 defeat of Kiowa on Thursday. Tatum Kochera and Wyatt Stanko combined on the two-hit shutout of Custer County. The duo tallied 10 strikeouts. Ethan Kissam had a three-hit day against Kiowa and drove in three runs. He and Stanko both recorded four stolen bases.
#7 LA VETA VS #16 DOVE CREEK
#7 LA VETA VS #12 NUCLA
#16 DOVE CREEK VS SIERRA GRANDE
La Veta heads into the weekend on a four-game winning streak, the last two coming over Antonito on Tuesday, 17-4 and 11-4. Lukas Ozzello (4) and Logan Tenorio (3) combined to score seven runs in the opening win. Derek James tripled home two runs in the second game.
Dove Creek dropped a pair to Ignacio on Monday, falling by scores of 14-10 and 10-8. Sheldon Gardner drove in three runs in the first loss, and three more in the nightcap. The Bulldogs had won four straight prior to getting swept.
Sierra Grande has lost four in a row, with two coming last Friday by forfeit to La Veta. On Tuesday, the Panthers fell to #18 Sargent by a 7-3 margin. Patrick Sanchez struck out 10 in five innings, but took the loss after allowing five earned in the start.
#10 MC CLAVE VS #17 STRATTON (DH)
McClave has lost three straight and five of the last seven. In the latest, a 19-8 eight inning contest against Otis, the Cardinals allowed 17 runs over the final three frames. That included a dozen in the top of the eighth. Kielan Mallard went 5-5 with two doubles and two RBI in the loss. Ryan Steinbrunn also had two doubles. Stratton got six strong innings from Gabriel Hornung, only allowing two runs on Thursday, but the Eagles could only muster a single tally against Byers. Von Isenbart went 2-2, including an RBI double in the 2-1 loss.
MileHigh Prep Report 