CLASS 2A BASEBALL REPORT – REGIONALS
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The race to the state finals begins this weekend with the Class 2A regional round. Seven of the eight regionals will be played on Saturday, with only Region 2, hosted by Dayspring Christian Academy, playing out on Friday. Only the eight region winners will advance to the state quarterfinals.
REGION ONE HOSTED BY FORGE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
#1 FORGE CHRISTIAN (19-4) VS #32 MANUAL (13-8)
After ripping off a 15-game winning streak, Forge Christian ended the regular season losing its last two. The Fury fell 2-0 to #8 Platte Valley and 6-0 to 3A #6 Resurrection Christian, with the latter coming on Monday. They were held to just three hits in each loss. Sullivan Strange, Will Taylor, and Sam Buerck had a single apiece in the loss to Platte Valley, while Taylor, Ben McLean, and Brock Wycoff each singled against Resurrection Christian.
Manual had a four-game winning streak snapped on Monday, with the Thunderbolts dropping a 9-3 decision to 3A #32 Lincoln. Leo Zimmerman doubled twice and drove in a run, while Jake Carney and Alan Whatley had two hits apiece. Carney and Juan Flores-Delgado each had a double, as four of the T-bolts’ 10 hits went for extra bases.
#16 WRAY (11-11) VS #17 IGNACIO (15-5)
After a six-game losing streak, Wray got hot late, winning seven of the last eight, including the final two against #31 Sedgwick County on Monday. The Eagles won the doubleheader 17-1 and 12-0. Broderick Kite and Brodie Riggleman had two RBI apiece in the opening win, which saw Jeremiah Perry, Kite, and Grady Godsey combine to allow two hits while striking out a dozen.
Ignacio won 11 of the last 13 to close the regular season, but did drop the finale 11-1 to #28 Olathe last Saturday. The Bobcats were held to just one hit in that defeat, a single by Stoney White Thunder. Sonny Flores scored the lone run for the team.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
None of the four teams met during the regular season.
REGION TWO HOSTED BY DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
#2 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (19-3) VS #31 SEDGWICK COUNTY (9-14)
The second-seeded Eagles won their final nine games of the regular season, taking down #13 Wiggins 7-2 on Monday. They sealed the victory with a four-run bottom of the sixth. Josiah Rodriguez went 3-4 with two triples, while Kai Polk drove in two runs for Dayspring Christian. Gage Davis allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks in seven innings. He struck out 13 in the win.
The doubleheader sweep loss to Wray saw Sedgwick County lose four of its last six. The Cougars swept a pair from Holyoke in between losses to #6 Highland and Wray. Josh Kler and Tate Renquist had four RBI each in the last win by the Cougars, a 15-4 decision over Holyoke. Renquist homered.
#15 SKYVIEW ACADEMY (11-5) VS #18 BURLINGTON (8-10)
SkyView Academy avoided a two-game slide to end the regular season, eking out a 5-4 win over 3A Fort Lupton in eight innings on Tuesday. The Hawks tied it with a run in the bottom of the seventh and then walked it off in the eighth. Chris Gallegos drove in two runs without being credited with a hit. Kaden Morrison and Clay Cosart had two knocks apiece.
Burlington ended the regular season with a pair of 2-0 losses to #5 Yuma last Saturday. Lenny Ramirez gave up two runs (one earned) over five innings in game one, and Rowdy Humrich had two of the team’s four hits in the loss. Zack Foose went six innings in game two, allowing two runs, one of which was earned, on three hits. Maguire Franz had the lone hit for the Cougars in that defeat.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
DCA earned a 10-0 victory over SkyView in early April, with Logan Van Iddekinge tossing a two-hit shutout. The senior struck out 12 and walked one. Davis, Rodriguez, and Owen Steward had two RBI apiece for the Eagles. Cosart and Logen Meyers each had one hit for the Hawks.
REGION THREE HOSTED BY FOWLER
#3 FOWLER (18-2) VS #30 CLEAR CREEK (8-9)
Fowler enters the regional bracket on a bona fide roll, winning 15 straight contests. The Grizzlies finished the regular season with a 16-6 victory over #21 Swink on Tuesday. Cael True went 2-4 with a double and three RBI, plus two runs scored. Bryce Froman had three hits and two RBI, while Isaiah Montoya drove in two runs. Weston Johnson scored a team-leading three runs.
After only having one winning streak during the majority of the season, Clear Creek put together a second positive string to close out the regular season. The Golddiggers beat Platte Canyon 12-2 on Monday and #25 Bishop Machebeuf 2-1 on Tuesday. Zephyr Schuessler had a pair of hits for the Golddiggers, and Landon Lewis gave up one unearned run on nine hits and a walk in seven innings.
#14 DAWSON SCHOOL (11-9) VS #19 BYERS (10-10)
Dawson School had its three-game winning streak snapped on Monday by 3A #2 Colorado Academy, 18-0. The Mustangs were held to just three singles, one each by Milo Richtel, Julian Sutton, and Shelton Johnson. Graham Bernstein also reached one time on a walk. Eight of the runs allowed by the Mustangs were unearned.
Byers began the season 4-1, but then went through a six-game slide. The Bulldogs were just 6-9 down the stretch, including a pair of losses to Yuma on Tuesday. Jack Earl had two hits and two stolen bases in a 13-3 opening loss, while Chas Butterfield and Gabe Price had three hits apiece in the 18-8 nightcap defeat.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
Dawson School beat Clear Creek 13-4 last Thursday, using an eight-run second to provide the bulk of the margin. Henry Cox homered for the Mustangs, who also got three RBI from Sutton. Lewis doubled twice for the Golddiggers and also had three runs batted in.
REGION FOUR HOSTED BY PEYTON
#4 PEYTON (18-1) VS #29 ESTES PARK (7-11)
Peyton pushed its winning streak to 11 to close the regular season with a pair of wins over Calhan last Saturday. The Panthers rolled 15-0 in the opener and 19-4 in game two. Bryce Love threw a four-inning no-hitter in the opener, walking one and striking out 11. Love also went 3-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Colton Cobb had three RBI, too. Liam Stewart homered, doubled, and drove in four in the second game. Love added two more doubles and three more RBI.
Estes Park picked up two straight wins to end the regular season, ending with a 16-6 victory over Platte Canyon on Tuesday. Cole Ingram and Zec Moss were both 3-4 with three RBI, and Drake Kearney was 4-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. The Bobcats stole 17 bases in the win, three apiece by Moss and Kearney.
#13 WIGGINS (11-12) VS #20 NORTH FORK (10-9)
Wiggins had a chance to win consecutive games for the first time in almost a month before Dayspring Christian handed the Tigers a 7-2 loss on Monday. Cash Pape had two of the five hits accumulated by the Tigers. Alex Tarango and Karter Roberts had an RBI apiece.
North Fork saw its two-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday with a 10-0 loss to 3A #19 Gunnison. Payson Pene, Joe Hollembeak, and David Audelo had a hit apiece for the Miners, all being singles. Hollembeak also had a stolen base.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
None of the four teams met during the regular season.
REGION FIVE HOSTED BY YUMA
#5 YUMA (16-6) VS #28 OLATHE (12-11)
The Outlaws put a pair of tough losses behind them in the closing days of the regular season and swept doubleheaders against Burlington and Byers. Yuma pitchers struck out a combined 25 hitters in the sweep of Burlington, but it was the offense that dominated the series with Byers. Lennox Huwa and Silas Baucke both homered in game one, and Baucke added his fifth home run of the season in the nightcap.
Olathe had been shutout in consecutive games before the Pirates ended the regular season with the 11-1 victory over Ignacio last Saturday. Evan Eddy gave up one earned on one hit in five innings, and also starred at the plate, going 2-2 with two RBI. Adrian Luna and Jack Combs also had two RBI each.
#12 MONTE VISTA (14-6) VS #21 SWINK (12-10)
Monte Vista earned a pair of 15-6 wins over Sanford last Saturday, sending the Pirates into the regional round on a high note. Jakoby Ross drove in four runs and Chayse Bouet had three RBI in the game one victory. Azariah Hurtado swiped three bases in that win. Ross had three more runs batted in in the game two win, and Kaden Madrid added three RBI. Kaden Mellott stole three bases in that game.
Swink saw its chances of entering regionals on a roll end on Tuesday with the 16-6 loss to Fowler. The Lions had won a DH over Rye just a few days earlier. Landon Mills went 2-2 with three RBI, while Nate Cabrera added an RBI and two runs scored. Ethan Lockhart and Nick Paolucci also added and RBI each.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
None of the four teams met during the regular season.
REGION SIX HOSTED BY HIGHLAND
#6 HIGHLAND (17-6) VS #27 BUENA VISTA (12-11)
Highland had its six-game winning streak snapped in the regular season finale, with the Huskies falling 7-6 to 3A #26 Jefferson Academy on Monday. The Huskies were held to five hits, including a solo home run off the bat of DJ Rogers. Sawyer Morgan added a two-run double. Four errors led to five unearned runs.
Buena Vista got hot at the right time, winning its last five regular season games. The last of those was a 9-8 thriller over 3A Centauri on Tuesday. The Demons trailed 7-5 going to the bottom of the sixth before tying it. The Falcons got a run in the top of the seventh to regain the lead, but BV walked it off with two in the bottom of the frame. Elio Ynfante tripled and drove home three runs, while Trey Cardwell and Oakley Robison had two RBI apiece.
#11 LAS ANIMAS (16-5) VS #22 FRONT RANGE CHRISTIAN (10-11)
The Trojans bounced back from a tough DH sweep by Fowler last Friday to end the regular season on a positive by beating Rye 7-4. Las Animas plated five in the first and then held on the rest of the way. Braydon Ortiz was 3-3 with a double and two RBI. The rest of the Trojan lineup produced one hit. That belonged to Kree Wallace, who scored twice. Ortiz was also the winning pitcher, giving up one earned run and striking out eight in five innings.
A rough close to the regular season saw Front Range Christian drop its last six, including a 3-2 defeat by 3A Englewood on Tuesday. It was the second straight one-run loss for the Falcons. Englewood scored in the bottom of the seventh to gain the walk-off. Jake Dreiling had two of the team’s four hits in the loss. Noah Angel and Nate McInturff each had an RBI.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
Las Animas plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat Buena Vista 4-3 last month. Ortiz was 3-3 with two RBI in the winning effort. Ynfante was 1-3 with two RBI for the Demons.
REGION SEVEN HOSTED BY DENVER CHRISTIAN
#7 DENVER CHRISTIAN (14-8) VS #26 LYONS (8-13)
After dropping a DH to Colorado Academy during the week, Denver Christian finished the regular season with a 1-0 victory over 3A #28 The Academy last Saturday. James Lord scattered six hits, two walks, and a hit batter over seven innings to earn the shutout. He also recorded 13 Ks along the way. Charlie Davy plated Grady Gunnett in the second inning for the only run of the contest.
The month of May hasn’t been too nice to Lyons, who finished the regular season just 1-5 in the month All five losses were in succession, with four coming by four or fewer runs. That includes a 3-2 defeat at #9 Limon on Monday. The Lions tied it with two in the top of the seventh, but Limon got the walk-off in the bottom of the inning. Zack LaCrosse and Jake LaCrosse pitched well, combining for two earned runs in 6.1 innings. Henry Lynch and Kaion Kishiyama had an RBI apiece.
#10 CEDAREDGE (20-3) VS #23 CROWLEY COUNTY (11-11)
The Bruins gave up just one run over their final five games, recording four straight shutouts to end the regular season. In last Saturday’s 10-0 finale against Rangely, Cedaredge got a five-inning no-hitter with 12 strikeouts from Colten Hutto. Tel Geyer provided all the necessary support with two RBI on a 3-4 day. Hutto also had a six-inning no-hitter to begin the shutout streak. He punched out 11 in a 10-0 win over Olathe.
Crowley County was on the wrong end of a 6-0 shutout against 3A #5 Sterling on Tuesday. The Chargers only managed four hits, one apiece by Derreck Buford, Aiden Vowles, Landon Smith, and Tanner Kuhn. The Chargers committed four errors, leading to four of the runs being unearned.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
None of the four teams met during the regular season.
REGION EIGHT HOSTED BY PLATTE VALLEY
#8 PLATTE VALLEY (14-9) VS #25 BISHOP MACHEBEUF (11-9)
Beating Forge Christian 2-0 last Saturday helped take a bit of the sting out of a 2-3 finish to the regular season for Platte Valley. The Broncos did all of their damage in the first inning and Dagan Gomez made it stand up with seven shutout frames. Gomez allowed three hits and three walks, while striking out five. For good measure, Gomez went 2-3 with an RBI. Cooper Moffatt supplied the other RBI.
Bishop Machebeuf’s four-game winning streak ended with at 2-1 loss to Clear Creek on Tuesday. Kenny Eddy and Matthew Menke had two hits apiece, and the Buffaloes outhit Clear Creek 10-5, but could not take advantage. Miles Edgar scored the only run for the Buffs. Jack Menke was the tough-luck loser after allowing two unearned runs in seven innings.
#9 LIMON (14-9) VS #24 ST. MARY’S (13-10)
Limon recovered from a stretch that saw the Badgers drop seven out of eight, by winning the last three games of the season. In their 3-2 walk-off over Lyons on Monday, the Badgers got three hits and two RBI from Brody Scherrer, and two hits each from Brooks Scherrer and Logan Haflich. Brody Scherrer got the win by allowing two earned runs on seven hits in seven innings. He punched out a dozen.
St. Mary’s snapped a brief two-game slide with a 6-3 win over Woodland Park last Saturday. Cade Barta went 2-3 with three RBI for the Pirates, helping make a winner of Garrett Klein. Klein went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and five walks. Ryan Strub came on to get the final out.
These two foes won’t have to go back very far to get scouting reports, as they played just over a week ago. Limon rode a two-hitter from Brooks Scherrer to a 15-0 four-inning victory. He went 2-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, and Braxten Churchwell stole four bases.
POSSIBLE REMATCHES
St. Mary’s swept a DH from Bishop Machebeuf in the early days of the season, winning 10-5 and 4-3. Luke Eberhart drove in four runs in the game one victory, while Edgar had two hits for the Buffs. Game two saw Strub punch out 12 for the Pirates. Edgar and J. Menke had a hit each for Bishop Machebeuf.
MileHigh Prep Report 