CLASS 2A BASEBALL REPORT
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Just two teams in Class 2A remain undefeated at this point in the season. Not surprisingly, they are sitting first and second in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index as of Wednesday morning. Monte Vista leads the field, while defending champion Forge Christian is right behind. It’s time to take a look at how the top-10 teams in the Seeding Index got there, and what’s coming up this weekend.
#1 MONTE VISTA (10-0)
The Pirates have been red-hot on offense, averaging close to 13 runs per game. Even with that explosive attack, they’ve had a couple close calls, including a 4-3 decision over #5 Las Animas late last month. Earlier this week, the Pirates held on for a 15-11 win over 3A #16 Alamosa. Monte Vista led 15-4 heading to the bottom of the seventh in that one. The Pirates have two at #45 Center on Saturday. Azariah Hurtado got off to a hot start, hitting .600 in the first four games before being sidelined due to injury. He had three doubles and three triples in that span. Judah Howe has posted a .571 average, with five doubles and three homers. Howe also has a team-high 18 RBI and 13 stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 1.58 ERA, led by Landon Sanchez (0.79) and Howe (1.62).
#2 FORGE CHRISTIAN (7-0)
Forge Christian has allowed three runs or less in five of its first seven games, and is coming off a 9-1 win over 3A #17 Kent Denver on Tuesday. Next up is the back end of the home-and-home with the Sun Devils, which Forge Christian will host on Thursday. They also start another home-and-home with #10 Denver Christian at home on Saturday. The Fury has only had one game decided by fewer than five runs. Ben McLean has been ripping the cover off the ball, hitting just under .700 on the season. He also leads the team with 16 runs, 15 RBI, and seven XBH, while also swiping eight bags. Sam Buerck is third on the team with an average of .542, is second with 13 runs scored, and tops in stolen bases with nine. As a staff, the Fury has a 1.87 ERA, with Ben Harhager posting a 3-0 record and a 3.47 ERA in 10.1 innings.
#3 WRAY (7-1)
The Eagles are on a three-game winning streak after Tuesday night’s 6-4 win over 1A #4 Akron. Broderick Kite hit a two-run walk-off home run to push the Eagles past the Rams. The only loss of the season for Wray came to rival #4 Yuma. Those two meet again next Tuesday, this time at Yuma. Before that can happen, the Eagles travel to #39 Burlington for two on Saturday. Gage Waitman leads the way at the plate with a .600 average and 17 runs. Brodie Riggleman and Isayah Rivera are both hitting .500, with Riggleman adding 11 RBI and 10 runs. Kite leads with eight stolen bases. Hudson Rockwell paces the staff with a 2.63 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.
#4 YUMA (5-3)
The Outlaws ran their winning streak to three by walking off 1A #2 Haxtun 9-8 in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. After giving up three in the top of the seventh, Yuma plated two in the bottom of the frame for the win. Their winning streak ended in the nightcap, as Haxtun claimed an 8-6 victory. The Outlaws head to #13 Platte Valley on Saturday. Lennox Huwa is tied for the team lead with 11 hits, and has the lead with a .524 average, 12 runs and eight stolen bases. Jesus Rodriguez has six XBH in his 11 hits, including a home run. Christian Thomson has driven in 10 runs. Brodie Kallweit has already made four appearances, working 20 innings and posting a 1.75 ERA. He’s punched out 31 batters.
#5 LAS ANIMAS (8-2)
Las Animas won the first six games of the season, allowing a total of 18 runs, with two shutouts. The Trojans are 2-2 since, including a 10-3 loss to #36 Hoehne on Tuesday. That snapped a string of two straight wins by the Trojans. They will try to get back on track on Friday, when they travel to 1A Granada. Also on tap is a home game with #24 Rye on Monday. Braydon Ortiz is hitting at a .655 clip with team highs of 19 hits (10 XBH), and 16 RBI. Logan Servaes has 14 RBI, and Nicholas Duran has 11. Kree Wallace owns 15 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. On the bump, Ortiz has a 4-1 record, with a 1.56 ERA in 27 innings. He’s struck out 65 and walked four. As a staff, the Trojans are averaging two strikeouts per frame.
#6 ESTES PARK (6-1)
Following a loss to Platte Valley about two weeks ago, Estes Park has won four in a row. In two of those, the Bobcats scored more than 20 runs. That includes a 21-1 rout of Fort Lupton on Tuesday. The Bobcats host Denver Academy on Thursday, and then welcome in #7 Limon for two on Saturday. Seven players are hitting .500 or better, led by Grant Maxwell at .560, and Drake Kearney at .550. Those two have combined to drive in 25 runs, 14 by Maxwell. Kearney has stolen a team-high nine bases. Noah Webster is 3-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 17.2 innings. Webster’s recorded 22 strikeouts.
#7 LIMON (4-2)
Limon opened the season 1-2, but has collected three straight victories to move two games above .500 on the season. The latest win came against #31 Colorado Springs Christian, 12-0 on Tuesday. Camdyn Tacha and Brody Scherrer each homered in that contest. Tacha is one of three Badgers hitting .500 on the season, along with Quinten Blatnick and Riley Davis. Brody Scherrer has stolen seven bases, one more than both Liam Yoder and Ryker Lockhart. Pitching has been a bit of an issue, as the team has an ERA of 5.44. Before the Badgers make the trip to Estes Park on Saturday they will host 1A #9 Stratton on Thursday.
#8 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (5-2)
After opening the season with a loss to Limon, the Eagles won five in a row. That streak came to an end last week with a 14-3 defeat by 3A #5 Liberty Common. They had allowed 18 runs in their winning streak. DCA goes to #17 SkyView Academy on Wednesday, and then to #2 Byers on Friday. Owen Steward and Simon Sholders have six RBI apiece to lead the team. Quinn Frost leads with 11 runs, while Steward and Gavin Bohl have each scored 10. Steward has been saddled with both losses this season, but has recorded 20 Ks in nine innings.
#9 BUENA VISTA (6-1)
Since suffering their lone loss of the season to Denver Christian way back on March 18th, the Demons have been punishing opposing pitchers in a four-game winning streak. They’ve outscored the opponents 71-12 in the streak, including a 17-2 win over #34 Del Norte on Tuesday. Friday has Buena Vista traveling to #25 Ellicott for a doubleheader. Without the stats from Tuesday’s game included, the Demons still have some gaudy numbers at the plate. Of the regulars in the line-up, Joe Bearss has hit .688 so far this season. He”s scored a team-leading 12 runs, and is tied for the team lead with nine RBI. Reed Lundy has also driven in nine. No one had more than 16 at bats in the first six games. Paul Gallardo has dominated on the hill, recording a 4-0 record, with a 0.00 ERA. He hasn’t allowed a run in 11 innings, and has struck out 19.
#10 DENVER CHRISTIAN (6-4)
Half of the losses this season for the Thunder have come against out of state opponents. They’ve won three of their last four, with the lone loss coming against Monte Vista last Saturday. The Thunder got a 12-0 victory over 3A #33 Jefferson Academy on Tuesday. Denver Christian hosts Jefferson Academy on Thursday to complete the home-and-home with the Jaguars. Then, the Thunder starts another home-and-home on Saturday, this one with Forge Christian. They’ll be on the road to begin. Cuatro Wilkins, a freshman, is the lone player hitting over .400, as he checks in at .467, with a team-leading three triples. He’s tied for the team lead in runs (14), and RBI (11), with Nate Bovasso. Drew Morris has only worked 12 innings in five appearances, but has recorded three wins and a save. Bovasso has thrown 19 frames, and boasts a 22:1 strikeout to walk ratio.
MileHigh Prep Report 