CLASS 2A BASEBALL REPORT
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The past week saw some wild outcomes, with a number of key games being decided in the final at-bats. Through it all, two teams are still unbeaten, as Forge Christian (10-0) and Monte Vista (12-0) are a combined 22-0. Not surprisingly, they occupy the top two spots in Wednesday morning’s CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.
#1 FORGE CHRISTIAN (10-0)
The Fury completed the home-and-home sweep of 3A #22 Kent Denver last Thursday, 6-4, as they broke a 4-all tie with single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings. Forge Christian followed that by taking the first in a home-and-home with #9 Denver Christian 9-8 on Saturday. The Fury allowed a four-spot in the top of the sixth, and went to the seventh knotted at seven. Denver Christian got a run in the top half, but the Fury maintained its perfect record with two runs in the bottom half. Owen Carlson had three hits in the win. Those two got together again on Tuesday, this time at Denver Christian, and there were no dramatics, as Forge Christian rolled to an 11-0 victory. Carlson homered and drove in three. Sam Buerck tossed a five-inning no-hitter. Forge Christian has a home-and-home with 3A #3 Prospect Ridge Academy this week, with the Fury traveling on Thursday, and hosting on Saturday. The Fury visits #3 Dayspring Christian on Monday, and goes to 3A #36 Jefferson Academy on Tuesday.
#2 MONTE VISTA (12-0)
The Pirates cruised to a doubleheader sweep of #45 Center on Saturday, winning 23-0 and 28-0. The Pirates did not allow a hit in the opener, and got homers from Michael Hensley, Azariah Hurtado, Connor Mellott, and Manny Jiron. Hensley and Jiron both left the yard in the second game. Monte Vista hosts #26 Del Norte for two on Saturday.
#3 DAYSPRING CHRISTIAN (7-3)
Dayspring Christian picked up a pair of wins last week, beating #20 SkyView Academy 7-3 on Wednesday, and #19 Byers 10-3 on Friday, both on the road. Simon Sholders struck out 13 against SkyView, and Owen Steward also punched out a baker’s dozen against Byers. The Eagles could not complete an unbeaten week, as they fell 3-2 at 1A #1 Flatirons Academy on Saturday. The Bison made a three-run second hold up in that one. Dayspring Christian plays a sixth straight game on the road when it goes to #13 Front Range Christian on Thursday. The Eagles are home on Monday to face Forge Christian, and then heads back out on the road Tuesday to take on 1A #16 Rocky Mountain Lutheran.
#4 LIMON (7-3)
It was a productive week on the diamond for Limon, as the Badgers went 3-1. They opened with a 9-2 decision over 1A #8 Stratton last Thursday, taking control with an eight-run fourth. Ryker Lockhart drove in three runs in the contest. Limon then went to #8 Estes Park for two on Saturday. Each team would get a win, as Estes Park won 5-3, and Limon got the split with an 11-1 victory.. Camdyn Tacha homered and drove in five in game two, supporting Aidan Kollath, who allowed one unearned run. Kollath and Quinton Blatnick had two RBI apiece in Tuesday’s 9-1 win over #32 Burlington. The Badgers go to #39 Holyoke on Friday.
#5 YUMA (6-4)
The Outlaws have had their share of wild finishes, and they added two more in the last week. They trailed at #23 Platte Valley 1-0 going to the fifth on Saturday. Yuma tied it in that inning, took a 2-1 lead with two in the sixth, and saw the Broncos take a 3-2 lead heading to the seventh. The Outlaws plated two for a 5-3 win. Reyli Trejo had a pair of RBI in the win. Yuma hosted #7 Wray on Tuesday, having beaten the Eagles 13-3 on the road two weeks earlier. The rematch would see the Outlaws jump out to a 5-0 lead, only to have Wray tie it up. Yuma went up 8-5, but the Eagles tied it with three in the sixth. The game went extras, with Wray getting three in the top of the eighth. Yuma could only tally one in its half of the frame and lost 11-9. Marvin Duarte led Yuma with three RBI. The Outlaws go to #16 Wiggins for two on Thursday, and two 3A #34 Bennett next Monday.
#6 BUENA VISTA (8-1)
Buena Vista ran its winning streak to six with a lopsided sweep of #27 Ellicott on Friday. The Demons won game one 11-1 behind three hits and three RBI from Caleb Pierce. Carter Stromer got the win after allowing an unearned run in five innings. Game two went to BV 18-3, with Hudson Wingo and Elio Ynfante both driving in three runs. Wingo homered in the contest. The Demons host #10 Las Animas on Wednesday, and will go to 3A #46 Florence for two on Saturday.
#7 WRAY (9-2)
Wray had its three-game winning streak snapped by Burlington in the first game of a doubleheader last Saturday, as the Cougars picked up an 8-7 walk-off in the bottom of the seventh. Grady Godsey gave the Eagles a 7-5 lead with a three-run homer in the top of the fifth, but Burlington tied it with two in the bottom of the inning. Game two would also go to the wire, with Wray collecting a 14-13 win, thanks to a three-run shot by Brodie Riggleman in the top of the seventh. Burlington had the tying run on base in the bottom of the frame, but ended the game with a strikeout. Wray pitchers recorded 14 strikeouts in the first game, and nine more in the second. In Tuesday’s 11-9 win over Yuma in eight innings, the Eagles walked nine batters for the second straight game, but still got the victory. Wray goes to #24 Highland for two on Saturday, and will host 1A #2 Haxtun on Tuesday.
#8 ESTES PARK (7-3)
The Bobcats got a triple and two RBI from Leo Balduzzi in Saturday’s 5-3 win over Limon. Noah Webster got the win after allowing three runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings. He struck out 13 batters. Estes Park had seven hits in game two, but its only run in the 11-1 loss came on a home run by Matthias Westley. The Bobcats dropped a 9-8 decision on the road Tuesday at #12 Lyons after leading 8-5 going to the bottom of the fifth. Lyons won it with one in the fifth and three in the sixth. Drake Kearney and Isaac Hill had two RBI apiece in the defeat. Estes Park heads to #21 Dawson School for two on Saturday, and will go to 1A #1 Flatirons Academy on Tuesday.
#9 DENVER CHRISTIAN (7-6)
Denver Christian wrapped up a sweep of a home-and-home with Jefferson Academy last Thursday, taking a 9-2 win at home. The Thunder broke it open with six in the sixth. Cuatro Wilkins and Nate Bovasso had two RBI apiece. Thjis VanderGriend collected three RBI in the 9-8 walk-off loss to Forge Christian on Saturday. The Thunder only had three base runners in the 11-0 loss to the Fury on Tuesday, all on walks. Denver Christian is in a stretch of home-and-homes, hosting 3A #39 The Academy on Friday and then visiting the Wildcats on Saturday. The Thunder also starts one with 3A #23 Peak to Peak on Tuesday.
#10 LAS ANIMAS (10-2)
Pitching took center stage for the Trojans in their last two outings. Logan Servaes started it by tossing a six-inning no-hitter last Friday over 1A #25 Granada. The Trojans stole 14 bases in that victory, five by Kree Wallace, who went 4-4 at the dish. Servaes would go on to earn a second win in as many games after he came on in relief of Braydon Ortiz on Monday. Ortiz, who gave up one earned in eight innings against #30 Rye, surpassed 300 career strikeouts with 13 in the game. Las Animas got the 2-1 win with a run in the bottom of the 10th. Following a lighter workload, the Trojans get a lot busier, starting with Wednesday’s trip to Buena Vista. They’ll host #42 Rocky Ford for two on Friday, and go to Florence on Tuesday.
MileHigh Prep Report 