CLASS 1A BASEBALL REPORT – REGIONAL PREVIEW
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Saturday will see the regional field of 16 whittled down to just four. The four highest ranked district champions in the final release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index will host, and the remaining champion will play in the region hosted by the #4 seed. That moved Nucla, the D1 champ up from the #16 spot in the final Seeding Index up to the #5 seed in the bracket. The games are listed in bracket order.
REGION ONE AT FLATIRONS ACADEMY
#1 FLATIRONS ACADMY (15-3) VS #16 KIOWA (11-8)
Flatirons Academy won the crown in District 3 by coming from behind to nip #15 Rocky Mountain Lutheran 3-2. The Bison trailed 2-1 going to the bottom of the sixth, before plating the tying and winning runs. Dillon Sauer tripled and drove in all three runs for Flatirons Academy. Caleb Doughty tripled and scored twice. Mateo Pope worked the final 4.2 innings to pick up the win. He struck out 11, and retired all 14 batters he faced.
Kiowa made a run to the District 2 championship game as the #3 seed, taking out #6 Cripple Creek-Victor 19-4 in the quarterfinals, and then getting a 4-0 win over Evangel Christian Academy in the semifinals. That was scoreless heading to the top of the eighth, when the Indians finally broke through. JD Brewer had two RBI, and Rowan Golden pitched a complete game four-hit shutout. Golden struck out 11 and issued zero walks. Kiowa went toe-to-toe with Simla in the title game, falling 7-5. Myles Erker had a pair of RBI in the loss.
These two teams did not play in the regular season.
#8 EADS (13-4) VS #9 OTIS (12-7)
Eads reached the semifinals of District 4, where the Eagles faced the #3 seed in the tournament, Stratton. Eads fell in a big hole, trailing 8-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth, as Stratton had scored six in the top of the frame. Eads got three across the plate, but that would be its output for the game, which Stratton won 8-3. Weston Mitchek drove in two, and Brantley Buller pushed home one.
Otis was bumped out of the District 5 tournament in the quarterfinals by #12 Prairie, 12-5. The Bulldogs scored two in the fifth to tie it up, but Prairie scored seven unanswered to get the win. Gavin Price went 4-4 with three doubles and two runs scored. Austin Hornung tripled in a run.
These teams did not meet in the regular season.
There are two potential regular season rematches in the finals, as Otis played both Flatirons Academy and Kiowa. The Bulldogs beat Kiowa 12-1 early in the season, and fell to Flatirons Academy right before districts.
REGION FOUR AT SIMLA HIGH SCHOOL
#4 SIMLA (12-5) VS #13 PEETZ (9-9)
Simla rolled Custer County in the District 2 semifinals, 13-3 in five innings. Teague Jones and Ethan Kissam had two RBI and two runs apiece, and Logan Rayfield recorded three of the team’s 11 stolen bases. In the championship game against Kiowa, the Cubs scored three in the third to take a 6-3 lead, and went on to earn the 7-5 victory. Rayfield and Evan Guy had two RBI each. Simla enters regionals on a six-game winning streak.
Peetz was unable to advance out of the District 5 quarterfinals, as the Bulldogs were handed a 13-3 defeat by #6 Merino. The Bulldogs led 2-1 through three, but were outscored 12-1 over the last three frames. Conner Schumacher hit a two-run homer, and Ryder Bayne struck out eight, pushing him over the 250 mark for his career.
Simla and Peetz med early in the season, with the Cubs taking a 9-4 victory. The Cubs broke a 4-all tie with a five-spot in the sixth. Rayfield had three hits, two RBI, and two runs in the victory. Bayne homered and drove in three for the Bulldogs.
#5 NUCLA (11-9) VS #12 PRAIRIE (11-7)
The Mustangs won six of their last seven, including two in the District 1 tournament on Sunday. They blasted Sierra Grande 20-0 in three innings to reach the championship game. Cole Bray and Hayden Branham collected three RBI apiece, and Bray added two doubles and a triple. Jackson McCabe and Jonah Richardson combined to no-hit the Panthers, and each stuck out four. The Mustangs met Dove Creek in the title game, facing the Bulldogs for the fourth time in 10 days. Nucla won two of the previous three. Dove Creek would take a 6-1 lead to the bottom of the fifth, where the Mustangs went wild and plated 14 runs to seize control. Bray added two more RBI, and Brycen Rummel struck out 14 in seven innings.
Prairie got three hits and three RBI apiece from Derek Dollerschell and Mason Holloway in its 12-5 win over Otis in the District 5 quarterfinals, earning the Mustangs a semifinal date with #3 Haxtun. It would be a wild shoot-out, as Haxtun led 12-2 after three, only to have Prairie score four in the fifth, and then take the lead with an eight-run sixth. Haxtun answered with three in its half of the inning, and went on to win 15-14. Brennan Bringelson racked up four RBI, and M. Holloway tacked on three. Riar Holloway scored three times.
Nucla and Prairie did not meet in the regular season.
There is only one potential rematch in the finals, as Prairie and Peetz met four times. Each won twice.
REGION THREE AT HAXTUN HIGH SCHOOL
#3 HAXTUN (16-6) VS #14 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (8-7)
Haxtun scored a lot of runs in the District 5 tournament, as the Fightin’ Bulldogs beat Briggsdale (21-1), Prairie (15-14), and Merino (9-3). Carter Lock had two doubles and five RBI in the quarterfinal victory, and three pitchers combined on the no-hitter. Madden Larsen hit two triples, and recorded two RBI and two runs scored in the win over Prairie. Corbin Andersen and Jaxsen Schram had three RBI apiece. Larsen delivered the big blow in the championship game win over Merino, hitting his fifth home run of the season. The junior drove in three runs. Haxtun enters the regional round on a five-game winning streak.
Evangel Christian Academy lost its regular season finale, and then fell to Kiowa in the semifinals of District 2, 4-0 in eight innings. The Eagles were held to four hits in the loss, two by Nate Lucia. Anderson Schultz struck out 10 in 7.2 innings, but was saddled with the loss after allowing all four runs, with only one of them earned.
This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
#6 MERINO (13-8) VS #11 WILEY (10-10-1)
Merino picked up a pair of run rule victories on its way to the District 5 title game, as the Rams beat Peetz 13-3 in the quarterfinals, and Akron 13-2 in the semis. Isaac Poe doubled, tripled, and drove in two runs for the Rams in the win over Peetz. JJ Powell and Zachary Mackintosh added two RBI apiece in that win. Tyler Everhart homered and drove in four runs in the victory over Akron, and Poe tripled and had three RBI. The Rams couldn’t keep it rolling in the championship game, falling to Haxtun 9-3. They were held to six hits, two by Kaleb Knutson, who allowed an unearned run in 4.1 innings in relief.
Wiley needed nine innings to get past Holly in the District 4 quarterfinals, after suffering a one-run loss to the Wildcats just over a week earlier. The Panthers took the 7-5 win by scoring two runs in the top of the ninth. Holly had scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to force extras. Kendale Mauch had a double in his four hits, and also tallied three RBI. Devonte Pizarro and Grant Mauch stole three bases apiece, and G. Mauch punched out 13 in 6.2 innings. The Panthers fell to #2 McClave 11-1 in five innings in the semifinals, with an eight-run third by the Cards blowing it open. Wiley only mustered three hits in the loss, one apiece by Trate Weimer, Noah Summers, and Bentyn Tixier.
These two did not play in the regular season.
The lone possible rematch in the finals would be Haxtun and Merino. The Fightin’ Bulldogs won two of those three, including the District 5 championship contest.
REGION TWO AT MERCHANT’S PARK IN LAMAR
#2 MCCLAVE (20-1) VS #15 ROCKY MOUNTAIN LUTHERAN (5-10)
The Cardinals pushed their winning streak to nine with three wins in the District 4 tournament. They started with an 11-0 decision over Granada in the quarterfinals, with Kielan Mallard and Tim Pacino combining on the five inning one-hitter. Ryan Steinbrunn provided a good chunk of the offense with a homer and three RBI. Hayden Hemphill, Drew Howe, and Cope Meston all had two RBI in the 11-1 win over Wiley in the semifinals. That win put the Cards in the finals against #10 Stratton, where they opened with a five-run first. Stratton answered with eight in the second, only to have the Cards regain the lead with four in the bottom of the frame. McClave put another four on the board in the third, but had its lead cut to three at 13-10 in the fourth. A five-run sixth made it 18-10, which would be the final. Mallard drove in four, and Steinbrunn tallied three RBI.
In the District 3 final, Rocky Mountain Lutheran looked avenge an early season 20-4 loss to Flatirons Academy and steal the automatic bid into the regional bracket. Things were looking good early, as the Eagles scored two in the top of the third to lead 2-0. The lead was cut in half in the next frame, and it stood at 2-1 going to the bottom of the sixth. That’s where the Bison scored two to take a 3-2 lead. They would win by that score. Rocky Mountain Lutheran scored its runs without recording a hit. They received eight walks and a hit batsmen. Gio Delgado and Judah Sternhagen each drove in a run.
McClave and Rocky Mountain Lutheran did not play in the regular season.
#7 AKRON (13-6) VS #10 STRATTON (11-8)
Akron opened the District 5 tournament with a 10-0 run rule win over Caliche in five innings. Parker Molt had a big day, tripling and driving in three. He also scored two runs, as did Kolten Randel, who had a double. Randel stole three bases, and Jax Kusel stole two. Mason Porteus and Randel combined on the three-hit shutout. The quarterfinal win set up the semifinal clash with Merino, which Akron lost 13-2, snapping a three-game winning streak. They only recorded three hits, including an RBI double by Jakzon Livesay. Caleb Hansen and Clay Axtell each hit a single.
Stratton run ruled Baca County in the District 4 quarters, 14-4, with Trevor Moore homering and driving in three runs. Dominic Hornung also had three RBI. The Eagles then avenged an earlier 12-0 loss to Eads by downing their fellow Eagles 8-3 in the semifinals. Moore picked up two more RBI, while Grady Steerman and Haxden Mills had one each. Mills finished with three of the team’s 13 hits. Stratton had dropped both ends of a doubleheader earlier in the season, and looked to get a measure of revenge in the district final. After grabbing the 8-5 lead in the top of the second, the Eagles were then outscored 13-2 the rest of the way.
This will be the first meeting of the season between Akron and Stratton this season.
The only possible rematch in this region would have McClave and Stratton playing for a fourth time. The Cards won the earlier doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 7-4.
MileHigh Prep Report 