CLASS 3A BASEBALL REPORT – CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
After coming up just short in last year’s title game, University is back in the championship game this weekend. The Bulldogs have the advantage of sitting and watching on Friday, as three teams fight for the right to face them on Saturday. Eaton, The Classical Academy, and D’Evelyn are all still in the mix as things get started at 10am on Friday with the third consolation round. All games will be played at Butch Butler Field in Greeley.
#1 UNIVERSITY (26-2)
The Bulldogs pounded out 11 hits in their 6-2 first round win over #8 Wellington, three by Joel Ramirez, and two apiece by Gage Viken, Damian Alvarez, and Kyle Moore. All of that was in support of Derek Casillas, who picked up the win by allowing two earned on five hits in seven innings. Casillas struck out five and walked two.
Viken helped the Bulldogs earn a 6-0 win in the second round, as the senior tossed a five-hit shutout against #4 The Classical Academy. Viken recorded 13 strikeouts and only walked two. University scored one in the second, two in each of the next two frames, and finished with one in the fifth. The senior aided his own cause with two RBI, and Brody Dunn collected three hits, with a double, and two RBI.
University met a familiar foe in the semifinal, as fellow Patriot League member #2 Eaton stood in the opposing dugout. After scoring two in the bottom of the first, the Bulldogs blew things wide open with 17 runs in the third. They would go on to a 19-2 run rule victory.
Alvarez registered three hits, including a triple and a home run, and notched six RBI. Duran and Jackson Belt added three RBI apiece, while Casillas and Alvarez scored three runs each. Ramirez was the beneficiary of all the run support, as he got the win with four innings of work, in which he allowed two earned runs on five hits in four innings.
The Bulldogs will play in Saturday’s championship at 10am, and will only need one win to claim the title.
#2 EATON (23-4)
Eaton began its tournament with a four-hit shutout from Austin Edelmon, who struck out 12 and walked one in seven innings against #7 Elizabeth. Malaki Dalpra supplied a big chunk of the offense in the 7-0 win, as he had two hits, including a homer, drove in three runs, and scored two. Jackson Denooy added a triple and two runs scored.
Round two had the Fightin’ Reds squaring off against #6 D’Evelyn, with a trip to the semifinals on the line. The Jaguars grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second, but Eaton bounced on top with two in the third. They added an important run in the fourth and led 3-1 as the game advanced to the seventh. That insurance run would come into play, as D’Evelyn plated one in the top of the frame, but that would be it. Denooy had three more hits, and another RBI. Gunnar Garrison pitched 6.2 innings, giving up one earned run on four hits and striking out 12. Shane Welle got the final out after allowing one run on two hits.
Not much went right in the semifinal loss to University, as five errors led to 10 unearned runs. Five Eaton pitchers combined to issue eight walks and also a hit batter. Dalpra and Brayden Legler each hit a double, as the Fightin’ Reds were held to just five hits. Legler and Tito Lopez each drove in one run.
The Fightin’ Reds will play in the fourth consolation round on Friday at 12:30pm against either The Classical Academy or D’Evelyn, with the winner advancing to the championship game.
#4 THE CLASSICAL ACADEMY (20-7)
TCA had its hands full with #5 Delta in the first round, with the Titans only holding a 2- lead in the fifth inning. They would add a run in the bottom of that inning, which would prove to be huge, as Delta got one in the sixth to get within one at 3-2. The Titans slammed the door to take the one-run victory. Ezekiel Kimmig gave up two earned on five hits in five innings to claim the win, while Mason Parker earned the save with two innings of one-hit ball. Grady Ortiz had a triple and an RBI, and Zach Mediavilla stole three bases and scored two runs.
The Titans could not get much going in the 6-0 second round loss to University, as the squad only recorded five hits. Mediavilla had two of them. Ortiz, Elliot Wood, and CJ Mullen each added one. TCA was hurt by four walks and three hit batters.
TCA kept its season alive with a 3-1 win over Elizabeth in the second round of the consolation bracket. The Titans trailed 1-0 after two innings, but got the equalizer in the third, and tacked on two more in the fourth. Their pitching and defense posted zeroes over the final five frames to secure the victory. Luke Cupples gave up one unearned run in three innings, while Mediavilla worked three scoreless innings. Parker also got in an inning of scoreless work to earn the save. All thee allowed two hits apiece.
#6 D’EVELYN (20-8)
D’Evelyn pulled off the only upset in the first round, as the Jaguars upended #3 Montezuma-Cortez in a wild 16-10 contest. They overcame an 2-0 deficit with a nine-run outburst in the third. The Jags added three in the fourth to grab a big 12-2 cushion. Montezuma-Cortez got one back in the bottom half of that inning, and tallied four in the sixth to make it a three-run game with one inning to play. D’Evelyn pushed four important runs across the dish in the seventh before allowing three in the bottom of the inning.
The Jaguars pounded out 16 hits in the win, three by Leo Vigil, who also drove in four runs. David Valdez-Berriel added three RBI and three runs, while Jacob Seda and Cameron McLetchie also scored three runs apiece.
Kevyn Feldyn pitched well in the 3-2 second round loss to Eaton, only allowing three earned runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out eight, walked three, and hit two. Marshall Pharris and Chase Beardsley had an RBI apiece.
D’Evelyn turned around and eliminated Wellington in a crazy 13-12 decision in the second consolation round. The Jaguars scored three in the bottom of the first to get the game started on a high note, but after Wellington scored eight in the third, they found themselves in a five-run hole. They nearly erased that deficit in the bottom of the inning, with four runs coming home. After posting a goose egg in the top of the fourth, D’Evelyn regained the lead with four runs in its half of the fourth. That advantage would hold until the top of the seventh, when the Eagles struck for four to go up 12-11. With their season on the line, the Jaguars got two in the bottom of the stanza for the 13-12 walk-off.
The first game on Friday, a 10am contest between D’Evelyn and The Classical Academy will see the winner advance to the fourth consolation round game against Eaton at 12:30pm. The winner of that game plays University at 10am on Saturday. They will have to beat the Bulldogs twice to earn the championship.
MileHigh Prep Report 