DENVER — Rocky Mountain claimed the Class 5A baseball title with a 6-5 win over Regis Jesuit on Saturday.
Category: Baseball
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Photos: Holy Family baseball wins 3A title over Eaton
GREELEY — Holy Family won the Class 3A baseball championship for the second year in a row on Saturday. The Tigers beat Eaton 8-2 in the title.
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Baseball weather contingencies for the final weekend
DENVER — With severe weather possible all over the state Friday and Saturday, the following is the contingency plan for baseball’s state tournaments.
This plan is tentative and could change.
- If any part of Friday’s schedule needs to be postponed, it will be completed Saturday. In that event, Saturday’s schedule could move to Sunday. However, if only a few innings of one game were postponed from Friday, Saturday’s schedule could be completed as scheduled.
- If Saturday’s schedule is postponed, it will be completed Sunday.
- If any games remain after Sunday, those will be completed Tuesday.
Friday features the 3A, 4A and 5A tournaments. Saturday, 2A joins those classes in the expected final day of the season.
The 3A tournament is being held at Butch Butler Field in Greeley. 4A is at Lakewood’s All-Star Park, and 5A at Denver’s All-City field. 2A is at Pueblo’s Runyon Field Sports Complex.
Site directors will be making decisions in concert with CHSAA.
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Niwot lone unbeaten in 4A baseball tourney after walk-off victory
Niwot went 3-0 on the first weekend of the 4A state baseball tournament. (Brian Miller) LAKEWOOD — After sitting around for more than two hours while watching an elimination game in the Class 4A state baseball tournament that featured a combined 32 runs, Niwot and Durango took its contest in the opposite direction.
Cougars starter Ford Ladd and Durango’s Ben Wiley were dialed in from the get-go Saturday, not allowing a run between them through six-plus innings. Just when it looked as though extra innings might be in store, Niwot pinch-hitter Cameron Kopplinger drove a two-out base hit through the right side, scoring pinch runner Joe Wilson to give the Cougars a 1-0 victory at All-Star Park.
That means Niwot (21-3) is the only undefeated team remaining in the double-elimination tournament headed into the final four next weekend. The Cougars will play Longmont at 2:30 p.m. on May 23 at All-Star Park, and Durango will take on Green Mountain in an elimination game at noon.
The 4A championship game will be at 10 a.m. on May 24, followed by the if-necessary game.
“This is the most fun I’ve had on a baseball field ever, I think,” Ladd said. “These competitive teams and this stage that we’re on, it’s awesome.”
The Cougars survived two wild contests Friday, holding off Green Mountain 15-11 despite taking an early 10-0 lead. They followed that up by edging Palmer Ridge 5-4 on an obstruction ruling in the seventh inning that brought home the winning run.
Ladd, who improved to 7-0 on the season, came into the tournament knowing he would start the third game.
“I could mentally prepare for that,” he said. “Even though I didn’t know who we were playing against, I could still prepare to pitch today.”
The sophomore left-hander used his curveball to keep Durango (15-9) off-balance, allowing six hits and getting three big double plays to keep the Demons off the scoreboard. He struck out four and walked two.
Wiley was equally tough on the other side, giving up two hits through six innings and striking out three.
“He did a great job. He kept us in that baseball game,” Durango coach Rob Coddington said. “Our defense played outstanding today … and really backed him up.
“Credit Niwot. They came up with a clutch hit there at the end. That kid did a nice job and they were able to get us.”
With one out in the seventh inning, Wiley hit Ladd with a pitch and Wilson came on to run. Skyler Messinger sacrificed Wilson to second, and Kopplinger ripped a ball into the outfield.
“I was just waiting for a fastball,” Kopplinger said. “I got it and got a good hit.
“I was just thinking about getting a good pitch to handle and doing it for this team,” he added. “We’ve been working so hard this year. We just want it so bad and we’re not done yet.”
Blake Dunlap had two hits for Durango, which put two runners on base in the third, sixth and seventh innings but couldn’t push a run across. The Demons had runners at first and second with no outs in the top of the seventh, but Ladd induced a pop-up and a groundball that led to a double play.
“Incredible,” he said of his defense. “I’m speechless.”
Durango will return to the Front Range again next weekend. The Demons reached the final four a year ago before losing to Valor Christian, and Coddington said his players are more prepared this time around.
“They believe a lot. Last year I think it was all kind of new to us, and this year these guys are playing to win the whole thing,” Coddington said. “There’s some good teams … it should be an exciting weekend, and I think all four teams have got their eye on the prize for sure.”
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Rocky Mountain powers past Mountain Vista, takes 5A state baseball driver’s seat
Rocky Mountain senior Nathan Elsheimer (5) doesn’t hold back showing his excitement after hitting a two-run home run in the second inning Saturday afternoon at All-City Field. The Lobos defeated Mountain Vista 17-7 in the final game of the weekend in the double-elimination Class 5A baseball state championship series. (Dennis Pleuss) DENVER — Rocky Mountain picked a good time to score a season-high 17 runs Saturday afternoon at All-City Field.
The Lobos cranked out 17 hits, including grand slam home run by senior Nathan Elsheimer in an eight-run top of the seventh inning, to take a 17-7 victory over Mountain Vista in the final game of the weekend in the Class 5A baseball championship series.
“We were just trying to finish it off really,” Elsheimer said of Rocky Mountain’s huge seventh inning. “We knew (Cory) Richer was going to shut them down, but it’s nice to get those insurance runs to take the load off the pitcher.”
Rocky Mountain senior Dean Lawson crosses home plate in the first inning. The Lobos put up a season-high 17 runs in the 17-7 victory against Mountain Vista. (Dennis Pleuss) Rocky Mountain sent 13 batters to the plate in its half of the seventh. Mountain Vista used four different pitchers in the inning before finally recording the third out.
“When we get going offensively we can do some damage,” said Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock, who guided the Lobos to four straight 5A state baseball titles from 2007 to 2010. “We are pretty tough one through nine. There aren’t a lot of holes in our line-up. When we get going it’s exciting to watch.”
Rocky Mountain junior Cody Richer relieved starter Marc Bachman on the mound in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs. Richer gave up two runs on five hits, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t erase the big deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Richer was able to induce a game-ending double play to allow the Lobos to celebrate under a rainbow that formed over All-City Field. The victory guarantees Rocky Mountain — lone undefeated team with a 3-0 record in the championship series — will be playing in the state championship next Saturday, May 24, at All-City.
“It’s a ton of stress off our backs,” Rocky Mountain senior Nathan Elsheimer said. “We are just going to go into this next week of practice really relaxed, go for the win on Friday and see what happens Saturday.”
The Lobos’ next game will be noon Friday, May 23, against Cherry Creek at All-City. The Bruins took wins over Chaparral and ThunderRidge on Saturday at Machebeuf High School to advance to the final four.
“I don’t think we know very much about Creek at this point,” Stajduhar said. “Obviously they are going to be a good team making it to this point. We are going to have to go out and play our best baseball.”
Rocky Mountain (19-5) did find itself in a hole early against Mountain Vista (20-4). The Golden Eagles batted around in the bottom of the first inning, plating four runs to take a 4-1 lead.
However, the Lobos quickly answered with a four-run top of the second inning to regain the lead. The big hit was a two-run home run by Elsheimer.
“To be honest I didn’t think it would be going out,” Elsheimer said. “I rounded first thinking it was just a double. Then I heard everyone behind me cheering. Hitting a home run is the best feeling in the world.”
Mountain Vista shortstop Jack Strunc shows the ball to the umpire after tagging Rocky Mountain junior Garrett Hammer (18) at second base. Hammer was attempt to stretch a single into a double, but was called out at second base. (Dennis Pleuss) Mountain Vista tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI double by senior Jack Strunc. Rocky Mountain answered again. The Lobos took advance of a pair of Golden Eagle error to take a 7-5 lead.
Rocky Mountain scored another pair of runs in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 9-5 before the huge eight-run seventh.
“It’s always a hitter’s day,” Bullock said of the second day of the championship series where teams have likely already had their top two pitchers throw.
Mountain Vista is far from out of the state championship picture despite the loss Saturday. The Golden Eagles will face Regis Jesuit in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m. May 23, at All-City. The Raiders took victories over Fairview and Chatfield earlier in the day at All-City to stay in the tournament.
“Playoff baseball is fun. Especially when you are playing teams like Rocky, Creek and Regis,” Mountain Vista coach Ron Quintana said. “Those are good programs and normally here in the final four. You have to be able to come in here and compete with them.”
Mountain Vista will lean on starting pitchers Will Dixon and Nick Leonard next week in the hopes to get another shot against Rocky Mountain in the championship game.
Rocky Mountain senior Marc Bachman fires to the plate in the first inning Saturday against Mountain Vista. Bachman picked up the victory on the mound as the Lobos went 3-0 in the first week of the state championship series. (Dennis Pleuss) -
Pitching depth a must in baseball’s double-elimination format
Cherry Creek junior Cody Wood pitched into the seventh inning for the Bruins against Chatfield on Friday morning. (Dennis Pleuss) DENVER — Chatfield’s pitching trio of Nick Chamberlain, Travis Schnoor and Sean O’Dell pieced together a victory for the Chargers in the Class 5A state tournament opener Friday afternoon at All-City Field.
Chatfield outlasted Cherry Creek for an 8-4 victory to start the eight-team, double-elimination tournament.
“It was definitely a big game. Coach (Brandon Stone) told me I was on the mound. I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game today,” said Chamberlain, who pitched the first four innings to pick up the victory. “This game against Cherry Creek we pieced it together. It worked out really good.”
Chamberlain gave up three runs on sevens hits before Schnoor took the hill in the bottom of the fifth inning. O’Dell replaced Schnoor with one out in the sixth inning. O’Dell finished the game to get the save.
The key for Chamberlain, Schnoor and O’Dell was they were all able to get out of jams. The Bruins (17-5) left 12 runners on base in the loss.
Chatfield senior Nick Chamberlain picked up the victory on the mound against Cherry Creek and also hit a solo home run in the seventh inning in the Chargers’ 8-4 victory Friday morning. (Dennis Pleuss) “It’s double-elimination, but you do everything you can to win each and every one. We did what we had to do,” Stone said about throwing three pitchers. “Nick threw well. Schnoor gave us a chance to stay in it and O’Dell closed the door. It was a great pitching staff effort today for sure.”
Since the double-elimination format began in 2003, 9-of-11 5A state title winners started off the championship series with a 3-0 record. Regis Jesuit (2011) and Cherry Creek (2012) bucked the trend recently getting off to a 2-1 records in the first week of the tournament before going 3-0 in the second week to claim state titles.
Chatfield (20-2) got the important win Friday morning thanks to 15 hits off Cherry Creek pitching. Senior starter Cody Wood pitched into the seventh inning. The Chargers’ big innings came with a four-run third inning and three-run seventh.
Seniors Matt Jarecki and Chamberlain both had solo home runs for Chatfield.
Despite throwing four innings Friday, Chamberlain said he would be game to take the hill either Friday or Saturday.
“Some teams might run out of arms with the double-elimination format, but I think we’ll be fine,” Chamberlain said. “I could throw next game if they need me.”
Longtime Cherry Creek coach Marc Johnson is in his 42nd season coaching the Bruins. Cherry Creek has won eight state baseball titles under Johnson, including one in the double-elimination format.
“I try not to outguess myself,” Johnson said of how he decides to start on the mound in the tournament. “We feel like we threw our best available. We’ll throw our best available tomorrow. My philosophy has always been if you are going to get beat in the state tournament make them beat the best guy (pitcher) you’ve got. Chatfield beat the best guy we got today.”
Johnson is counting on Cherry Creek’s depth carry the Bruins to a pair of must-win elimination games Saturday. No 5A team has ever lost their first game of the state championship series and gone on to win a state title.
“I think we’ve got the depth. I think there are a lot of teams in here that have talent. I think we have the depth,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to playing tomorrow. Our season is based on tomorrow. We win two or we are done.”
Cherry Creek will face Chaparral at 10 a.m. Saturday at Machebeuf High School.
Mountain Vista received a pitching gem from junior Will Dix against Chaparral in the second game of the day at All-City. Dix nearly went the distance in a 4-0 victory for the Golden Eagles. The junior gave up just four hits before junior Marc Mumper came in with two outs in the top of the seventh to get the final out.
Chaparral senior Jacob Hernandez took the loss on the hill for the Wolverines. Home runs by Dylan Formby and Cale Sparks was all Mountain Vista needed offensively to stay in the winner’s side of the bracket.
Mountain Vista then beat Chatfield in the final game at All-City, 7-1. That puts the Golden Eagles in the all-important 3 p.m. game Saturday at All-City against Rocky Mountain. The winner of that will be in control of the 5A tournament.
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Rocky Mountain survives two one-run games on first day of 5A baseball
DENVER — This is a resilient bunch. In the Class 5A baseball tournament, that counts for everything.
Rocky Mountain beat arguably the state’s hottest baseball team (Regis Jesuit) to open tournament play Friday afternoon, then took down the defending champion (ThunderRidge) in the evening. Both were one-run games, both decided late.
Both wins proved these Lobos, runner-up a year ago in Class 5A, are built to handle adversity in close games. Because of that, they may be the favorite here this season.
“We’ve got tough kids,” Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock said on the field at Bishop Machebeuf High School, site of one half of the 5A bracket. “I wouldn’t expect anything different from them today to come out and just compete against some really, really good baseball teams.”
Bullock’s squad had its stumbles early this season, namely an 0-2 start in Front Range League play, but they’d won 13 straight games since then. Still, Rocky drew Regis Jesuit in the first round of the state tournament, a team that had won its final 15 games and gone unbeaten in the always tough Continental League.
It was not an ideal first-round matchup.
The game was 1-1 most of the way until Rocky’s Garrett Hammer hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth. Tyler Stevens then polished off his complete-game three-hitter in the top of the seventh and the Lobos earned an evening showdown with ThunderRidge, which outlasted Fairview 10-2 in a tough eight-inning game Friday morning.
Rocky Mountain players huddle after beating ThunderRidge. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) The evening’s game was a rematch of last year’s championship, as well as a 9-7 Rocky Mountain win to close the regular season on May 5. And Rocky Mountain looked as though it might run away and hide early with a five-hit, three-run first inning.
But ThunderRidge sophomore Jake Eissler dug in and retired the next 11 Lobos he faced. And then the Grizzlies erupted for four runs in the third inning to seize a 4-3 lead. The latter damage was done against the Lobos’ Carl Stajduhar, no less — he of a 1.89 ERA entering Friday.
“I almost went and got him,” Bullock said. “It just kind of felt like he was losing it a bit.”
Instead, Stajduhar stayed in the game. And, at the urging of his pitching coach, adjusted.
“We were pitching outside and they were just going with it,” Stajduhar said. “So I started working inside a little more, getting in on their hands.”
Stajduhar would go four more innings, and allow just four more hits. But Rocky Mountain still trailed 4-3, and still needed to get to extras.
Enter Nathan Elsheimer. The senior’s run-scoring single up the middle knotted the game at 4 in the bottom of the sixth. The teams went scoreless in the seventh, sending the game to extras, and then scoreless again in the eighth.
Lobos closer Cory Richer came in for the top of the ninth and faced the heart of ThunderRidge’s lineup. He walked the Grizzlies’ Josh Brown to open things, and red-hot star Brody Westmoreland — who already had five RBIs over his team’s two games on Friday — hit an infield single.
But Richer got AJ Jones to strikeout, and then Mark Hopper smoked a ball — right at the Lobos’ Stevens, who had moved to third base for the second game. Stevens doubled up Brown at second, and the threat ended.
Elsheimer led off the bottom of the ninth with a single for Rocky Mountain and Zach Hahn reached on an error. That prompted an intentional walk of Cole Anderson to load the bases and set up a force play at home.
The very next pitch, ThunderRidge closer Tyler Loptien — who was scary good at times on the mound Friday — hit Dean Lawson with a curveball. Elsheimer walked in from third. Game over. 5-4, Rocky.
“Didn’t mean to wear it, but he’s got a good curveball, so I just figured I had to stay in there,” Lawson said. “I saw it coming at me, but I thought it would break back into the zone, so I stayed in there and it ended up hitting me. It felt pretty good. Especially for a hit-by-pitch.”
Said Bullock of the ugly way to win a game: “Dang right I’ll take it.”
And so will Rocky, which has another close win under its belt. The Lobos have played in five games decided by two runs or less.
“I love what our team is doing this year,” Lawson said. “I love beating adversity with these guys. I like winning games like that more than winning easy games, because I think those are the types of games that we’re going to be having for the rest of the season.”
“In the past,” Stajduhar said, “it’s come down to close games and we haven’t been able to pull it out. This year, we’ve just been on the grind. We’ve been grinding every day, working hard every day at practice, getting the extra hacks and getting everything in.
“I think it’s really paying off for us. Late in the season, I think it’s really going to keep paying off for us.”
Now, Rocky Mountain will play Mountain Vista at 3 p.m. Saturday at All-City Field, with the winner in firm control of the entire tournament.
“You know what? This first day’s tough, especially when you draw the 12:30 game,” Bullock said. “Especially when you draw our side of the bracket — don’t get me wrong, the other side’s tough, too — but Regis and the season they’ve had, and then the defending state champions. We really felt like today was a big day in the tournament. We know there’s a lot left.”
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Durango relies on Dunlap in 4A baseball win over Wheat Ridge
(Zach Marburger) AURORA — Durango’s dugout was chattering from first pitch, clearly excited at the chance to extend its postseason success with a victory against Wheat Ridge.
The Demons kept up the chatter all afternoon long. But ultimately it was the quiet composure of starting pitcher and senior Blake Dunlap that powered Durango to a 4-1 victory over the Farmers Friday afternoon in the second round of the Class 4A baseball state tournament.
With the wind blowing in heavily from left field, the game was destined to become a pitcher’s duel. In that environment, Dunlap thrived, pitching a complete game and allowing just one run to earn the victory as Wheat Ridge remained undefeated in the double-elimination style tournament.
“Great job by Blake Dunlap, going all seven for us,” said Durango coach Rob Connington after the game. “Our pitching has been real strong lately. They’ve really stayed within themselves, and I’m real proud of what they’re doing.”
Senior Luke Wagoner took the loss for the Farmers despite pitching well over seven innings. Two of the four runs he allowed were earned, as he was victimized partly by the Farmers’ defense behind him.
In the bottom half of the third inning, after a single by Durango third baseman Lawrence Mayberry and a Dunlap walk, the Demons sent catcher Isiah Mayberry to the plate. Mayberry rolled-over a soft groundball that was misplayed, plating two runs to make it 2-1 in Durango’s favor.
The Farmers finished with three errors in the contest. For their part, the Demons made two errors, but Dunlap was always able to prevent major damage.
Wheat Ridge would draw first blood in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single by designated hitter Damian Padilla that scored first baseman Diego Garcia.
But Durango responded right away, helped in part by the Farmers’ misplays. After the two-run error and another single, center fielder Tyler Worely singled in two more Demons to give Durango some breathing room.
Not that Dunlap would need it. A ten-minute delay caused by malfunctioning sprinklers in between the third and fourth innings put the Demons’ momentum in jeopardy, but Dunlap wasn’t fazed. He set the Farmers down one-two-three in the fourth.
It came as no surprise to Connington that his veteran squad, loaded with nine seniors, would keep their cool during the unexpected halt in play.
“That was kind of a crazy deal. Reminded me of the lights at the Super Bowl a couple of years ago,” Connington said. “But they kept their head and kept the momentum in our direction.”
Wheat Ridge would put together one more serious charge, loading the bases with two-outs in the top of the fifth before Dunlap got Farmers’ left fielder Chase Powell on a groundball to escape the jam.
The Farmers kept fighting. Center fielder Willie Harris made a perfect throw to gun down Durango first baseman Dayne Rawley at third to end the fifth inning and keep the game within striking distance. But the Demons late rally petered out before it could even start. Fittingly, Dunlap finished off his gem with a one-two-three inning that included a strikeout of Padilla to end the game.
“It was a great day. We’ve had a couple good weekends. Hopefully we can keep it going tomorrow,” Connington said. “Not sure who we’re going to play, but I’m sure it will be a tough team. It’ll be exciting.”
“We can celebrate for a few minutes but we’ve got to get after it and get ready to prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s game.”
Wheat Ridge will try and bounce-back against either Evergreen or Green Mountain in an elimination game Saturday at 1 p.m. Durango will face the only other team yet to lose in this tournament, Niwot, Saturday at 3 p.m.
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Photos: First day of the 5A baseball state tournament
DENVER — The Class 5A baseball state tournament kicked off on Friday.