THORNTON — Four different players homered as No. 2 Fairview cruised to a 12-1 win over Horizon on a windy afternoon Thursday.
Tim Ryan, Walker Harris, Eriberto Chavez and Jeff Clarke each hit a home run for the Knights. Clarke’s shot landed on the street past the field.
Cam Frazier was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs, while Harris finished with four RBIs.
Ryan Madden pitched five innings for the win, his eighth of the season. Madden allowed just one earned run in five innings, and struck out seven against three walks.
Chatfield senior Nick Chamberlain throws to the plate Wednesday during the Chargers’ 5-4 victory against Ralston Valley. Chamberlain gave up just four hits in six inning of work to get the victory on the mound. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Fittingly, the baseball found Chatfield senior Nick Chamberlain on the final out Wednesday afternoon as the Chargers hung on to down Ralston Valley 5-4.
The senior pitched six strong innings for the No. 5 ranked team in the CHSAANow.com Class 5A baseball state rankings against Jeffco League rival Ralston Valley at Keli McGregor Field at All Star Park in Lakewood. Chamberlain gave up just four hits and an unearned run to allow the Chargers to take a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh frame.
However, the Mustangs (13-5, 3-4 in league) rallied when junior Sean O’Dell took the mound to close the game for Chatfield.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said Chamberlain, who moved to shortstop for the seventh inning. “It was a little nerve-wracking after that home run.”
Ralston Valley senior Daniel Jurney ripped a two-out, three-run home run to cut Chatfield’s lead to 5-4. Senior Jacob Knipp then dropped in a single to bring the game-winning run to the plate, but Jordan Holloway hit a grounder to Chamberlain at shortstop. Chamberlain calmly fielded the ball and fired it to first base for the final out.
Ralston Valley senior Daniel Jurney (17) is greeted at home plate by teammates Mitch Robinson (16), Jacob Gallegos (27) and Jacob Knipp (5) after Jurney’s three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday. It wasn’t enough as the Mustangs lost to Chatfield 5-4. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)
“He (Chamberlain) is a good athlete,” Chatfield coach Brandon Stone said. “He made the play when we needed it made. You can’t ask anything more from a player.”
After back-to-back conference losses last week to No. 3 Columbine and No. 6 Arvada West knocked Chatfield (16-2, 5-2) from it undefeated record, the Chargers needed to respond going into the final week of the regular season. They have.
Chatfield put up 20 runs in a 20-4 victory against Standley Lake on Monday. The Chargers can make it three-straight wins and clinch an top three finish in the competitive 5A Jeffco League going into the postseason that begins Saturday, May 10.
“I knew it was a huge game today,” Chamberlain said. “I knew my teammates needed me to come out and perform. I threw a lot of strikes and got them a lot of ground balls. It worked out for us.”
The Chargers’ big offensive inning came in the top of the second. Junior Kyle Winkler led off with a double to start the three-run inning. Senior Matthew Jarecki ripped a RBI single before O’Dell contributed a two-run single to give Chatfield a 3-0 lead.
Chatfield senior Nick Chamberlain crosses home plate in the top of the seventh inning Wednesday. The Chargers tacked on a pair of runs in the inning and were able to hold on to a 5-4 victory against Ralston Valley. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)
Chamberlin and Winkler both scored in the top of the seventh inning to extend the Chargers’ lead to 5-1. Winkler finished 3-for-4 from the plate with a pair of doubles and two runs scored.
“It’s real big,” said Winkler of the victory. “This was a really good opponent. We really needed to get this win. Ralston Valley was ready for us. We got their best.”
Ralston Valley senior Jake Griffith took the loss on the mound. They lefty had to leave the game in the top of the second inning with an injury. Senior Mitch Robinson moved to shortstop to pitcher and after giving up the two-run double to O’Dell he was pretty solid pitching into the seventh inning.
“He (Robinson) was really sharp,” Ralston Valley coach Shane Freehling said of Robinson, who gave just four hits and struck out six. “He kept us in the ball game and gave us a chance to win.”
The Mustangs lone run before Jurney’s three-run home run came off an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. Knipp had a strong day at the plate going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
“It shows where you are at. We are even-steven with a team that was No. 1 in the state,” Freehling said. “That was a good baseball game. It was well-pitched and well-played.”
Ralston Valley has lost three of its last four games, but a win Saturday, May 3, against rival Pomona should assure the Mustangs one of the seven wild card spots for the playoffs.
“This team can get hot,” Freehling said. “If they get hot at the right time we are as dangerous as anybody.”
Chatfield closes out its regular season at home against Bear Creek at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“I don’t think our mentality has never wavered,” Stone said of his team’s losses last week. “I think we’ve come back to realize that everything is out in front of us, just like everybody else. We are trying to play every game tough, down to the wire, and see what happens come playoff time.”
Chatfield junior Sean O’Dell (2) forces out Ralston Valley senior Jordan Holloway at second base before completing a double play Wednesday afternoon at Keli McGregor Field at All Star Park in Lakewood. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Connor Roth, Tyler Carlson and Jacob Knipp each homered as Ralston Valley baseball beat Lakewood 11-2 on Monday.
Daniel Jurney was also 1-for-4 with three RBIs, while Jordan Holloway threw six innings for the win. Holloway allowed four hits and two earedn runs, while striking out nine against four walks.
Regis Jesuit is No. 1 in this week’s 5A baseball ranking. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
For the second consecutive week, there’s a new team atop CHSAANow.com’s Class 5A baseball ranking. This time, Regis Jesuit has ascended to the top.
The Raiders, now 14-3, went 3-0 last week — including a 7-5 win over then-No. 6 ThunderRidge. They are now 9-0 in the always tough Continental League, and are riding an 11-game winning streak.
Fairview actually received the same amount of first-place votes (six) that Regis Jesuit did, but remained at No. 2 with 125 overall points to the Raiders’ 137. The Knights are now 16-1 — 13-0 against in-state teams.
Arvada West jumped into the rankings at No. 6, just behind No. 5 Chatfield and No. 4 Mountain Vista.
ThunderRidge dropped to No. 7, Rocky Mountain is No. 8 and Chaparral is No. 9. Cherry Creek rejoined the poll at No. 10.
There are also new teams atop the 3A and 2A polls. In 3A, Eaton received nine of the 10 first-place votes to overtake Holy Family, which dropped to No. 2. In 2A, Resurrection Christian got five of the seven first-place votes and took over for Swink, which also fell to No. 2.
Windsor retained its spot atop the 4A ranking, and Stratton held firm atop 1A.
The 4A poll added Pueblo East at No. 9, and also saw Lewis-Palmer move from No. 5 to No. 3, and Evergreen go from No. 7 to No. 4.
3A added Bayfield (No. 8), while 2A added Limon (No. 9) and Lyons (No. 10).
With the regular season ending Tuesday, these rankings will serve as the final poll of the regular season.
AURORA — The No. 4-ranked Regis Jesuit baseball team expected nothing less from No. 6 ThunderRidge in Friday’s Continental League showdown.
The Raiders (14-3, 9-0) got all they could handle and then some but managed to keep their league mark unblemished as they took a 7-5 victory.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Regis left fielder Quin Cotton said, despite ThunderRidge entering the game at 10-5, 5-3 in league.
More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com) (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
The Raiders broke a 1-1 tie with a four-run fourth inning, highlighted by Zach Woodruff’s two-run triple.
But the Grizzlies (10-6, 5-4) weren’t about to give in. After scattering four hits through the first five innings, they finally got to Regis starting pitcher Brent Schwarz in the sixth.
Schwarz gave way to reliever David Peterson, who promptly gave up a pair of run-scoring doubles as ThunderRidge tied the game.
At that point, the Grizzlies had the momentum. They kept it going by getting two quick outs on Regis in the bottom of the sixth.
That’s when Woodruff, the No. 9 batter in the Raiders’ lineup, came up. He lined a triple to center field.
“I’m just thinking, there’s no way we’re going 1-2-3,” he said of his mindset as he stepped to the plate.
That set the table for Cotton, who drilled a fastball over the leftfield fence to help the Raiders regain the lead.
More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com) (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
“I was just trying to do my job,” Cotton said.
But the Grizzlies refused to go quietly. They loaded the bases with two outs before Peterson induced a ground-out to end the game.
The see-saw battle turned out to be every bit as exciting as a 5A top 10 match-up can be. While it wasn’t a blowout win, it was still the kind of win that any coach would take over a league rival.
“That’s all right,” said Regis coach Matt Darr. “Those are character wins.”
Both teams are back in action Monday as Regis travels south to take on Castle View while the Grizzlies travel to Legend.
Arvada West players wait at home plate Saturday afternoon to greet senior Joe Rosenstein after his grand slam home run against Chatfield. The Wildcats rallied to win 6-4 and remain atop the Class 5A Jeffco League standings. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Arvada West baseball might have just completed its most remarkable three-game stretch in the program’s rich history.
A grand slam by A-West senior Joe Rosenstein in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday lifted the unranked Wildcats to a 6-4 victory over the top-ranked team, Chatfield, in the CHSAANow.com Class 5A baseball poll.
The Wildcats (12-5, 6-0) not only are atop the 5A Jeffco League standings with two conference games remaining, but also scored three straight late-inning, come-from-behind victories against No. 3 Columbine (Monday), No. 8 Ralston Valley (Wednesday) and No. 1 Chatfield (Saturday) over the last six days.
Arvada West senior Justin Mulvaney (5) celebrates getting the final out Saturday against Chatfield in a 6-4 Wildcats’ victory. Senior Joe Rosenstein (21) lined a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to complete a three-game stretch where A-West knocked off three 5A Jeffco teams that are ranked in the top 10. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I didn’t know if we would go 3-0 this week, but after that first win Monday we were playing with momentum,” A-West coach Matt McDougal said after the Wildcats’ sixth straight victory.
It was Rosenstein’s time deliver the big hit for the Wildcats. Senior Nick Priola blasted a walk-off grand slam Wednesday against rival Ralston Valley in an 11-8 victory.
Chatfield senior pitcher Travis Schnoor was cruising for the most part Saturday. He had only given up two runs on four hits before Rosenstein’s line drive over the left field fence.
“He (Schmoor) was pitching me inside all day. I figured he was going to do it again,” Rosenstein said. “Sure enough, I just turned on it.”
A-West senior Justin Mulvaney was standing on third base when Rosenstein ripped the home run.
“I put my hands up. I knew it was gone,” Mulvaney said. “I was so excited. I knew right when he (Rosenstein) hit it I would be going in to pitch to close it.”
Mulvaney pitched a 1-2-3 top of the seventh inning, striking out the final two Chatfield batters to pick up the save. Senior John Badgett got the win on the mound for the Wildcats. He pitched the sixth inning after starter Brody Hagel-Pitt went five innings.
“We have a lot of confidence in our bullpen and turning it over to them,” McDougal said. “Justin’s goal was to lead the state in saves. I don’t know where he is at, but he is doing a great job.”
A-West’s only two other runs came in the bottom of the second inning. Senior Ethan Fleming had a two-run single to cut Chatfield’s lead to 3-2.
The Chargers’ big inning was the second. Back-to-back singles by junior Kyle Winkler and senior Jacob Falbo set the table. Chatfield (14-2, 3-2) took advantage of three walks and a wild pitch to plate a trio of runs.
“(A-West) is a good club,” Chatfield coach Brandon Stone said. “This is what Jefferson County baseball is. Top to bottom it’s a tough conference. You have to bring it every time you come out.”
A-West didn’t have the lead until Rosenstein’s grand slam.
“It would be nice to start off ahead and kind of keep a lead, but this is a little more exciting,” Mulvaney said with a smile. “I like those exciting games.”
Chatfield’s other run came in the top of the sixth when senior Matthew Jarecki scored on an A-West fielding error, giving the Chargers a 4-2 lead.
Chatfield catcher Mason Brown, right, runs down Arvada West junior Jesse Klene during the sixth inning Saturday at Arvada West High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
“We haven’t played great, but I think our kids believe they can win no matter what the score is,” McDougal said. “They are just sticking to it.”
A-West wraps up its regular season with a pair of road games next week. The Wildcats face rival Pomona on Monday before closing out their conference schedule at Lakewood on Wednesday. Both are scheduled for 4 p.m. starts.
“I knew we had it in us,” Rosenstein said of defeating Columbine, Ralston Valley and Chatfield. “We knew it was a tough week. We all came out and played as hard as we could.”
Chatfield has a trio of league games left, including a pair at All Star Park in Lakewood on Monday and Wednesday. The Chargers start the week against Standley Lake and return to All Star Park to face Ralston Valley on Wednesday. Both games are 3:30 p.m. starts.
“There is a lot to play for,” Stone said after the Chargers’ second straight loss following a 14-0 start to the season. “We are a resilient club. These guys fight and scrap. We’ll be back at it Monday.”
Chatfield ends its regular season at home against Bear Creek at 11 a.m. May 3.
Arvada West senior Justin Mulvaney (5) greets teammate Joe Kraus at home plate after Joe Resenstein’s grand slam home run in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday at Arvada West High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
