DENVER — Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock had a designated hitter for left fielder Brady Morris in the Lobos’ first game of the day.
Maybe he shouldn’t have. Morris blasted a two-run home run in his first at-bat of the second game and it was the start of a good day for the Rocky Mountain offense.
“It’s great that we’re in the Final 4,” Bullock said. “But the only advantage in this tournament is going 3-0. We have to understand that tomorrow against a good Mountain Vista team.”
This was the second time that the Lobos (18-5 overall) had to battle against the Bruins. Cherry Creek grabbed a 2-0 lead thank to Tanner O’Tremba, who tripled in the first to score Cody Schultz. O’Tremba would score on the next play as Andrew Chavez drove a sacrifice fly to right field.
But Morris’ home run in the second tied things up for the Lobos. He went 2-for-2 on the day, but reached base in all three of his plate appearances and scored three runs. He has been working on his hitting in hopes of providing some kind of spark for his team and Sunday was the day that he came through.
“I’ve really been working,” he said. “I’ve been struggling at the plate this year and at practice I’ve been focusing on staying up the middle and I guess on that first at-bat it really showed.”
The Bruins (17-6) regained the lead in the third. Brice Martinez stood on third base, with O’Tremba on first, and hard-hit ground ball from Chavez went off the glove of pitcher Jake Campbell. He corralled the ball and get the out at first, but Martinez crossed the plate and the Bruins once again had the lead.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
O’Tremba added another run on a Tyler Schultz double. Defensively, coach Marc Johnson opted to go back to Jake Lawrence, who threw 22 pitches in Creek’s 4-2 win over Legacy earlier in the day.
Lawrence got himself into trouble in the bottom of the fifth as an attempted sacrifice bunt from Tyler Hyland resulted in the pitcher overthrowing first baseman Gunnar Garcia.
One run came into score and runners sat on first and second with nobody out. The tying run came in as Lawrence balked and it was John Sorensen, the winning pitcher against Rock Canyon, who drove in the go-ahead run.
For the second time this season, Rocky Mountain was down to Creek and found a way to rally.
“I don’t want to say we’re rivals because we only play them once a year,” Lobos pitcher and infielder John Sorensen said. “There’s just something about Cherry Creek that you go in and you know they’re going to be good. We have to go out and compete.”
Up 7-4 heading into the seventh inning, Creek wasn’t about to just let the Lobos end the day undefeated. Isaac Kron and Schultz walked and Bullock immediately took the bat out of O’Tremba’s hands with an intentional walk to follow.
With the bases loaded, Chavez ripped a single that scored two. But Tyler Schultz struck out and Jed Malaschok flew out to left field to end the game.
“It gave us a shot to at least make us feel like we were still in it and we had a chance,” Johnson said. “We just made too many mistakes early.”
Rocky Mountain is set to face Mountain Vista – also the winners of two games on Sunday – while Cherry Creek has to await the winner of Legend and Dakota Ridge.
Creek is now a game away from elimination. The showdown between Rocky Mountain and Mountain Vista will determine who heads into the second weekend of the tournament with a distinct advantage.
LAKEWOOD — Jeffco Stadium is where it all began for Sarah Yocum, at least in the realm of track and field.
The sensational Faith Christian sprinter and hurdler will have fond memories of a stadium that has become hallowed ground for Colorado track.
“I actually ran my first high school race ever here,” the Baylor University recruit said. “I ran the 100-meter hurdles. I was playing soccer at the time too and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I came out and I finished my first race and my coach said, ‘Congratulations, you just qualified for state.’ One of my teammates was like, ‘You just set the school record!’”
What followed for Yocum was eight state championships in 3A — four in a row in the 300 hurdles, three in the 100 hurdles and one in the 400-meter dash — in what added up to be one of the greatest careers in Colorado history.
On Sunday, the final day of the 2017 state track meet, she simply was putting the finishing touches on that career with titles No. 7 and No. 8 in the 100 hurdles (14.36) and 400 (56.92). She also claimed the 300 hurdle crown on Saturday in a time of 43.95 seconds.
“This was my last race of high school, so obviously I wanted to finish it with a title,” she said of the 400. “I had never earned a title outside of the hurdles. I just want to enjoy this. I am really thankful for the girls I got to do it with.”
Yocum was the runner-up in the 200-meter dash as well, finishing in 25.26 seconds. She capped off an illustrious four years with 16 individual state medals, four every year in the 200, 400, 100 hurdles, and 300 hurdles. Junior teammate Payton Walter (15.27) finished second in the 100 hurdles.
Yocum has a way of standing out, but at a meet with all five classifications competing on the same days at the same venue, Yocum’s victories weren’t the only highlights on Sunday.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Isaac Green and his fellow Monarch Coyotes performed historically well in the distance events again. A day after Green, Charlie Perry and Zach Litoff swept the top three places in the 5A 3,200, with Green and Litoff teaming with William Dixon and Sean Gazarik to win the 3,200 relay for the second straight year, Green (4:21.98), Perry (4:22.44) and Litoff (4:22.70) swept the top places in the 1,600 in the same order.
Oh, and Cayce Reese also medaled for Monarch, placing eighth in 4:25.31.
In a dramatic 800 final, Denver East’s Hayelom Fitsum appeared poised to claim the crown with a lead throughout. But, a stumble and fall a few strides from the finish line allowed Green to sweep the distance events with a winning time of 1:52.92. Fitsum got up for sixth place in 1:56.43. Litoff placed fifth.
Monarch made a serious run at their first team title in boys track and field after winning 5A cross country in the fall as Monarch junior Cole Rowan (16-00) and sophomore Max Manson (15-01) finished first and second in pole vault. Nico Heineke also placed 4th in discus. The Coyotes tallied 101 points, but came up just short in the final standings to Fountain-Fort Carson (106).
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Fountain rode their usual firepower in sprints and jumps — Donovan Williams first in 100 and 200, Jequan Hogan first in triple jump and high jump, third in long jump and fifth in 110 hurdles, Jalen Lyon second in 400 and fourth in 200, Jason Farrell third in 300 hurdles — to their 18th state championship in boys track and field.
The Trojans won the title in dramatic fashion, clinching on the final event of the meet, with a second-place finish in the 4×400-meter relay.
They are now tied with Denver East for the second-most titles in boys track and field of any school in Colorado history, only trailing Fort Collins (20). The Trojans also won the 400-meter relay and placed second in the 800 relay. They were eighth in the 3,200 relay and Iosua Maika was fifth in the shot put. Fountain-Fort Carson has conquered 5A three of the past four years as a result.
Vista Ridge, a school that opened its doors in 2008, won their second state championship in boys track and field by claiming 4A. They also won in 2013. The Wolves were too tough to match this season as a group with relays that were fantastic, finishing first in the 400 relay (42.16), the 800 relay (1:29.14) and the 1,600 relay (3:19.92). They also scored a bundle of points in the field events.
The Lady Wolves of Vista Ridge also had a strong showing, winning the 800-meter sprint medley relay in 1:48.39 on Saturday. Alexis Dubiel was the discus champion as well.
Other highlights included:
Class 5A
Grandview won a girls track title for the first time with 120 points. The team crown never seemed in doubt after such a strong first day of competition. The Wolves won the 800 relay (1:41.12), the sprint medley relay (1:46.57) and the 1,600 relay (3:55). Freshman Lily Williams was runner-up in the 400, Kylee Harr won high jump (5-8), basketball star Michaela Onyenwere was 2nd in 100 and 3rd in 200, Brie Oakley shattered the Colorado record in the 3,200 (10:09), and the Wolves corralled plenty of other points in multiple events.
Rocky Mountain junior Gabriella McDonald swept the throws with marks of 42-3 in shot put and 154-3 in discus (new 5A state meet record).
Fort Collins senior Audra Koopman (Penn State recruit) defended her long jump crown by going 19 feet, one half inch.
Fellow Fort Collins senior Lauren Gregory (University of Arkansas) won a 5A double in the 800 (2:10.94) and 1,600 (4:50.77), overtaking Grandview standout Brie Oakley (4:51.01) by a slim margin in a fantastic race. Gregory finished her illustrious career with one title in the 800, one in the 1,600, two in the 3,200, and three in cross country.
Highlands Ranch (3:23.13) finished first in an entertaining 1,600 relay.
Rock Canyon junior Emily Sloan (13.58) blew away the field in the 100 hurdles while defending her championship from last year.
Rampart senior Xavier Bishop-falu (14.25) claimed the 110 hurdles crown.
For the second consecutive season, Denver East’s Arria Minor won the 100 (11.53), the 200 (23.57) and the 400 (53.30). She is already one of the premier sprinters in state history.
Hinkley senior Darrien Wells (47.62) won back-to-back titles in the 400. He was also runner-up in 100 and 200.
Fruita Monument senior Gunner Rigsby (22-10.50) claimed long jump.
Monarch freshman Mia Manson (12-6) won the pole vault. She has been the top freshman in America this spring in the event.
Cherokee Trail girls (Jaiden Paris, Taylor Watson, Chian Deloach, Sydnee Larkin) won the 400 relay in 47.48. Larkin (36-10.50) won back-to-back state titles in triple jump as well, holding off Loveland’s Tatum Rembao (36-8.25), a Creighton University basketball recruit.
Class 4A
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Air Academy won their first-ever state championship in 4A girls track. Senior Maria Mettler conquered the 800 and 3,200, while also finishing as the runner-up to Mountain View’s Lauren Offerman in the 1,600. Junior Olivia Whitaker won the 100 and was second in the 200.
Air Academy senior Nik Chapee also won the 200 (21.65) and 400 (47.90). Harrison freshman Tyrese Van Horne (47.95) was runner-up in the 400 in a time that ranks second out of all freshmen in America at the moment.
Niwot’s Alexis Carroll (long jump and triple jump champion) and Mary Gillett (200 and 400 champion, second in 100 and long jump) were fantastic for the Cougars, helping Niwot finish second as a team in 4A.
Valor Christian sophomore Anna Hall was the hurdle queen, topping all competitors in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. She is a budding phenom nationally as a heptathlete, also finishing second in high jump (5-6). Valor’s Chase McLean won pole vault as well.
Silver Creek junior Rylee Anderson is three-for-three in high jump crowns as she cleared 5 feet, 8 inches.
Palisade senior Zaccre Kenward (48-9.50) dominated the triple jump.
Palmer Ridge’s Jeremy Meadows (4:15) ran away in the 1,600, while Silver Creek’s James Lee (1:54) did the same in the 800. Lee’s teammate, Brock Knechtel, tossed further than anyone in the discus throw (176-4).
Canon City senior Aaron McCoy (10.66) won the 100, while Thompson Valley’s Charlie Brunner (14.74) won the 110 hurdles.
Montrose senior Ian Meek was first in the 3,200 (9:23), second in the 1,600 (4:18), and ran on a winning 3,200 relay (7:58).
Pueblo South’s Jeremy Cody (6-9) was wildly impressive in winning high jump. Pueblo West’s Frank Nash the same in long jump (23-6.25).
Class 3A
The Classical Academy kept a proud tradition in track going, easily winning 3A girls with 101.5 points. Junior Erika Willis shattered the 3A state meet record, previously held by sister Andrea, in the pole vault with a mark of 12 feet, 5 inches. The record was 11-6 from 2014. Freshman sister Kristina Willis placed fifth and TCA won the 1,600 relay in 4:00.97. The Titans topped 4A last season and now have 10 state championships in girls track, only one less than Mullen with a state record 11.
Lutheran junior Maya Evans, one of the top long jumpers in the nation with a personal best of 20 feet, 10 inches, didn’t disappoint with 3A titles in the long jump, 100, 200, and 400 relay (48.95, 3A state meet record). Madi Bottin, Riley Darnell and Nyah Streib also ran on that relay. Evans is now a five-time state champion in individual events.
Lutheran boys also fared well, keeping a four-year team title streak alive with a dominant 104-point tally. They also won 3A in 2016 and 2015 and 2A in 2014. Adam Dawson (203-1 in discus) and Jacob Dack (51-6.50 in shot put) were individual champions for Lutheran. Several relays finished runner-up.
Sterling’s Austin Chavez (6-5, also fourth place in pole vault) and Jayson Frank (6-3) finished first and second in the 3A high jump as teammates Victor Zimmerman (second), Brady Krier (third) placed high in pole vault as well. Kylie Chavez was the triple jump champion (36-11.50).
Aspen senior Sunday Abarca broke his own 3A state meet record in the 400 with a time of 48.12, bettering his 48.54. He also won the 200 in 21.39 and was second (10.80) to Sierra’s Dante Thomas (10.71) in the 100.
Eaton senior Tarynn Sieg, a Colorado State recruit, not only broke her own 3A state meet record in shot put (45-5.50) but also won discus (143-4, nearly a record).
Peak to Peak broke the 3A state record in the 3,200 relay (9:12.44) with sophomores Tiana Bradfield, Quinn McConnell and Anna Shults, along with senior Rachael Metzler. Shults also finished first in the 3,200 (11:15) and the 1,600 (5:00.71). McConnell was second in the 800 and 1,600 and Bradfield was fourth in the 800 and third in the 1,600. Metzler finished sixth in the 1,600 as well.
Salida senior Taryn Ceglowski set a new standard in 3A in the 800 with a time of 2:09.19, bettering the previous record of 2:11.24 by Emily LaValley of The Classical Academy in 2010.
Tanner Norman of TCA won the 1,600 (4:16.85) and 3,200 (9:14, 3A state meet record). He signed with Iowa State University. Norman’s brother Mason, a freshman, placed fifth in the 3,200 in 9:45.
Faith Christian freshman Cole Sprout was the runner-up in the 1,600 (4:22) and 3,200 (9:28). He was also second at the 3A state cross country meet in the fall.
Class 2A
Paonia girls (110 points) joined The Classical Academy (3A champs from 2006-2010) and Mullen (4A champs from 1997-2003) as the only girls track and field programs in state history to win five championships in a row. Brianna Van Vleet defended her long jump crown successfully and Sophia Anderson and Mckenna Palmer finished first and second in triple jump. Anderson and Emily Pieper finished first and second in the 200.
Cedaredge boys (97 points) went back-to-back as a team, planting the seeds of a potential dynasty of their own. They ran away from everyone in the 800 and 3,200 relays and boasted depth that no team could counter.
Telluride junior Soleil Gaylord claimed the 1,600 (5:16) and 3,200 (11:25) crowns in back-to-back years. Sophomore teammate Maya Ordonez was runner-up in the 1,600. Gaylord was also second in the 800. Gaylord and Ordonez helped lead the 3,200 relay to a title as well.
Hayden freshman Hannah Wilkie (2:18.58) won the 800.
Burlington senior Ellie Berry swept the throws, winning shot put (40-11.75) and discus (133-5).
Shane Finegan won the 200 (22.53) and 400 (50.17) for Wiggins, and anchored the winning 1,600 relay in 3:30.44 with Tyler Hein, Teggan Freauff and Connor Kaufman. Finegan also anchored the winning 400 relay with the same group, except for Fukumaru Ogawa in place of Kaufman.
Meeker girls won the 400, sprint medley and 1,600 relays.
Soroco junior Ben Kelley swept the distance trio of 800 (1:54.75, bettering his own state meet record), 1,600 (4:22) and 3,200 (9:47). Sophomore teammate Grant Redmond (6-6) conquered high jump.
Hotchkiss sophomore Kaiya Firor claimed first in the 300 hurdles and 400.
Highland freshman Remington Ross won the girls 100 (12.28).
Class 1A
Heritage Christian boys (105 points) have been a recent powerhouse and nothing they did this weekend changed that. They conquered 1A for the second year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons. Josh Damir won the 300 hurdles and Seth Bruxvoort and Isaiah Bowsher placed first and second in the 3,200. The 800 relay of Jojo Bork, Jaden Johnson, Damir and Josiah Bowsher shattered the 1A state meet record of 1:33.25 with a time of 1:33.08.
Heather Graham of Genoa-Hugo (40-5) won the shot put with a great throw.
Shining Mountain junior Emma Schaefer claimed the 1,600 (5:32) and 3,200 crowns (12:24).
Erik Enriquez-Acosta, a senior from Idalia, won the 400 (50.05) and 800 (2:00.87). He finished first or second all four years at state in the two-lapper. His teammate, senior Alex Weyerman (9-8), claimed the girls pole vault crown.
Lake City swept the boys (8:39) and girls (10:49) 3,200 relays.
The Springfield girls claimed their first state championship in any girls sport with 73.5 points. They won both the sprint medley relay (1:54.59 with Julia Mondragon, Ally Loflin, Audrey Rau, and Tatelyn Lasley) and 800 relay (1:49.81 with Mondragon, Lasley, Rau, and Kylie Parks). Springfield has a youthful group that could make another run next season.
DeBeque junior Jentry Largent doubled up on crowns in the 100 and 200, while also anchoring a 400 relay that shattered the 1A record with a time of 51.41.
Prairie senior Emily Kaiser was tremendous in the long jump (first) and triple jump (34-8.50, 1A state meet record).
Bowman Ellis, a senior for Springfield, won the 100 (11.34) and 200 (22.94).
Kiowa senior Melanie Deering ran away with titles in the 400 (59.23) and 800 (2:22).
Pawnee teammates Drew Ellis (20-5) and Bryce Schnug (19-9) swept gold and silver in long jump.
ERIE — Loveland’s Lauren Lehigh audibly willed the ball into the first two holes, then practiced her fist pump to celebrate putts from way downtown.
“That was a big start. They weren’t short putts, either,” Lehigh said. “I think the first one was 25 feet and the second one was over 40 feet. They were good strokes and the hole was looking really big for me.”
Aili Bundy (+6) and Hannah Doran (+10) ended the day in 5th and tied for 8th.
Bundy had back-to-back birdies on Holes 17 and 18 to charge up the leaderboard and into fifth place.
“I know that’s going to help our team total a lot,” Lehigh said. “That’s our big goal for the seniors this year is to make sure that we get that team title under wraps and we can all go home state champions.”
Loveland is well ahead in the team race with a +17. The next closest team, Windsor, ended the day +35. Golden and Vista Peak are tied for third with a +39.
Windsor’s Jessica Zapf (+5) paced the Wizards playing alongside Lehigh.
Zapf fell off with four bogies and one double-bogie on the back side.
Defending champion Colorado Academy’s move to 3A left a void and Loveland is looking to fill it.
Lehigh ran into trouble on both sides, but was able to respond with birdies to get her back into it. She bogied Hole 14 to fall to +1, then came right back to even on Hole 15.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“I know I could have been a lot better,” Lehigh said. “I left a couple puts out. I had a couple three-putts, but overall I felt pretty good about the round.”
Lehigh’s mentality for the day was simple: don’t force it.
“Fairways and greens. I figured even par was going to be close to the top of the leaderboard,” Lehigh said. “If somebody beats that, then they played a great round and I have to respect that. Just making sure that I got onto those greens and made good putts and just stayed focused.”
For the majority of the day, Golden’s Sydney Prey was sticking right with Lehigh, but then double-bogied Holes 2 and 6. Prey ended three-over-par, tied with Glenwood Springs’ Lauren Murphy.
Murphy missed a par put on the 18th hole that dropped her into a tie with Prey.
“Such a bummer,” Murphy said. “I was pretty happy with my putting today except for that one.”
Murphy and Prey are within reach of Lehigh for tomorrow’s play.
“I feel like that was a pretty solid round, but I’m hoping to play better tomorrow,” Murphy said. “I think I was able to recover well out of trouble. I also think I was able to close the deal with chipping and putting. I’m going to try and improve my driving accuracy. It was kind of all over the map.”
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Lehigh will try to keep pace in the second round at Colorado National tomorrow.
“Same thing, just fairways and greens,” Lehigh said. “Make those pars. Take the birdies as they come, but definitely go after the pars.”
The second site for the Class 3A state baseball tournament games has been moved from Niwot High School to Silver Creek High School due to field conditions.
The following memo was sent out to schools this morning:
Due to the condition of the fields, Niwot will no longer be the second site for 3A baseball Tuesday and Wednesday. The new site will be Silver Creek High School. Chase McBride from Niwot will still be the site director at Silver Creek. Silver Creek does have batting cages that will be available for use.
The 3A bracket has been updated to reflect this change.
BROOMFIELD — In a day of firsts, Holy Family’s Hailey Schalk went for a best. Monday marked the first round of the first-ever Class 3A girls state golf tournament.
And the Holy Family freshman went of a career-best 6-under-par 65.
Not too shabby for a first round at at a state tournament.
“On one, I hit a good tee shot and then I hit my wedge to probably three feet,” Schalk said. “I think that just gave me momentum to keep playing the way I know how to play.”
In a word, she plays well.
Schalk birdied six of her first seven holes. She made par on eight and found her first bit of trouble on the ninth hole.
“I just hit a bad tee shot, so I was in the rough,” she said. “I had a bad lie and I chunked it out. I got up and down (for bogey).”
She started the back nine with yet another birdie, but her momentum leveled off as she made her way in. Her eighth and final birdie of the day came on on No. 13, then she ended with four pars and one bogey that she was visibly frustrated by.
“I just three-putted,” she said.
Beyond nine and 18, she showed poise and talent well beyond that of a freshman in her first round at state. She is long with her driver, accurate with her irons and when her putter is hot, she’s proven she can be tough to beat.
“She made a change yesterday with her putter,” Tigers coach Matt Schalk said. “I think we found it could go either way and it obviously went the right way.”
The Tigers finished the day second in the team hunt at 238. Colorado Academy, last year’s 4A champion, is well in control of the team lead with a score of 215. Cassie Kneen finished at even par while Caroline Jordaan and Marie Jordaan each finished with a 72.
The individual lead might be difficult to overcome for any one of the Mustangs, but they felt they did what they needed to to set themselves up for a second-straight state title.
“We all played pretty well today,” Caroline Jordaan said. “I think we made a good impression on the rest of the field. Especially with a bunch of new teams with it being 3A, we did such a good job today.”
Kent Denver sits in third place after the first day at 240. The battle between the Sun Devils and the Tigers will be a fun race to watch during Tuesday’s second-round.
But all eyes will likely be on Schalk. Going back to 2010, Schalk’s 65 is the best individual score for any player in any class.
She won’t be thinking about that when she’s tees off, though.
“I just need to keep a good attitude and keep hitting the ball well and keep my putter going,” she said. “Just do the same stuff tomorrow.”
The final round of the 3A golf tournament at Broadlands will begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
GOLDEN — The challenging nature of The Club at Rolling Hills means that there aren’t going to be many low scores during this week’s Class 5A girls golf championships.
But there sure is a heck of a lot of competition at the top.
A group of six girls sit near the top of the leaderboard, with Rock Canyon’s Amelia Lee heading the field with a 3-over 75. Her round included three birdies, but also four bogeys and a double-bogey.
“I’m just glad I got through it,” said Lee, who finished tied for 17th last season. “I’m just taking every par for granted. It was definitely pretty challenging, but it was a lot of fun, too.”
The course, tucked into the foothills, is aptly named — because there are plenty of rolling hills. Including the greens.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Denver East’s Julia Baroth played with Lee in the first round, and finished the day tied in second with a 4-over 76. She finished tied for ninth last season.
“It was extremely difficult,” she said of the course. “The greens were rolling. It’s super hilly, so the putt could look like it went to the right, but it went to the left.
“They were tough conditions,” she continued. “Scores are not going to be too low, I think, but anything can happen on this course.”
Likewise, Baroth had her share of birdies (two) and bogeys (six).
“I left a lot of strokes out on the course that I was not too happy about,” she said, “but my coach always tells me that it’s a marathon, and to just take it one shot at a time, one hole at a time, and every hole is a new tournament, and to just keep a good attitude about it. That’s what I did, and it paid off.”
Just after that group finished, Cherry Creek’s Payton Canon put the final touches on her stellar round, also finishing in second at 4-over.
Rampart’s Arielle Keating (5-over) is fourth, while Monarch’s Carly Gallant and Grandview’s Amy Chitkoksoong are tied for fifth at 6-over. Chitkoksoong was runner-up last season.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The team race, too, is a tight one.
Rock Canyon leads at 24-over, and four teams are within 16 shots.
Those are: Ralston Valley (+29), Arvada West (+34), Cherry Creek (+39), and Fossil Ridge (+40).
Grandview, the defending champion, ended the first day in a tie for seventh at 44-over. Denver East is sixth at 43-over.
The second round will tee off at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The lead groups will begin their rounds at 10:18 and 10:27 a.m.
DENVER — Cherry Creek scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning and hung on to to take down Legend, 13-12, in the Class 5A state baseball tournament.
The Bruins put together three runs to get the victory. A sacrifice bunt from the cleanup hitter set up the go-ahead single from senior Jed Malashock, followed by an error, gave Cherry Creek the lead they needed to win.
“Not much (was going through my head),” Malashock said after the game. “There was a guy at second. All I was trying to do was shorten up and bring him in.”
Malashock turned in a 3-for-5 day, with two RBIs and a stolen base — a huge performance for the Bruin who didn’t see starting time until regionals.
“This performance was huge,” he said. “It’s what I’ve been working for for four years to do. Everyone wants to win on varsity.”
As for the Final 4?
“We get to play another day,” Malashock said. “It feels amazing, We need to stay hot (though) and make sure our pitchers arms are good. We need as much pitching as we can to (have success).”
Another Bruin found success in the bat with Andrew Chavez. The catcher went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a walk and a sacrifice bunt.
“Being out at All-City, it’s truly an honor to be amongst the top teams in Colorado,” he said. “Being able to come up big and score some runs when we needed it most is truly something special.”
Chavez is no rookie to the big stage, this being his third and final trip to All-City.
“For this to be my third year back, I am really glad I could deliver today,” he said. “It’s a big win for our team and I can’t wait to play in the Final 4.”
With the victory, Cherry Creek stays alive in the tournament. The Bruins look to make a push for their ninth state title, and first since 2012.
