DENVER — It took a matter of seconds for Chatfield sophomore Parker Murrow to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead for the Chargers.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fourth inning, Murrow ripped the first pitch he saw from D’Evelyn junior pitcher Troy Benko over the centerfield wall at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School.
“Parker got up, drove the ball hard and it got out,” Chatfield coach Brett Pieratt said. “That totally changed the course of the game for sure.”
The grand-slam home run by Murrow was the start of the Chargers’ 8-run inning with all the scoring done with two outs. Chatfield eventually went on to a 10-5 road victory.
“It was great,” Pieratt said after getting his first victory as the Chargers’ new head baseball coach. “It’s not how we drew it up, but it feels great to get the first one out of the way for sure.”
D’Evelyn actually scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning to grab an early lead. Benko helped himself out with an RBI double that nearly left the yard. RBI singles by sophomores Kannon Perry and Jack McMann off Chatfield senior pitcher Logan Carlisle stunned the Chargers a bit.
D’Evelyn coach Dan Porreco was pleased with the first three innings. The Jaguars were playing solid defense behind Benko, but the Chargers’ bats came alive in the fourth inning. Chatfield sent a dozen batters to the plate and chased Benko after a 2-run double by junior Aidan Mullen.
“It was a good start, but you have to learn how to finish no matter who you are playing,” Porreco said. “Chatfield is a powerful team”
Carlisle settled down after the Chargers grabbed the lead. The hard-throwing righty struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior Colby Cruser took over on the hill after a par of walking issued by Carlisle in the bottom of the fifth inning.
“He (Carlisle) struggled a little bit that first inning having to throw 30 pitches,” Pieratt said. “Logan is going to do a lot of special things for us this season for sure. He is one of our top guys and we are going to count on him.”
Carlisle admitted he didn’t have his best stuff in the season opener, but is confident he will improve during the shortened high school season that will last a little less than two months.
“For me after this outing, I can only go up from here,” Carlisle said. “I’ll get back in the bullpen, get some more work in and make sure I come back next week dialed in and ready to go.”
Cruser allowed a pair of Jaguars to score on a throwing error to first base on a pickoff attempt, but he limited the damage by striking out the final two batters to get out of the inning. Cruser walked two and hit a batter in his two and 2/3 innings of work, but didn’t allow a hit.
Sophomore Mason Lowe added a run for the Chargers with an RBI single in the fifth inning to drive in Murrow after he doubled to left. Chatfield’s final run came on a bases loaded infield fly that was dropped. Senior Drew Lytle was able to scamper home for the final run of the game in the top of the seventh.
“It was nice to come out here after getting rained out earlier this week,” Murrow said. “To come out and get a win against a quality team was nice.”
Chatfield’s home opener is scheduled for Saturday against No. 9 Rock Canyon.
“This group is pretty special,” Pieratt said. “They have been focused. We don’t have to do a lot for them. The senior leadership is fantastic. We think we can make a run for sure.”
D’Evelyn quickly dives into Class 4A Jeffco League action Saturday with a home game against Green Mountain.
“I feel bad for Golden and Wheat Ridge because last year they both could have won it,” Porreco said of the lost Spring 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Jeffco is always tough. Evergreen is always strong. It will be fun. We are a competitive league.”
