ARVADA — Jordan Holloway went 4-for-4 with three home runs and nine RBIs as sixth-ranked Ralston Valley baseball handled Standley Lake 22-3.
The Mustangs played 14 in the third inning, and went on to pound out 18 hits. Included was Jake Griffith’s two doubles (he also had four RBIs) and Connor Roth’s home run (he had three RBIs).
Columbine senior Austin Anderson dives toward home plate as Ralston Valley players look on from the dugout Thursday afternoon during the Class 5A Jeffco League showdown. The Rebels improved to 13-0 on the season with a 10-4 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LITTLETON — What should be an intense struggle for the Class 5A Jeffco League baseball championship title over the next few weeks revved up Thursday afternoon.
Two teams ranked in the top 10 of this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A baseball poll clashed at Frank DeAngelis Field at Columbine High School. No. 5 Columbine (13-0, 2-0 in league) remained undefeated on the season with a decisive 10-4 victory over No. 6 Ralston Valley.
“It’s a big win for us,” Columbine senior Donny Ortiz said. “We have something special right now. We are just trying to keep it going through league.”
Columbine senior Patrick Huffaker keeps his on the ball while sprinting out of the batter’s box Thursday afternoon. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Rebels’ top five hitters in their lineup were special against Ralston Valley senior pitcher Jordan Holloway. Seniors Michael Tait, Oritz, Austin Anderson, Kyle Lopez, along with sophomore Tommy Gillman combined to crank out nine hits, scored nine runs and pilled up eight RBIs.
Junior designated hitter Cody Wood also picked up a pair of singles in the eight-hole for Columbine.
“Holloway is a hell of a pitcher, but we got really prepared this week,” said Ortiz of facing Mustangs’ ace that came into the game with a 4-0 record and 0.64 ERA. “It wasn’t anything special. You just have to watch the ball and make good contact.”
Ortiz’s bat provided the biggest blow off Holloway. The second baseman’s three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning put the Rebels ahead 7-1. Anderson scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to give Columbine an 8-1 lead through four innings.
“He (Holloway) was off a little bit,” Ralston Valley coach Shane Freehling said. “He was behind in the count on almost every single hitter. If you are in fastball counts like that batters can hit on fastballs. That is a good hitting club.”
The Rebels managed a dozen hits and was able to get their leadoff batter on base five of six frames.
Columbine senior Blake Weiman had plenty of run support to work with in improving his record to 4-0 on the mound. The lefty worked five innings, giving up just one run on two hits while striking out five.
“Blake is awesome,” said Lopez, who knocked in the Rebels’ final run with an RBI groundout in the sixth inning. “He is one of the best pitchers out there. He has great stuff. I’ll take him (on the mound) any day.”
Ralston Valley loaded the bases on Weiman in the second inning with one out, but Weiman got a strikeout and ground out to get out of the jam.
Ralston Valley senior pitcher Jordan Holloway fires a pitch during the early innings Thursday at Frank DeAngelis Field at Columbine High School. (Dennis Pleuss)
Senior Jacob Gallegos got the Mustangs on the scoreboard with a leadoff double in the third inning. He eventually scored on a fly ball by senior Connor Roth. Weiman walked a pair of batters in the fifth inning, but a strikeout and pickoff at first base kept the Mustangs from scoring.
“Any opportunity we got we kept on shooting ourselves in the foot, or a tough call out in the field,” Freehling said. “It just wiped out any moment we had going. Just couldn’t get anything going today.”
Ralston Valley’s offense did make a surge with Weiman out of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Roth belted a two-run home run and senior Jacob Knipp hammered a long home run over the centerfield fence.
Sophomore Taylor Dye took the mound after Knipp’s home run and was able to get the final two out to end the game.
Columbine will remain on its swing through the north-area Jeffco opponents. The Rebels will travel to Pomona High School to face the Panthers at 11 a.m. Saturday. Next week, Columbine starts off its week at All Star Park in Lakewood against Arvada West with a scheduled 3:30 p.m. first pitch April 21.
“We’ve got to stay humble,” Lopez said. “This is just another step of where we’ve got to go. We’ve got to get ready for Pomona on Saturday.”
Looming for the Rebels is a showdown April 23, against Chatfield (13-0, 2-0).
“It all starts with Pomona and A-West, but (Chatfield) is our rival,” Ortiz said. “We’ve got to get those two wins first, but Chatfield is definitely one that we want.”
Ralston Valley (10-2, 0-1) continues its trek through its 5A Jeffco schedule with an 11 a.m. home game April 19. The Mustangs start next week by hosting Bear Creek at 4 p.m. April 21.
Columbine senior Kyle Lopez throws to the plate during the sixth inning Thursday against Ralston Valley. Rebels’ starting pitcher Blake Weiman picked up his fourth win on the season pitching five inning and giving up just one run on two hits. (Dennis Pleuss)
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 17 are below.
DENVER — Daniel Jurney was 1-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs, Jordan Holloway also tripled and had two RBIs and No. 6 Ralston Valley beat Smoky Hill 8-3 at Coors Field.
Fairview, and shortstop Cameron Frazier (3) are No. 4 in this week’s 5A baseball poll. (Dennis Pleuss)
Perhaps no win was bigger for Fairview in recent years than last Thursday’s decision over then-No. 5 Rocky Mountain.
But the win for the Knights was just one-fourth a tough 4-0 week last week, and now they find themselves ranked No. 4 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 5A baseball poll. Fairview was seventh last week.
The Knights are actually 7-0 in Colorado, with the lone loss coming in Arizona during a Spring Break tournament. Their lineup has produced double-digit scoring outputs the past four games.
ThunderRidge remained in its top spot in the 5A ranking, where it has been since the preseason. Regis Jesuit stayed at No. 2, and Chatfield held firm at No. 3.
Behind Fairview, Columbine rounds out the top five.
Ralston Valley is No. 6, Mountain Vista is No. 7 and Arapahoe is No. 8. Rocky Mountain dropped to No. 9 after going 1-2 last week.
Chaparral is the lone newcomer to 5A this week. The Wolverines rejoined the poll at No. 10.
Elsewhere, Swink took over the top spot in the 2A ranking. At 9-0, Swink moved up from No. 2. Former No. 1 Resurrection Christian dropped to No. 3.
The 2A poll added Kiowa (No. 8) this week.
The other No. 1 teams remained the same. Those are Montrose (4A), Holy Family (3A) and Stratton (1A).
The 4A poll has two new teams this week: Wheat Ridge, which joined all the way at No. 5, and Elizabeth, which is No. 7.
Cherry Creek 16, Central (G.J.) 10, Fruita Monument 6, Legacy 4, Rock Canyon 3, Dakota Ridge 2, Pine Creek 2, Brighton 1.
Dropped out
Dakota Ridge (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Montrose (5)
9-2
112
1
1-1
2
Niwot (4)
10-1
106
4
3-0
3
Windsor (4)
12-1
101
2
3-0
4
Delta (1)
11-1
77
5
0-1
5
Wheat Ridge
7-2
64
–
3-0
6
Lewis-Palmer
8-3
50
9
3-0
7
Elizabeth
10-1
41
–
3-0
8
Valor Christian
7-5
38
3
0-2
9
Evergreen
7-2
36
10
3-0
10
Palmer Ridge
8-3
31
7
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Pueblo Centennial 19, Longmont 17, Air Academy 16, Ponderosa 12, Mesa Ridge 10, Mountain View 9, Skyline 7, Pueblo East 4, Canon City 3, Falcon 3, Pueblo West 2, Widefield 2, Durango 1, Green Mountain 1, Pueblo South 1.
Dropped out
Longmont (6), Falcon (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (6)
12-0
85
1
4-0
2
Eaton (3)
8-0
84
2
1-0
3
Faith Christian
9-1
67
3
4-0
4
Gunnison
10-0
49
7
3-0
5
Valley
10-1
46
5
2-1
6
Cedaredge
11-0
41
6
2-0
7
Lamar
9-3
38
4
2-2
8
University
7-2
28
9
1-1
9
Brush
7-1
24
–
4-0
10
The Classical Academy
7-2
18
8
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Bayfield 14, La Junta 1.
Dropped out
Bayfield (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Swink (3)
9-0
63
2
4-0
2
Rye (1)
9-1
55
4
3-0
3
Resurrection Christian (2)
8-2
52
1
2-1
4
Hotchkiss (1)
11-2
42
7
2-0
5
Peyton
9-1
39
6
2-1
6
Sedgwick County
7-1
36
8
2-0
7
Lutheran
5-4
21
5
2-1
8
Kiowa
7-3
15
–
5-1
9
Limon
6-3
13
10
1-1
10
Denver Christian
4-3
11
3
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Haxtun 6, Holyoke 6, Dolores 5, Front Range Christian 5, Lyons 5, Sierra Grande 4, Byers 2, Nucla 2, Rocky Ford 2, Yuma 1.
Dropped out
Ignacio (9).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Stratton (5)
5-1
50
1
1-1
2
Granada
3-2
40
3
0-1
3
Elbert
5-1
38
2
1-0
4
Caliche
5-6
29
4
2-0
5
Eads
4-7
28
7
2-1
6
Briggsdale
5-4
20
–
3-1
7
Community Christian
5-5
15
6
2-0
8
Peetz
1-2
14
8
0-1
9
Fleming
3-3
11
10
0-0
10
Dove Creek
2-8
9
9
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Cornerstone Christian 7, County Line 7, Holly 3, Manzanola 3, Cotopaxi 1.
Ralston Valley freshman Jessica Gibson, far right, puts a shot on Columbine junior goalie Julia Lisella, far left, during the first half Thursday at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. Ralston Valley took a 14-6 victory against Columbine. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Ralston Valley sophomore Madison Winchester was all smiles when she headed to the sideline at Trailblazer Stadium in the final minutes Thursday night.
The Mustangs’ midfielder still had plenty of energy to celebrate Ralston Valley’s 14-6 victory over Columbine in girls’ lacrosse action despite playing all but the final minute and a half of the Jeffco League game. Winchester led Ralston Valley with four goals in the first ever win for the Mustangs against the Rebels.
Ralston Valley sophomore Marin Felsoci, middle, races down the field as Columbine’s Nicole Beaton (31), Lyndsie Pratt (82) and Kayla Donohoe, far right, give chase. Ralston Valley dominated the second half on the way to a 14-6 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
“It’s huge. I’m so excited. I can’t believe this is happening,” Winchester said. “We are meshing so well as a team right now.”
The victory was the fifth straight for the Mustangs (6-2, 3-0 in Jeffco). Ralston Valley never trailed and received three first-half goals by Winchester to take a 5-3 lead at halftime.
“She (Winchester) is such a strong player. We can’t pull her off half the time because she contributes offense and defense,” Ralston Valley coach Katie Lohmiller said. “She is a leader by actions and words out on the field. The kids really respond to her.”
The Mustangs responded after halftime to dominate the second half. Ralston Valley outscored Columbine 9-3 in the second half to stay undefeated in conference play.
Junior Sydney Hauffman and sophomore Marin Felsoci each had three goals apiece for the Mustangs. Sophomore Olivia Sandoval added a pair of goals. Sophomore Alexa Hagestad and freshman Jessica Gibson both had a goal each for Ralston Valley.
“It’s huge. It shows the level of play the girls are bringing,” Lohmiller said of the first win over Columbine. “They are really clicking and making those connections. They are bringing those higher level skills to the field.”
Ralston Valley senior Moriah Kunau (15) forces Columbine junior Mackenzie Burns (16) to look to pass the ball in the Rebels’ offensive zone Thursday. Burns scored three goals in the Rebels’ 14-6 loss to the Mustangs. (Dennis Pleuss)
Lohmiller added that she felt the victory set the bar higher for her young squad moving forward into the season.
Senior Elizabeth Arellano contributed three assists while junior Brooke Farris and freshman Alexus Hopkins split the goaltending duties for Ralston Valley.
Junior Mackenzie Burns led Columbine with three goals. Senior attacker Savannah Mantele added two goals and senior Nicole Beaton scored once for the Rebels (3-6, 2-2).
Ralston Valley will face defending Jeffco champion and No. 3 ranked Chatfield (7-0, 2-0) next week. The Mustangs are scheduled to clash with the Chargers at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Trailblazer Stadium.
“I think the girls feel confident and we are just worried about playing our game,” Lohmiller said of facing the undefeated Chargers. “We just want to bring our best to the field against them (Chatfield). They are a great team.”
Chatfield took a 22-3 victory against Ralston Valley last season during league play.
“We have to come out as hard as we did against Columbine,” Winchester said. “We’ve got to do what we just did. I thought we did great tonight.”
The Rebels will be back to Trailblazer for an 11:30 a.m. game Saturday against defending state champion Cherry Creek.
Columbine senior Maggie Burns (7) gets some defensive pressure from Ralston Valley junior Samantha Snyder (14) during the Jeffco League game Thursday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
HIGHLANDS RANCH — Ralston Valley got six innings of shutout baseball from Jordan Holloway, and the senior also went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Mustangs beat Valor Christian on Tuesday.
Holloway struck out five against just one walk in the win, and allowed four hits. Teammate Jacob Knipp was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs.
Ralston Valley, ranked No. 4 in 5A, improves to 9-1. Valor, 4A’s No. 3, is now 7-4.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 9 are below.
WESTMINSTER — A number of meet records fell at the Mustang Track & Field Invitational on Saturday, which drew 25 different teams from across the state to 1STBANK Field.
Mountain Range hosted the event.
Niwot’s girls won with a total of 88 points. Monarch was second with 69, and Denver East was third with 68.
Regis Jesuit’s boys won with 70 overall points. Highlands Ranch and Monarch tied for second with 63 each, while Boulder was fourth with 64.