Rocky Mountain baseball coach Scott Bullock knew the question was coming after his Lobos won the Class 5A state title for the third consecutive season, and he was ready with an answer.
While Bullock said he didn’t want to think about next year yet, he added, “I like our chances; I like our team and I like the young kids in our program, but we’re going to savor this one for a bit.”
Deservedly so, after Rocky Mountain beat Mountain Vista 10-1 at All City Field in Denver to etch its place in state history. The Lobos again romped through the big-school bracket undefeated in the Championship Series, outscoring opponents 54-11.
During its three-year title run, the Lobos have gone 15-1 in the double-elimination event. Rocky Mountain is only the second 5A program to win three in a row (Cherry Creek, 1995-99).
Marco Gonzales, Rocky Mountain
File Photo By Patrick Miller
Seniors Bryan Peters, Jacob Stewart and junior Marco Gonzales have played integral roles in all three title teams, and the presence of Gonzales has the Lobos believing the streak could extend another year. The left-hander has been the winning pitcher in each championship game, and his combination of experience and ability will be tough to match.
“I think this one definitely feels like more of a team effort,” Gonzales said after limiting Mountain Vista to four hits while striking out eight. “Everyone really worked together this year. We were in a tight one. It was a dogfight for a couple of innings, but I knew our offense was going to prevail.”
It did in a big way, as the Lobos scored four in the bottom of the fourth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit, before adding six more in the fifth. Junior Pierce Trumper swung the biggest bat that day, with three hits and four RBI.
Another junior, Chris Roglen, might have been the best hitter for the Lobos in the tournament, in a lineup that features Nebraska-bound Bryan Peters and Jacob Stewart, who has signed to play at Stanford. Roglen went 9-for-14 in the five games with 12 RBI.
Said Peters, who pitched the final two innings to close out his prep career (he never lost a game pitching for the Lobos, going 21-0): “This feels great. For all the seniors, we worked hard and we deserved it. This is only the second time in Colorado that this has happened. This is a legacy we started here and we’re proud of what we accomplished.”
CLASS 4A
Leave it to a freshman to deliver the biggest hit in the biggest game of the season.
“I can’t explain it. This is like a dream. I was just trying to put the ball in play in that situation,” Cheyenne Mountain’s Scott Bowen said after blooping a single down the left-field line to cap a crazy, and controversial, ending to an 8-7 win against Mountain View for the title at All City Field in Denver.
Cheyenne Mountain, which had beaten Wheat Ridge 6-1 in the semifinals earlier in the day, trailed Mountain Vista 7-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, before rallying to tie it. Four of those runs came on a grand slam by Mitch Magrini.
After Mountain View pushed across a run in the top of the seventh, and was threatening for more before base running mistakes ended the rally, Cheyenne Mountain appeared to be down to its final out.
Nick Schoon was called out at first base after hitting a groundball to second, but Cheyenne Mountain coaches asked for help from the home plate umpire, believing the throw had pulled the first baseman off the bag. The home plate umpire ruled the runner safe, setting up a single by Sean Jergensen later in the inning to plate Schoon with the tying run, before Bowen delivered.
CLASS 3A
The most storied program in state history added another chapter to its body of work, as Eaton rolled to its second straight championship with a 13-0, five-inning romp against Holy Family. The Reds finished 25-0 and claimed their ninth state crown. They have won 37 games in a row.
Logan Hall pitched a two-hitter against the Tigers, whose only three losses on the season came against Eaton. Bennett Pickar led the offensive charge, going 3-for-3 with two RBI to pace the 13-hit attack. Tyler Wallace added two hits and three RBI, while Bryce Ruff drove in four more.
CLASS 2A
Just as it did a year ago, Custer County left with the title hardware after beating Limon 8-1.
Corey Barnes fired a three-hitter – all singles – and struck out four to give the Bobcats their third title overall. Offensively, Kyle Hershberger accounted for two of the team’s six hits and drove in two runs. Hershberger had gone 2-for-4 with four RBI in the semifinals against Front Range Christian.
CLASS A
After finishing as state runner-up the past two seasons, Granada cashed in on its third consecutive trip to the championship game with a 1-0, eight-inning victory against Caliche.
In a matchup of unbeatens, Granada (18-0) pushed across the only run in the top of the frame when Aaron Vega scored on a one-out single up the middle by Michael Ortiz. Dustin Bohlander, who went 3-for-3 for the Bobcats, doubled to open the eighth, and Vega came in for him as a courtesy runner.
Pitchers Christian Dulac and Chris DeLeon shut down Caliche (17-1) from the mound. The Buffaloes were limited to a double by Craig Debus in the fourth inning.
“This was our time,” Granada coach Manuel Gonzales told the Denver Post. “This is a very sweet win for us, especially after losing two in a row.”
