As usual, district baseball play had its share of upsets, fantastic finishes and standout performances, and matters continue to heat up as the postseason moves to its next phase.
In Class 5A, 4A and 3A, eight teams remain in each classification as they embark on the double-elimination Championship Series starting May 8. For Class 2A and 1A, it’s win or go home during the regionals this weekend.
Here’s a quick look at each classification:
CLASS 5A
Top-seeded Rampart (20-1) withstood stiff challenges from Monarch and Ralston Valley to advance behind the pitching of Robert Forrest (state-leading eight wins) and Zane Watkins. Next up for the Rams is Cherokee Trail (17-4), one of three teams still remaining from the Centennial League. Cherokee Trail pounded out 17 hits in a 10-5 win against eighth-seeded Regis Jesuit to advance to the final eight in their first season of the state’s top classification. The Cougars won the 4A title in 2007.
Fourth-seeded Mountain Vista rode the powerful right arm and bat of Eric Anderson to advance. After Mountain Vista pounded Westminster in its opener, Anderson fired a five-inning perfect game and clubbed two homers against Dakota Ridge in the District 3 finals. Anderson is now 6-0 pitching with a 1.91 ERA and is batting .533 with 32 RBI.
While Mountain Vista made short work of its two opponents, its next foe - Green Mountain - had to wait an extra day and work extra innings to advance. The Rams, champions of the Jefferson County League, needed 14 innings to outlast Smoky Hill 9-7. A walk-off grand slam by Matt Wollenzin provided the winning margin in a game that spanned two days. The game was called because of darkness Saturday and continued on Sunday. Wollenzin also hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give Green Mountain life.
Two-time defending champion Rocky Mountain barely broke a sweat, outscoring the competition 22-0 in two district games. Check out these numbers: the Lobos pounded 25 hits and allowed only five, highlighted by Bryan Peters’ one-hitter against Chatfield. Among the offensive production were six home runs, including two each by Luke White and Jake Stewart.
Next up for Rocky Mountain is Heritage, which upset host Fort Collins 10-7 in the District 8 finals behind a two-run single by Daron Schultheis in the top of the eighth inning. The senior also earned the pitching victory.
Tito Nava, Cherry Creek
Photo By Patrick Miller
Of note, Grandview swept the Bruins (5-2 and 13-9) during league play.
For complete 5A brackets, click here.
CLASS 4A
While there were some mild upsets in the big-school classification, Class 4A had four teams seeded 22nd or lower score first-round wins. Two teams – No. 22 Roosevelt and 25th-seeded Widefield – took it a step further by advancing to the final eight.
While strong pitching by Jarron Cito and Mike McSwain carried Roosevelt through District 8, Widefield powered past its District 2 foes thanks to senior Evan Kenebrew. Kenebrew had a day to remember at the Colorado School of Mines, as he hit four home runs in a 16-12 upset of eighth-seeded Golden.
"I was not expecting that," said Kenebrew, who had nine homers last season, but had hit only two this season entering districts. "I’m hitting under .400 right now and I’ve been waiting to break out. Finally I’m seeing the ball well and my hands are working well and I’m feeling good."
Kenebrew has been intentionally walked 26 times this season, but Golden’s pitchers threw him plenty of pitches to hit. His first four at-bats resulted in home runs and his last time up he hit a sacrifice fly. He finished 4-for-5 with 12 RBI.
"I think I saw one curveball," Kenebrew said. "My first three home runs were fastballs and my last one was a curveball."
He followed that with a grand slam in a 15-4 victory against Castle View in the district final. Widefield will get the opportunity to score another huge upset, as the Gladiators next meet top-seeded Broomfield. The Eagles are on a 20-game win streak and are led by junior Erik Lockwood, who struck out 12 in five innings in a dominating district performance.
Third-seeded Wheat Ridge also used the long ball, as Eric Shannon pounded two homers and Jacob Nelson added a grand slam, to set up the Farmers’ matchup with Roosevelt.
No. 4 Cheyenne Mountain, which needed a two-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning to oust Rock Canyon in the District 3 championship, will meet Pueblo South in another game. The Indians advanced when Austin Darby scored on a two-out bunt by Mitch Aguilar. Darby pitched a complete game in that one after hitting two doubles and driving in three runs in an opening-win against Pueblo West.
The remaining game pits Northern League rivals Mountain View and Silver Creek. Silver Creek, in the final eight for the first time, received the two top pitching performances in districts. Scott Hoyt fired a one-hitter against Valor Christian before Tyler Gibbons blanked Greeley West on three hits. The Raptors did not allow a run in districts.
Few have been better on the mound this season than Mountain View junior Nick Miller (7-1, 0.93 ERA) and he dominated in districts, shutting out Lewis-Palmer in districts. He also earned the 6-4 victory against Silver Creek during the regular season (March 24).
For complete 4A brackets, click here.
CLASS 3A
Yes, there are seven other teams competing, but the 3A tournament is all about Eaton. The top-seeded Reds rolled in outscoring district opponents 28-0. Putting up big offensive numbers were Gus Jones, who had five RBI in the two games while batting 5-for-7, while Logan Hall drove in seven runs overall. Hall and fellow pitcher Brandon Beach allowed just six hits total against Denver Christian and Machebeuf.
The defending champion Reds will meet Gunnison, while Manitou Springs will square off against Faith Christian in the other game in the top of the bracket. Fourth-seeded Manitou Springs can thank Alex Reiter for advancing, as his two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Mustangs a 6-5 win against Florence in the District 3 title game. Reiter had hit two home runs in the district opener against Jefferson.
The bottom half of the bracket features 14th-seeded Kent Denver against Valley, while No. 2 Holy Family opens with Lamar. Brandon Frank (6-for-8) and Jarrod Huwa (two pitching victories) carried Valley in districts, while Kent Denver will counter with the state’s leading hitter in Paul Donahue (.677, 50 RBI). Donahue, a junior, went 5-for-6 with six RBI in districts.
For complete 3A brackets, click here.
CLASS 2A
Sixteen teams remain and will settle matters across what appear to be four balanced four-team regions. The winner of each region advances to the state tournament May 15-16.
Sanford gets the nod as the favorite in Region 1, while Calhan and Limon earned the top seeds in Region 2. Calhan beat the Badgers 14-3, though, during the regular season. Calhan has gone 5-1 against other teams in the field, which includes a 3-0 season mark against Kiowa, which also is Region 2. Don’t count out Lutheran-Parker, though, as the Lions are the only 2A team to beat top-ranked Resurrection Christian this season.
In Region 3, Custer County rolled in districts, outscoring its two opponents 34-4. The Bobcats offense, led by Corey Barnes (.545, five homers, 31 RBI) and Kyle Hershberger (.547, 25 RBI), has scored at least 12 runs or more in the past 10 games.
Region 4 could be the deepest of the set. A case can be made for each of the four teams to emerge. Akron is powered by heavy hitting Byron Guy, who leads all classifications with 15 home runs. The Rams will meet a Front Range Christian club that beefed up its non-league schedule with 3A opponents and included a win against Denver Lutheran, which was seeded sixth in the 3A tournament. The final game pits Resurrection Christian and its deep pitching staff against the big bats of Holyoke and Austin Tharp (.569, 24 RBI) and Logan Krueger (.528, 27 RBI).
For complete 2A brackets, click here.
CLASS 1A
The small schools are in the quarterfinal round, and Caliche and Granada look to be on course to meet in the finals. Granada, the state runner-up the past two seasons, took out two time-defending champion Eads last weekend. While the Bobcats have momentum and playoff experience, perhaps no team at any level has been as dominating as Caliche. The Buffaloes (15-0) played their first 10 games against 2A competition and swept Akron and Holyoke, which are still alive in their classification.
If there is one team capable of toppling that expected title-game matchup, it’s Haxtun. Half of the Bulldogs’ six losses came to Caliche, while the other three were against 2A teams. In other words, Haxtun already has faced the state’s best and appears ready for the challenge.
For complete 1A brackets, click here.
Brad Byler contributed to this report.
