Colorado high school baseball champions to be crowned this weekend

The 5A tournament will wrap up at All City Field as has been tradition; the 4A tournament will conclude at UC Health Park, home of the Rocky Mountain Vibes; and 3A will play out at Butch Butler Field in Greeley, another longstanding site used by the Colorado High School Activities Association.

The brackets have been trimmed to four teams each and when the first pitches are thrown at 10 a.m. Friday: 5A state bracket / 4A state bracket / 3A state bracket

Class 5A
Grandview (Aurora) vs. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), 10 a.m. Friday
The big-school tournament provides a unique feel this weekend as both Friday games feature matchups between league foes.
On paper Grandview looks to be a scary team headed into the weekend. After a 4-1 win over Legacy (Broomfield) in their opening game, the Wolves stunned defending champion Mountain Vista 7-6 to guarantee a spot in the second weekend. The bats were hot in that game as Grandview totaled 16 hits. Jayden Martinez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Josh Hojnowski added some pop going 2-for-4 with a home run. He also scored twice. The Wolves got 5.1 respectable innings from Garrett Lippold, who gave up just one earned run. The Wolves lost to Regis Jesuit 3-0 on Saturday but have a chance at redemption. The Wolves lost both regular-season contests against Cherry Creek.
Like the Wolves, the Bruins' hoped to enter the second weekend as the lone undefeated team but were beaten by Regis Jesuit. But by no means does that mean they aren't capable of walking away with a state title. A 5-1 win over Heritage (Littleton) in their opener surprised some, but the Bruins really opened eyes in an elimination game against Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins). It seemed like they were on their way home after falling behind 7-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Then the Cherry Creek bats came alive. Nathan Mitchell went 3-for-4  and scored twice while driving in three runs. Ben Perla also contributed, pushing two runs across the plate. With the loser of this game getting eliminated, Mitchell figures to hit the mound again. He threw a complete game in the win against Heritage.

Regis Jesuit (Aurora) vs. Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch), 12:30 p.m. Friday
Mountain Vista and Regis Jesuit clash in the second game, and the Continental League rivals figure to put on a show for fans. The Raiders have outscored opponents 16-3 thus far in the state tournament. Caden Wagner provided the spark in the 6-0 win over Chaparral (Parker). He blasted a solo home run and went  2-for-3 overall. In the win against Cherry Creek it was Mark Perchiazzi who went deep, showing that Regis has power in various parts of the lineup. Patrick Strawbridge and Bradshaw Willis each saw time on the mound against the Wolverines. Neither was necessarily overpowering as they struck out a combined three batters, but they also allowed just five combined hits in the shutout. Chase Allen will also play a big pitching role this week. He went five innings, striking out eight in the win over Cherry Creek.

Mountain Vista's loss to Grandview was one of the big surprises from the first weekend. It's no secret that the Golden Eagles, the defending champions, feature pop in the lineup and the pitching rotation is among the deepest in the state. Freshman Tyler Mejia took the loss against Grandview, giving up seven hits and three earned runs in three innings. But coming into the weekend, ace Sam Ireland will once again be available. Ireland threw 6.2 innings against Regis Jesuit in the regular-season game and struck out 11 in the 5-1 win. A win against Regis on Friday sets up a true semifinal situation Saturday morning as the Golden Eagles would face the winner of Grandview and Cherry Creek.

Class 4A
Pueblo West vs. Holy Family (Broomfield), 11 a.m. Friday
Pueblo West is trying something a little different this go around. The last two times the Cyclones have advanced to the final weekend of the state tournament, they've done so as the undefeated team. After losing to Silver Creek last Saturday, they now have their backs against the wall, something that could play in their favor.
"Maybe it's a different way to look at it," coach Dan Sanchez said. "It was always a dilemma, who you going to pitch and all that stuff. Now we just have to win every game so that doesn't matter."
Between Pueblo West's two games last Friday (both of which needed a late rally to get the win) Kyle Jameson went a combined 4-for-6 at the plate. The one-two pitching combination of Devon Neff and Nate Denniston will be vital not just for the Cyclones' advancement to the championship game, but also their chances of winning it.
First thing's first, though. Holy Family won't be a cakewalk in that early game. The Tigers have scored more runs than any other team in the first weekend of the tournament. Collin Kringlen has led the charge by blasting a home run in all the games the Tigers played in. They'll probably send Jordon McFarland out to face Pueblo West. He threw five innings and gave up just two earned runs against Erie last Saturday.

Fort Morgan vs. Silver Creek (Longmont), 1:30 p.m. Friday
What a weekend Silver Creek was able to put together. After beating Wheat Ridge's Aaron Arcilise in their tournament opener, the Raptors put together a solid hitting performance against Holy Family, then beat Pueblo West the next day on a walk-off single from Tanner Regan. Spencer Rich put together a sound pitching performance on Friday, while Charlie Jackson and Justin Swenson each drove in a couple of runs in the win over the Cyclones. Silver Creek has yet to lose to a Colorado team this year and just needs to find two more wins this weekend to claim the 4A title.
Fort Morgan had its back against the wall heading into Saturday's game against Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs). But a seven-run fourth inning paved the way for an 8-4 win over the Indians and an appearance in the tournament's second weekend. Connor Fajardo went 3-for-3 with three RBI in the win. The Mustangs will need solid work on the mound whether it's from Jacob Ortega or Mateo Salcido to beat the Raptors and remain in the title hunt come Saturday.

Class 3A
University (Greeley) vs. Resurrection Christian (Loveland), 11 a.m. Friday
The remaining teams in the 3A bracket could make Saturday a Patriot League bonanza. Defending champion University enters the weekend as the only team without a loss, meaning the Bulldogs can lose Friday and still play for the 3A title Saturday afternoon, much like they did a year ago. In the regular-season meeting against Resurrection Christian, the Bulldogs came away with a 19-7 win. Alex Martinez drove in three runs, while Chayden Cox, Jerry Martinez, Colton Widler, Nolan Johnson and Andre Chacon each drove in two in that win.
The Cougars opened the state tournament with a 10-2 win over Eaton. Sawyer Shepherd was impressive on the mound, going six innings and giving up just two earned runs while striking out eight Eaton hitters. He also drove in two runs to match teammates Jackson Romero, Zach Cook and Andrew Iwanicki. Resurrection Christian is on the verge of elimination thanks to a loss to Lutheran.

Eaton vs. Lutheran (Parker), 1:30 p.m. Friday
After stumbling in the opener against Resurrection Christian, Eaton has been on a tear. The Reds beat St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) 9-3 then Delta 16-1 to advance to the final weekend of the state tournament. Jared Ure's home run in the win against St. Mary's set the tone, while he was efficient on the mound in his short outing against Delta. He threw just two innings and struck out three hitters.
Lutheran gave University quite the scare on Saturday and looks like it has the ability to knock off the defending champions. Should the Lions get through Eaton, that is. Brody Schneider was on fire in the first two games, going a combined 6-for-7 in wins over St. Mary's and Resurrection Christian. With elimination a possibility, Lutheran is likely to turn to sophomore hurler Macy Barnhart to get through Eaton. He was strong in the win over the Pirates as he fanned nine hitters while giving up three runs.