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)