Rocky Mountain sophomore Tyler Hyland fires to the plate during the first inning Wednesday. Hyland and three other Lobo pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout against Pomona. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — If there is a chink in the armor in the defending Class 5A state baseball champion Rocky Mountain Lobos it was difficult to see Wednesday afternoon.
Rocky Mountain, ranked No. 2 in the latest CHSAANow.com Class 5A baseball poll, blanked Pomona 10-0 in five innings Wednesday afternoon at Bart Mapps Field in Arvada. The Lobos (3-3 overall) sent 10 batters to the plate in the five-run top of the first inning on the way to grab the non-league victory.
“We want to tack on runs as much as we can to create that big inning. That’s want we did,” said Rocky Mountain senior Cole Anderson who led of the game with a single and also had a triple and scored in the third inning.
The Lobos took advantage of every opportunity that presented itself in the opening frame. Four walks and three Pomona errors in the first inning allowed Rocky Mountain to jump on the Panthers early.
“You can’t play that bad against Rocky Mountain. You just can’t,” Pomona coach E.J. Mapps said. “First inning was just a train wreck. We made some mental errors we haven’t made yet this year. We’ll have to address it.”
Pomona catcher Paul Quintana leaps over a sliding Daniel Ciraula of Rocky Mountain during the second inning Wednesday. (Dennis Pleuss)
Rocky Mountain extended its lead to 8-0 with a three-run second inning. Senior Daniel Ciraula and sophomore John Sorensen opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Seniors Garrett Hammer, Chad Bell and T.J. Solverud each picked up an RBI in the second inning.
Ciraula drove in Anderson in the top of the third inning to put the Lobos up 9-0. Pinch-hitter Easton Dolan hit the lone home run of the game in the top of the fifth inning to allow the Lobos to induce the 10-run mercy rule and end the game after five innings.
Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock had four different pitchers — Tyler Hyland, Austin Alarid, Kadin Breeze and Rian Olson — combine for two-hit shutout. Pomona sophomore Logan Bistrup and senior Justin Schmidt each had a hit for the Panthers in the loss.
Last year’s three main starters for the Lobos where Tyler Stevens, Carl Stajduhar and Marc Bachman, but with that trio graduated, the Lobos’ pitching staff looks much different.
“We are going to use our depth. I think that’s the strength of our pitching staff,” Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock said.
Rocky Mountain sits in the exact position it did last year at this point of the season heading into 5A Front Range League play.
The Lobos held an identical 3-3 record to start conference play. Rocky Mountain dropped its first two league games to Legacy and Fairview last year before reeling off 18 straight victories, including five consecutive in the double-elimination state tournament, on the way to the 5A state champion.
Rocky Mountain shortstop Daniel Ciraula, left, isn’t able to get a glove on the baseball as Pomona senior Darrick Watts slides into second base during the third inning Wednesday at Bart Mapps Field in Arvada. The defending 5A state champion Lobos took a 10-0 victory on Pomona’s home field in the non-league game. (Dennis Pleuss)
“Last year, even though we had a really good team, we were struggling early,” Bullock said. “I’m happy were this team is regardless of record right now. It only matters how well you are playing at the end of the year.”
Rocky Mountain starts conference play at home against Loveland on April 4. First pitch is 11 a.m.
“Even last year’s team, we had a target on our back,” Anderson said. “We know it’s a winning program and we want to keep it that way.”
Pomona (1-5-1) is right back out on Bart Mapps Field on Thursday in another non-league game. The Panthers host Valor Christian, ranked No. 4 in 4A. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Panthers have been in most of their games this year, losing their first four games by a combined total of six runs.
Pomona is hoping for more success in 5A Jeffco League action then last year’s 1-7 mark. Pomona begins conference play April 11 at home against Dakota Ridge.
“Those are the games that count,” Mapps said about conference play. “We’ve played well up to this point. It’s a good group of kids. They listen and they’ll respond.”
Rocky Mountain senior Cole Anderson watches the baseball go through the infield Wednesday afternoon in the top of the first inning. The Lobos’ five-run first inning led to an eventual 10-0 victory over Pomona (Dennis Pleuss)
Pomona senior Jerit Greenberg delivers to the plate as Rocky Mountain junior Kadin Breeze leads off first base Wednesday afternoon at Bart Mapps Field on the Pomona High School campus. (Dennis Pleuss)