Cherokee Trail put itself in great position with another win in the 5A state baseball tournament on Saturday. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — The last time Cherokee Trail captured a state baseball championship, the current crop of seniors were finishing up the third grade.
After dispatching Mullen 9-2 on Saturday in the Class 5A state tournament, the Cougars moved to within one victory of bringing home a new trophy.
Keven MacKintosh tossed a complete game and the Cougars broke open a tight game at All-City Field with a five-run seventh inning to remain undefeated in the tournament. Cherokee Trail will play Rocky Mountain at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Rocky Mountain beat Cherry Creek 17-4 in five innings on Saturday.
The Cougars (21-4) would have to be beaten twice to prevent them from claiming their first 5A championship. The team won the 4A title back in 2007.
“We’ve been knocking on the door for a few years, getting into the Final 8,” Cherokee Trail coach Allan Dyer said. “We needed to get over the hump and this is the group that’s getting us there.”
MacKintosh drew the start against the Mustangs, but had to wait an extra day after wet weather forced the tournament to be delayed.
Cherokee Trail’s Keven MacKintosh threw a complete game in the win. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“It was pretty nerve-wracking because I knew it was going to be the last time I throw in a CT jersey,” MacKintosh said. “I was going to go out and do my job.”
The senior gave up two runs on seven hits, striking out seven. He didn’t walk a batter and induced a game-ending double play, finishing with 105 pitches.
“Keven knew coming in this was going to be his last game,” Dyer said. “He’s been an integral part of our lineup all year. We had a ton of confidence in him.”
Cherokee Trail got on the board in the third inning on an RBI single from Eric Cox, scoring Jerome Bohannon. A three-run fifth inning extended the lead to 4-0, with Ryan Sullivan, Matt Meraz and John-Michael Osley driving in runs.
Mullen’s Joey Salvato doubled home a run in the bottom of the fifth and Marcus Salvato singled home another run in the sixth to make it a 6-2 game, but the Cougars batted around in the seventh, plating five runs on just two hits.
“We stayed with it all game. In the beginning they were catching a lot of balls that we were hitting really well,” Sullivan said. “We were just like, ‘Guys, stick with it. They’re going to start falling.’”
Travis Lynch brought home the first run in the seventh inning on a squeeze bunt with the bases loaded and nobody out. Osley was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, and Bohannon walked to make it 6-2.
Conner Nantkes drove in another run with a fielder’s choice, and Nick Perez smacked a two-run double to cap the scoring.
“We’re going to face some good pitching, and we know that we’ve just got to hang in there and wait for our opportunities and get after it,” Dyer said. “That’s what we did. That’s what we’ve been doing.”
Maverick Handley led Mullen with three hits. Andrew Nuanes pitched into the fifth inning, allowing four runs on five hits. The Mustangs had eliminated two teams last weekend after dropping their tournament opener.
For the Cougars, it all comes down to Sunday against an opponent they already defeated last weekend. Even with an if-necessary game as a backup, Dyer said the team is treating Sunday morning’s contest as a must-win situation.
“It’s been our goal to be playing on the last day,” Sullivan said. “We know we’re going to go all out tomorrow and do whatever we can to win it.”
Rocky Mountain beat Cherry Creek on Saturday. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Rocky Mountain, meanwhile, will be making its seventh appearance in a championship game.
The Lobos’ lineup had an outstanding day on Saturday, pounding out 15 hits and scoring 17 runs against Cherry Creek, and did most of its damage in a ten-run second inning. Eleven different players had a hit, and six had at least one RBI.
Spencer Gendreau and Jadon Uhrich each went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Kadin Breeze went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Easton Dolan also had two RBIs.
Rocky Mountain and Cherokee Trail met in the second round of the state tournament, a game the Cougars won 7-0 last Friday.