Grandview’s Adam Neider celebrates his inside-the-park home run on Friday. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — With one swing of his bat, Tyson Hays woke up a stagnant Grandview lineup.
Hays blasted a pitch over the raised left-field fence at Coors Field on Friday afternoon, giving his team a 3-0 lead over ThunderRidge in an important Class 5A matchup. It proved to be a spark for the fourth-ranked Wolves, who went on to beat the No. 2 Grizzlies 9-1.
“You know, we needed that — going into tomorrow, going into next week,” first-year Grandview coach Scott Henry said afterwards. “We have not been hitting a lot of extra-base hits. We haven’t been hitting for power, so that really got us going a little bit. Tyson’s been swinging it well, and he finally got a pitch he can handle. And holy cow — I can’t even imagine (hitting a home run at Coors Field).”
Hays’ home run came on the first pitch he saw in the third inning, with runners on second and third. It cleared the 347-foot mark in left.
Tyson Hays hit a three-run home run which ignited the Grandview offense. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“It felt good, very good,” said Hays, a junior. “I just saw a good first-pitch fastball that was up-and-in, and I just took a swing. I knew there was a chance, but no, I didn’t think it would (get out).”
Grandview (14-4 overall) added another run on a single from starting pitcher Dylan Bowers later in the frame, and held that 4-0 lead until ThunderRidge (13-5) scored in the bottom of the fourth.
The Wolves answered an inning later with a five-run sixth, which included a two-run inside-the-park home run from Adam Neider.
As is typical of a game played at Coors Field, both teams tried to get as many players and pitchers onto the field as possible. Still, the fact that Grandview’s lineup was changing so much during the day and continuing to produce only speaks to the Wolves’ depth.
In all, 10 different Grandview players had hits on Friday. The nine runs was the Wolves’ highest output in its past seven games.
“We have 14 seniors on our team, so we’re fortunate in that regard — this year,” Henry said. “We have kids that are on our bench that would be starters other places, so we’re pretty fortunate.”
“This is what we needed,” Hays said. “We have a big game tomorrow against Mullen.”
Grandview’s pitching was excellent on Friday, as well.
Bowers, one of those 14 seniors, allowed no runs and just one hit in three innings. Nick Morris, another senior, pitched the final three innings and gave up just the one run on five hits. Morris struck out five — including three straight when ThunderRidge had loaded the bases with no one out in the sixth inning.
The game was called with Grandview batting in the top of the seventh inning because the Coors Field management places a two-hour time limit on the high school contests there.
Aside from being a matchup of teams both ranked in the top 5 of this week’s 5A CHSAANow.com rankings, the game also had major implications in terms of the postseason, which will be seeded next Wednesday.
Both teams entered the day in the top 10 of the Class 5A RPI — ThunderRidge at No. 3, and Grandview at No. 8. Grandview’s win will surely have an impact on that race. The top eight teams in the final RPI standings will host districts in 5A.
“That’s something that’s kind of out of our control, so I try not to worry about it too much,” Henry said. “But (ThunderRidge is) a good team, and for us to play well — that’s kind of what I was hoping for, was for us to play well — so that was exciting.”
ThunderRidge was led by senior star Jake Eissler on Friday. Eissler went 2-for-3 with a double.
Grandview closes its regular season at Mullen on Saturday. The Mustangs beat the Wolves on Thursday, 5-1.
ThunderRidge has the weekend off before hosting No. 8 Rocky Mountain on Monday to finish its regular season.
More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)