Evergreen’s Sam Hudd (5) is greeted at home plate by teammates Liam Daly and Ryan Hays after Hudd’s two-run home run in the sixth inning Saturday against Green Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Evergreen baseball might have found a gem on the mound Saturday afternoon at Green Mountain High School.
Alec Moens got his first start on the hill this spring for the Cougars in a key Class 4A Jeffco League game against the Rams. Moens was solid, giving up only one run on five hits in six innings pitched.
Evergreen pitcher Alec Moens fires to the plate Saturday afternoon at Green Mountain High School. Moens pitched six innings and to pick up the victory in his first start on the mound this season. The Cougars beat Green Mountain 7-3. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I felt good. I didn’t expect to go that long, but it was good for my first start this season,” Moens said after Evergreen’s 7-3 victory. “It definitely helped to get seven runs.”
The Cougars (4-2, 1-1 in league) jumped on the Rams (5-2, 1-1) early with a three-run top of the first inning. The first five batters of the game reached safely for Evergreen. Josh Bellatti drove in Daniel Gibbins to give the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. Eli Ausman delivered a two-run single to put the Cougars up 3-0.
Ausman singled and eventually scored on a throwing error in the third inning to give Evergreen a 3-0 lead. He finished 3-for-4 from the plate to lead the Cougars’ offensive attack.
“It’s a real confidence booster for the whole team,” Ausman said of Evergreen’s early lead. “We got the energy flowing right away.”
Evergreen turned to the long ball to score its final three runs. Gibbins belted a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. The Cougars’ eight-hole hitter Sam Hudd ripped a two-run home run in the sixth for the final two Evergreen runs.
“A couple of guys stepped up big with the bats,” Evergreen coach Dale Hutchings said. “Those were big. They send a message.”
Another message sent is the Cougars weren’t about to allow a big lead slip away like it did Tuesday against Wheat Ridge.
Evergreen led 5-2 going to the seventh inning against the Farmers. Wheat Ridge had a five-run seventh to steal a 7-5 victory in the conference opener for both teams.
“It’s pretty important,” Moens said of Saturday’s win. “Green Mountain is one of the better teams in the league and we kind of needed a win. We messed up against Wheat Ridge.”
Hutchings put Dane Kapande on the mound to start the bottom of the seventh inning with the Cougars holding a 7-1 lead. Kapande struck out a pair, but walked three Rams. Ausman eventually finished off the inning on the mound getting a groundout to end the game after Green Mountain managed to pair of runs.
Green Mountain junior Josh Ramirez pitches during the Rams’ 7-3 loss Saturday to Evergreen. (Dennis Pleuss)
“We weren’t going to get into that position again,” Hutchings said. “Bottom line, we were able to finish it off.”
Green Mountain had runners on base in every inning. The Rams ended up stranding 11 runners after opening up their league season with a 23-1 victory over Arvada.
“We had couple of chances to get back in it,” Green Mountain coach Brad Madden said. “The kid (Moens) did a good job keeping us off balance.”
Josh Ramirez took the loss on the mound for the Rams. He pitched a complete-game giving up seven runs on 11 hits.
Junior Chase Upson picked up the lone RBI for the Rams in the loss. Upson had a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning that scored Josh Rogers. The Rams two runs scored in the seventh inning came from a wild pitch and error.
“It’s wide open. There are a lot of good teams,” Madden said of 4A Jeffco. “Playing everyone twice is nice. You get a chance to make some adjustments.”
Green Mountain will try to get back in the win column 4 p.m. Monday, April 7, when the Rams travel to Everitt Middle School to face rival Wheat Ridge.
Evergreen is back on the road against Arvada on Monday.
The rematch between Green Mountain and Evergreen is scheduled for three weeks away (April 26) on the Cougars’ home field.
Green Mountain first baseman Andrew Abercombie charges a bunt during the first inning Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss)