Pomona junior Weston Harris, right, dives back into first base before Columbine’s Carter Pennington can apply a tag. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — Columbine’s bats came ready for action in the Class 5A Jeffco League opener Tuesday against Pomona at Keli McGregor Field at All Star Park.
Eleven of Columbine’s first 17 batters cranked out hits off Pomona sophomore pitcher Billy Pospisil. The Rebels got off to a 6-0 lead with no outs in the bottom of the third inning before Pomona coach E.J. Mapps lifted Pospisil for junior Tanner Kimminau.
“Billy didn’t have his best stuff today. He has been throwing really well. It certainly wasn’t his day,” Mapps said after the Rebels took a 7-2 victory. “(Columbine’s) hitters were really good. They were comfortable against him. More comfortable than teams are normally against him.”
Columbine’s Victor Lara, Mikey Griebel and Chase Anderson combined to go 6-for-6 from the plate in the first two innings. The Rebels’ back half of the line-up did the damage in the third inning with Carter Pennington, Frankie Shearn and Logan DeArment cranking out three consecutive hits.
Columbine senior Mikey Griebel (13) connects with a pitch Tuesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Griebel hit into a fielder’s choice in the third inning to drive in DeArment to put the Rebels up 7-0.
“Coming into league play we have a little bit different mindset,” said Griebel, who drove in a pair of runs while going 2-for-3 from the plate. “We are focused a little bit more and we had a pretty good week of practice last week.”
After the early outburst, the Rebels (4-5, 1-0 in league) cooled down offensive. Shearn’s single in the fourth inning was the only hit Columbine had after the third inning.
“That is what we haven’t done all year is get out of the gates hot. We finally did,” Anderson said. “You could tell we haven’t played with a led before.”
The Rebels’ offense was stuck in neutral after getting the big lead. Kimminau pitched three strong inning to prevent the Rebels from inducing the 10-run mercy rule after the fifth inning. Senior Taylor Stockton pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the Panthers (6-4, 0-1).
Pomona’s Tanner Kimminau pitches in relief at Keli McGregor Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Kimminau actually came off the bench to knock in both of Pomona’s runs. The junior had an RBI single in the fifth and sixth innings.
“I was really pleased with how he (Kimminau) came in,” said Mapps, who added Kimminau had been struggling at the plate and on the mound lately. “That was really good to see because we are definitely going to need him.”
Despite Pomona cooling off the Rebels’ bats, Anderson was solid giving up just one run over five innings on the mound. Columbine’s ace gave up at least one hit in every inning, but didn’t allow the Panthers to string anything together.
“Chase is a competitor and comes after it,” Columbine first-year coach Brooks Roybal said. “I think he will keep us in every game he pitches.”
Columbine was fourth in 5A Jeffco with a 6-4 record last season. The Rebels’ season ended with a loss to Grandview in the 5A District 8 championship game. It would be the final game under longtime coach Chuck Gillman, who stepped down after last season.
Columbine’s Christopher Lara eyes a fly ball Tuesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Columbine continues conference play on the road against Arvada West at 4 p.m. Thursday.
“A lot of times a record doesn’t show how good a team is,” Anderson said when asked how the conference will shape up. “We’ve got to see these first couple of (league) games to see how everyone does.”
Pomona is coming off a 2-8 conference record last season that tied the Panthers with Chatfield for the bottom of the 5A Jeffco League. Pomona’s last playoff appearance and winning conference record was in 2012.
Mapps believes his Panthers will be “alright” despite the loss in their conference opener. Pomona heads to Chatfield High School for a league game against the Chargers on Thursday.
“We are going to beat each other up,” Mapps said of 5A Jeffco. “Maybe the league champ has two or three losses. Nobody is going to go undefeated. You just aren’t. There is plenty of baseball to be played.”
The Panthers and Rebels are actually the last two Jeffco teams to win a 5A state baseball championship. Guided by Mapps, Pomona won the 2003 state championship. Columbine claimed its third state baseball championship in the program’s history in 2006.
Columbine pitcher Chase Anderson picked up the victory on the hill in the Rebels’ 7-2 win over Pomona. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)