(Zach Marburger)
AURORA — Durango’s dugout was chattering from first pitch, clearly excited at the chance to extend its postseason success with a victory against Wheat Ridge.
The Demons kept up the chatter all afternoon long. But ultimately it was the quiet composure of starting pitcher and senior Blake Dunlap that powered Durango to a 4-1 victory over the Farmers Friday afternoon in the second round of the Class 4A baseball state tournament.
With the wind blowing in heavily from left field, the game was destined to become a pitcher’s duel. In that environment, Dunlap thrived, pitching a complete game and allowing just one run to earn the victory as Wheat Ridge remained undefeated in the double-elimination style tournament.
“Great job by Blake Dunlap, going all seven for us,” said Durango coach Rob Connington after the game. “Our pitching has been real strong lately. They’ve really stayed within themselves, and I’m real proud of what they’re doing.”
Senior Luke Wagoner took the loss for the Farmers despite pitching well over seven innings. Two of the four runs he allowed were earned, as he was victimized partly by the Farmers’ defense behind him.
In the bottom half of the third inning, after a single by Durango third baseman Lawrence Mayberry and a Dunlap walk, the Demons sent catcher Isiah Mayberry to the plate. Mayberry rolled-over a soft groundball that was misplayed, plating two runs to make it 2-1 in Durango’s favor.
The Farmers finished with three errors in the contest. For their part, the Demons made two errors, but Dunlap was always able to prevent major damage.
Wheat Ridge would draw first blood in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single by designated hitter Damian Padilla that scored first baseman Diego Garcia.
But Durango responded right away, helped in part by the Farmers’ misplays. After the two-run error and another single, center fielder Tyler Worely singled in two more Demons to give Durango some breathing room.
Not that Dunlap would need it. A ten-minute delay caused by malfunctioning sprinklers in between the third and fourth innings put the Demons’ momentum in jeopardy, but Dunlap wasn’t fazed. He set the Farmers down one-two-three in the fourth.
It came as no surprise to Connington that his veteran squad, loaded with nine seniors, would keep their cool during the unexpected halt in play.
“That was kind of a crazy deal. Reminded me of the lights at the Super Bowl a couple of years ago,” Connington said. “But they kept their head and kept the momentum in our direction.”
Wheat Ridge would put together one more serious charge, loading the bases with two-outs in the top of the fifth before Dunlap got Farmers’ left fielder Chase Powell on a groundball to escape the jam.
The Farmers kept fighting. Center fielder Willie Harris made a perfect throw to gun down Durango first baseman Dayne Rawley at third to end the fifth inning and keep the game within striking distance. But the Demons late rally petered out before it could even start. Fittingly, Dunlap finished off his gem with a one-two-three inning that included a strikeout of Padilla to end the game.
“It was a great day. We’ve had a couple good weekends. Hopefully we can keep it going tomorrow,” Connington said. “Not sure who we’re going to play, but I’m sure it will be a tough team. It’ll be exciting.”
“We can celebrate for a few minutes but we’ve got to get after it and get ready to prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s game.”
Wheat Ridge will try and bounce-back against either Evergreen or Green Mountain in an elimination game Saturday at 1 p.m. Durango will face the only other team yet to lose in this tournament, Niwot, Saturday at 3 p.m.