(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
LAMAR – The top two baseball teams in the Class 3A Tri-Peaks league finally got to compete against each other Saturday, with Lamar showing why it is regarded as one of the top teams in state.
Lamar (17-1 overall, 8-0 Tri-Peaks East) exploded for six runs in the third inning of the championship game to beat the Manitou Springs Mustangs 10-4.
It was a battle of the two teams that have shown all year that they are the best in their respective divisions of the league. Lamar beat Buena Vista 8-1 in the day’s first game to advance to the finals. The Mustangs (15-3, 9-0 Tri-Peaks West) got a gritty win over rival St. Mary’s to earn a shot at the league title.
The Mustangs found themselves in a 1-1 tie with the Pirates in the bottom of the seventh when Ryan Adamscheck drove home his brother Davyn for the walk-off win.
“It was a ton of fun,” Ryan said. “Driving (Davyn) in to beat our rivals, there’s nothing like it.”
The momentum from that win appeared to overlap into the finals as the Mustangs started the game scoring two runs in the top of the first.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Lamar ace Darin Cook was initially rattled by the early lead for the Mustangs. Coming into the game, Cook was boasting an ERA of 0.20 and had only given up one run the entire season.
“It definitely was kind of shocking for my confidence when they got a couple of runs right off the bat,” Cook said. “It was a little tough to handle but I have to pitch through that and not get frustrated.”
He was able to hold the Mustangs scoreless in the second and third innings and Lamar went into the bottom the of third trailing 2-1. That’s when the Lamar offense came alive and they plated six runs, highlighted by a two-run triple from Colby Salisbury.
“We just thrive on the fact that we can be down and score runs like that,” Lamar coach Dave Fassioto said. “We can score runs swinging the bats or laying (bunts) down. It’s how you play baseball. I wonder why the (Colorado) Rockies don’t do that.”
With the lead firmly in hand, Cook was able to settle down a bit. He did give up two more runs, but was never in danger of allowing the Mustangs to rally. At the time the game was called in the fifth inning, Cook has struck out 11 Manitou players.
“And he wasn’t really throwing that well,” Fassioto said. “His leg was starting to cramp up a bit and (Manitou) is a pretty good ball club. They swing the bats well.”
The Mustangs would’ve liked to get the win against Lamar, but they came away happy with getting one from St. Mary’s. They’re hoping that will go a long way when the postseason seeds are announced. The Mustangs currently sit at No. 9 in the 3A Wild Card points, less than a point ahead of the Pirates.
“I feel good,” Manitou coach Cory Archuleta said. “I feel that we can hang tough with anyone in the state. I thought it was a good test, these two games and this weekend. It was something we can really build on.”