Cherry Creek freshman Tanner O’Tremba fires to the plate as his teammates look on from the dugout during the Class 5A state playoff game against Grandview on Saturday at All-City Field in Denver. (Dennis Pleuss)
DENVER — Cherry Creek baseball got off to a running start of the Class 5A baseball double-elimination state tournament.
The top-seeded Bruins managed a 4-1 victory against Centennial League rival Grandview (13-9) in Game 1 of the state tournament at All-City Field in Denver. Some key base running and an impressive start on the mound by freshman Tanner O’Tremba propelled the Bruins to the win.
“Tanner (O’Tremba) was the freshest guy. I really didn’t think about where he won before,” Cherry Creek coach Marc Johnson said about going with O’Tremba on the mound. The freshman got the win on the hill against the Wolves earlier in the season. “We have a lot of confidence in him. As a freshman he is really good, really good.”
O’Tremba threw five innings of shutout ball giving up just three hits with five strikeouts. Junior Carter Van Gytenbeek pitched the sixth inning and gave up a run on three hits for the Bruins. Senior Cody Wood picked up the save pitching the seventh inning.
“He (O’Tremba) has been great for us this year. He has always thrown well,” Cherry Creek senior Carson Jax said. “Even thou he’s a freshman he handles everything like a senior.”
Jax and junior Nate Sweeney got the scoring going for the Bruins with a successfully executed a double steal in the top of the second inning with two outs to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Grandview junior pitcher Nick Morris (11) gets a fist bump from catcher Chase McIaran before the first pitch of the game Saturday against Cherry Creek at All-City Field. (Dennis Pleuss)
“The double steal was big. It was a fake squeeze and I don’t think Grandview was expecting the steal,” said Jax, who added a successful RBI sacrifice squeeze bunt in the top of the sixth inning. “I saw the second baseman go up and catch the ball and kind of fall down so I ran. It was huge.”
Cherry Creek pushed a run across with two outs in the fifth inning. Senior Aeneas Roberson hustled into second base with a double. Senior Blake Benedetti followed with an RBI single to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
Three straight hits by Cherry Creek in the sixth inning gave the Bruins a 4-0 lead.
“Those are big things when you get into tight games like that,” Johnson said of adding two runs late. “An extra run or two makes you relaxed and feel a little bit better.”
Grandview broke up the shutout with an RBI single by senior Chase McIaran in the bottom of the sixth inning driving in junior Tyler Smith. Junior Nick Morris took the loss on the mound for the Wolves. Morris pitched six innings giving up all four of the Bruins’ runs on seven hits.
It was the third meeting of the season between Cherry Creek and Grandview. The two split their conference meetings back in early April.
Chatfield continues to battle through hardship
Chatfield baseball has become a master of overcoming adversity this season.
The Chargers started the season 1-8 during their non-league schedule and had a head coaching change at the start of their Class 5A Jeffco League stretch. Chatfield (12-10) overcame more than a two-hour lightning delay in its opening game of the 5A double-elimination state tournament to take a 6-3 victory over Monarch.
“Honestly, I didn’t think we’d be here after the way we started off,” Chatfield senior Kyle Winkler said. “Everything was so negative. To turn it around like we have is really special.”
Tied 3-3 with Monarch (12-4-1) going to the bottom of the fifth inning, Winkler and senior Camden Lawhead delivered back-to-back RBI singles to give the Chargers at 5-3 advantage and the lead for good.
Winkler went 2-for-4 from the plate and scored thanks to a two-base throwing error on a pickoff attempt and wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning.
“We got lucky on a few errors Monarch had and capitalized on those,” Winkler said. “We had a lot of two-out hits. I fell like we had a lot of clutch hits. Everyone contributed today.”
Senior Matt Watson picked up the win on the mound going six innings while giving up three runs on six hits. Junior Mike Lucero picked up the save pitching a perfect seventh inning.
“A lot of people didn’t think we’d get here,” said Chatfield coach Matt Johnson who moved into the head-coaching position midway through the season. “Being underestimated is a powerful thing in sports.”
Chatfield tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single by senior Jake Carstensen for a 6-3 lead.
Monarch and Chatfield waited through more than a two-hour delay. With one out in the top of the second inning Game 2 at All-City Field went into a lightning delay at 1:12 p.m. Play resumed at 3:39 p.m.
“Mentally as soon as we hit the field the adrenaline kicked in,” Johnson said of the delay. “It was tough, but these guys just don’t give up. No matter what the situation is they are finding a way.”
Because of the delay and the 1A baseball championship schedule for the fourth game at All-City on Saturday, the 5A schedule had to be juggled. Chatfield will face Cherry Creek at 10 a.m. Sunday at All-City Field. The winner of that will play at 5 p.m. Sunday at Metro State, the loser plays at 1:30 p.m. at Metro State tomorrow.
Monarch plays in an elimination game against Grandview at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at All-City.
The Coyotes grabbed an early 1-0 lead on Chatfield with an RBI single by sophomore Gus Light in the top of the second inning. Monarch tied the game in the top of the fifth with a two-run single by senior Jacob Stockerbrand.
Other games
- Mountain Vista 3, Rock Canyon 2: The Golden Eagles got a home run from Brady Subart in the bottom of the sixth inning to power their way to the win.
- Regis Jesuit 3, Pine Creek 2: Regis Jesuit pulled out the extra-inning win on Austin Chouinard’s walkoff home run in the eighth inning.
- Mountain Vista pulled off a stunning rally to beat Regis Jesuit in the winner’s bracket game. The Golden Eagles trailed 10-1 at one point, and 10-4 going to the bottom of the seventh. But Mountain Vista exploded for six runs to tie the game and send it to extras. They then rallied to win in the eighth inning.