Chatfield senior Kyle Winkler swings and keeps his eye on the ball as the rain falls Sunday night at Metro State University’s baseball field during the Class 5A state tournament. The Chargers took a 3-2 victory in nine innings against Mountain Vista to start the double-eliminate tournament with a 3-0 record. (Dennis Pleuss)
DENVER — It might sound improbable, but the same Chatfield Chargers who started the season 1-8 will play in the Class 5A state baseball championship game next Saturday.
“It’s weird. It’s crazy. The way we started the year I would have never thought we would be here,” Chatfield senior Kyle Winkler said after a 3-2 victory over Mountain Vista in extra innings Sunday night at Metro State University. “It’s crazy.”
The Chargers (14-10) completed its remarkable first two days of the double-elimination state tournament with a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Golden Eagles (16-8). Chatfield and Mountain Vista were the two lone undefeated teams in the eight-team championship series after both started the tournament with a pair of wins.
The extra-inning win guarantees the 5A Jeffco League champion will be in the title game next weekend at All-City Field in Denver.
“We can’t think about that,” Chatfield coach Matt Johnson said of the Chargers in the driver’s seat. “We just have to think about who is next and just keep going after them. That’s our focus, the next game.”
A dramatic walk-off victory against top-seed Cherry Creek on Sunday morning didn’t change the Chargers’ focus heading into the night tilt against Mountain Vista. The Golden Eagles had a remarkable come-from-behind rally against Regis Jesuit on Saturday afternoon. Mountain Vista trailed 10-1 late, but scored 10 unanswered runs to take an 11-10 victory in eight innings.
Sunday was Chatfield’s turn for late-inning heroics.
Chatfield senior Sean O’Dell doubled to put the winning run in scoring position with the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning against Mountain Vista. After a lineout by junior Brycen Lynn, who had four hits in the game, senior Jake Carstense was intentionally walked bring Winkler to the plate.
After watching a curveball and fastball called for strikes, Winkler went into defensive mode.
Chatfield sophomore Jack Winkler dives toward second base for a force out Sunday at Metro State University’s baseball field. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I just wanted to battle with two strikes and put something in play,” said Winkler, who hit a solo home run during Chatfield’s 2-1 victory earlier in the day against Cherry Creek. “We were just fortunate to get lucky there. That’s how it works sometimes.”
Winkler hit a sharp ground ball to shortstop that was bobbled. O’Dell didn’t break stride rounding third base and sprinted for home. O’Dell just beat the throw to the plate with his head-first slide and slapped home for the game-winning run.
“I was just trying to bust it,” O’Dell said. “Something can happen and you can score the run and we can win the game.”
After having to sit out Chatfield 6-3 victory over Monarch on Saturday serving a one-game suspension after getting ejected from the district championship game last weekend for running over the catcher on a play at the plate, O’Dell came up big with a walk-off RBI hit against Cherry Creek on Sunday morning in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“I’m glad my teammates could pick me up and get the win so I could help win the next game,” O’Dell said.
Another key contributor for the Chargers was junior Mike Lucero. The relief pitcher picked up the save against Monarch on Saturday. He actually was the winning pitcher in both victories Sunday against Cherry Creek and Mountain Vista.
“That kid (Lucero) has ice in his veins,” O’Dell said. “Coming in as a junior, too, and not getting any innings on varsity last year, then dominating kids. That’s impressive. He saved us all.”
Lucero pitched 5 and 1/3 innings scoreless innings during the three-game stretch.
“It’s crazy. It’s unbelievable,” Lucero said. “Emotions are out of this world.”
Mountain Vista’s pair of runs in the loss came in the top of the fourth inning with RBIs from juniors Cooper Shearon and Tanner Gillis. The Golden Eagles held a 2-1 lead, but Lynn drove in O’Dell with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game.
Chatfield has won 12 of its last 13 games, while only allowing just nine runs in its five postseason games the past two weekends.
“We just feel like we can’t lose right now,” Winkler said.
Chatfield faces Rock Canyon (20-4) and Mountain Vista squares off against Grandview (15-9) on Friday when the state tournament resumes at All-City Field.
Chatfield junior Brycen Lynn (6) slides into second base for a double during the first inning Sunday as Mountain Vista freshman Zach Paschke waits for the throw. Lynn went 4-for-5 from the plate in the Chargers’ 3-2 victory in extra innings. (Dennis Pleuss)