DENVER — In an ideal world for Chatfield, they would’ve been going into Wednesday as one of two teams remaining for the Class 5A state baseball championship.
But after Rock Canyon came away with a 7-6 win Tuesday, the Chargers are in the same situation as everyone else: win or go home.
With the loss, the state title will be determined through a true semifinal game between Mountain Vista and Rock Canyon, with the winner getting their shot at the Chargers. The Jaguars were able to scrap together and come away with the win, but it was anything but easy.
Rock Canyon beat Chatfield on Tuesday. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“Everything (from today) we just need to put behind us,” Jaguars coach Tyler Munro said. “We were pretty much handed a game and it was one of those where if we had talked after a loss, it would’ve been one we deserved to lose.”
Rock Canyon jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks in large part to a 2-run triple from Josh White. White was tagged out after overrunning third base and tripping trying to get back, but the damage had been done to Chatfield.
Shortstop Kyle Winkler finally helped the Chargers’ offense get going with an RBI double in the fourth. Winkler would eventually come home to score along Mike Lucero, who scored on an error on a pickoff attempt by pitcher Bruce Dietz. When it was all said and done after the top of the fifth, the Chargers had scored six runs in two innings to take a 6-5 lead.
“These guys showed some heart,” Chatfield coach Matt Johnson said. “These guys are so competitive.”
The Jaguars pulled even in the bottom of the fifth as a Matt Givin hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Daryl Myers. Neither team could take a lead in the sixth and it went into the seventh inning still tied 6-6.
Chris Givin gave Dietz great relief in the sixth and seventh innings and retired the side in the seventh, giving Rock Canyon a chance to win the game. Once again, it was Matt Givin at the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Behind in the count 1-2, he was able to connect and send a ball deep enough to right field, scoring pinch runner Michael Keen to end the game.
“Going into that at-bat, my one thought was helping the team,” Givin said. “You go down 1-2 and it’s a little nerve-racking. I’m glad that I was fortunate enough to lift it.”
The Jaguars are now set for a Wednesday semifinal game with Mountain Vista, with the winner playing for the state championship against Chatfield afterwards. Rock Canyon and Mountain Vista will play at 1 p.m. Wednesday with the state championship game starting at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Mountain Vista 5, Grandview 4
In the early game of the day, it was the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles who advanced to Wednesday’s session with a 5-4 over Grandview.
Marc Mumper found himself in an intense pitchers’ duel with Grandview’s Grant Schroeder as neither was willing to give the other any breathing room. In the bottom of the third it was Mumper who decided to help himself out, hitting an RBI single to score Brandon Formby.
The Wolves would tie the game in the top of the fourth, but Mumper would strike again with a 2-RBI double to regain the lead for the Golden Eagles at 3-1. It seemed with the way he was throwing that the Chargers were all but done after the fifth inning.
But no one told them that.
With two runners on in the sixth, Nic Brown launched a fly ball that landed for a double, scoring both runners. Chase McLaren came up two batters later, connecting for a base hit and scoring Brown giving the Wolves a 4-3 lead.
Mountain Vista beat Grandview on a walkoff single. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“It happens,” Mumper said. “When I got back on the mound I knew my teammates would pick me up and that we would come back from it. I really had no doubt in my mind that we would have a chance to come back and win this game.”
Mountain Vista couldn’t get anything in the bottom of the sixth, but threatened early in the seventh. The first two runners reached base and were advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Zach Paschke. The Wolves intentionally walked Mumper, opting to face Will Dixon instead. Dixon hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game and send the game to extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth the first two runners once again reached base. John Krysa sacrificed the runners over and the Wolves once again opted for an intentional walk to load the bases. With Formby up and the bases loaded, Coley Hakey hung a slider over the plate. Formby didn’t miss on the swing as he put the ball over the left fielder’s head, giving the Golden Eagles the win and the chance to play for a state championship Wednesday.
“I didn’t have to say much (going into the bottom of the seventh),” Mountain Vista coach Ron Quintana said. “I just told them we’ve been here before. I have great leadership and the guys came out and they wanted this game.”