Eaton, a longtime 3A baseball power, is headed to yet another title game. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
GREELEY — Before the Class 3A baseball semifinals even began at Butch Butler Field on Tuesday, the Eaton Reds knew they would be in the state championship game.
The Patriot League champions, and heavy title favorites throughout 2015, sealed their 19th appearance in the title game in the past 23 seasons, 20th overall, by cruising to the semifinals with no losses.
In a double elimination tournament, the Reds put themselves in an even more advantageous position Tuesday by thumping Sterling 13-6, meaning Brush — 6-4 winners over University in the other Final 4 showdown — will have to beat Eaton twice on Wednesday to win it all.
Bottom line: An all-Patriot League semis held no surprises as Eaton cruised to a 25-0 record on the season by battering the Tigers for 11 hits and being extra patient at the plate, earning eight walks. Sterling (16-9) scored three runs in the seventh to make it interesting, but the deficit was too much.
Eaton, which also beat the Tigers 17-0 and 10-0 in the regular season, is 75-0 in regular season conference play in the past seven years. They’ve outscored their opponents 271-57 this season. The odds are stacked against Brush (18-6). It would be hard to deny that.
But it’s not as if the Beetdiggers haven’t been here before. For the third time in school history, they will have to go through Eaton to earn a state title.
In 2012, they took down the Reds to kick off the playoffs, but lost to them 6-4 in the finals. In 1991, they beat the Reds 13-2 for their lone championship in the sport. All three of their finals appearances have come against the baseball machine in white and red. They know what they have to do.
And Brush has a winning core. Kyle Rosenbrock, Michael Guttierez, and Alec Petterson, stalwarts in the lineup this spring, were all named first team all-state on the gridiron as they led the Beetdiggers to the 2A football state crown over Kent Denver in the fall.
Niko Guzman, the winning pitcher Tuesday after scattering seven hits and only two runs, earned second team all-state honors in football.
“I would say, big games we’ve come through,” Rosenbrock said of his school’s success in both sports. “We have the experience and we’ve had a good group of guys all the way through.”
Now the senior, who crushed a two-run triple against University and got the final out on the mound in relief, will get the ball against Eaton as the starter for the second time in these playoffs.
Kyle Rosenbrock of Brush. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
Rosenbrock, the 2A football player of the year as a quarterback, pitched a six-inning, eight-hit, two-run, one-earned, and seven-strikeout gem in a narrow 2-0 defeat against the Reds on May 15.
“Rosenbrock is an outstanding athlete and he’s just a warrior,” legendary Eaton coach Jim Danley said. “He’s a great player. What we have to do is come out and find a way to get in advantageous counts. I told these guys to be ready to be in a very tight ballgame.”
All that being said, Eaton is Eaton. It has won 10 championships in the sport, tied with Revere for the most in history, and have been one of the most successful programs in any sport in Colorado. They’ll be hungry for their first crown since 2012 after losing back-to-back championships to Holy Family.
“We’ve got to come ready to play,” Danley said. “We are in an advantageous position, but that means very little once you get out on that field. It’s just about playing good baseball.”
First pitch is set for 3 p.m. Wednesday at Butch Butler Field. If Brush wins, that will force a second game immediately after. Brush needs a sweep, while Eaton needs one victory to earn the 3A crown.