There are good days and bad days on the baseball diamond, but the Mullen Mustangs could not have asked for a better outing at a better venue.
The Mustangs’ bats took on a life of their own as they routed Regis 15-2 in five innings in a Class 5A nonleague game Saturday morning at Coors Field.
Everyone on Mullen’s roster got a chance to play on the big-league field, and everything seemed to work.
“It was amazing,” Mullen junior Aaron Salvucci said. “When we walked onto the field, everyone looked around the stadium and we were in awe. … We were expecting a close game because Regis is a huge rival, but we were ready to play at Coors Field.”
Salvucci was certainly ready, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a triple to the left-field warning track, three runs scored and three RBIs. Nick Nguyen went 3-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs, and catcher Dan DeCino finished the day with three singles and three RBIs in three at-bats.
The list of big hitters for Mullen (8-1) goes on, but there is not be enough room in this section of the paper to list them.
“Today was a breakout day for me,” DeCino said. “And it’s great to do it at one of the nicest parks in the country.”
Mullen started Matt Gemperline on the mound, and Gemperline cruised through the first two innings before walking the bases loaded and heading to the dugout.
Two of those runners, Sam Nogani and Alex Graff, would score, but that was all the offense Regis (5-5) could muster.
Chris O’Dowd registered the only hit for the Raiders, a single in the first inning.
“We’ve been very up and down,” Regis coach Steve Cavnar said. “We have league games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, so we have to get this thing figured out in a hurry.”
With a 1-0 lead, Mullen exploded in the top of the third inning with four runs on four hits. Ryan Thompson started things with a leadoff single and was brought home, along with Kirk Ehrhart, on Nguyen’s bloop single to shallow center field.
DeCino walked to the plate next and drove in Corey Slinkard with a single up the middle, and the next batter, Jarret Belloni, drove in Nguyen.
The Mustangs upped the ante by scoring 10 runs over the next two innings.
Mullen capped off the victory by rotating three pitchers, Robby Stransky, Bryant Asnicar and Steve Covello, in the final half-inning, and all three recorded a strikeout.
Mullen 014 46 – 15 17 0
Regis 002 00 – 2 1 2
Mullen – Skene rf 5-0-0-0, Thompson ss 5-2-2-0, Thornburg dh 3-0-1-0, Ehrhart 3b 2-3-1-1, Slinkard lf 1-2-0-0, Salvucci cf 4-3-3-3, Nguyen 1b 3-3-3-4, DeCino c 3-0-3-3, Belloni 2b 3-0-2-1, Godfrey ph 1-1-1-0, Schenk ph 0-1-0-0, Hogan c 1-0-0-0, Goldy ph 1-0-1-2. Totals 32-15-17-14.
Regis – Zasowski cf 1-0-0-0, O’Dowd c 1-0-1-0, Runyan p-1b 2-0-0-0, Alston 3b 2-0-0-1, Scheid 1b 2-0-0-0, Kuhn lf-p 1-0-0-0, Kimmeth rf 2-0-0-0, Nogani 2b 1-1-0-0, Graff ss 1-1-0-0, Marcely ph 1-0-0-0, Clark c 1-0-0-0. Totals 15-2-1-1.
E – Alston, Zasowski. LOB – Mullen 8; Regis 3. DP – Mullen. 2B – Salvucci, Goldy. 3B – Salvucci, Nguyen. SB – Thompson 2, Ehrhart, Belloni.
Batteries – Gemperline, Karras (3), Schoeninger (4), Stransky (5), Asnicar (5), Covello (5) and DeCino, Hogan (5); Runyan, Larson (4), Kuhn (5) and O’Dowd, Clark (4). W – Gemperline (3-0). L – Runyan (0-1). WP – Kuhn. HBP – Kuhn, R, by Gemperline. Balk – Gemperline.
