Broomfield – Some things you just have to see to believe.
Everyone in attendance Saturday at the Denver Christian-Holy Family game may still be in shock.
Three hours, 39 runs and 52 hits after it started, Holy Family kept the dream of its first league title since 1987 alive with a 20-19 victory over the Crusaders at Kevin Ritz Field.
“I’ve never been involved in a game like that in my life,” Tigers skipper Marc Cowell said. “That was crazy.”
Crazy is putting it mildly.
The madness really started in the top of the seventh inning. Holy Family had a 14-8 lead, but the Crusaders put their rally caps on. A leadoff walk to Joseph Bailey was followed by a two-run home run by Aaron Bennett. Holy Family 14-10.
Three consecutive singles by Cameron Matthies, Charlie Ampe and Jeff Ross plated another run, making it 14-11. Then up stepped Alex Lanser. The senior shortstop, who had belted a three-run homer in the top of the sixth, did it again in the top of the seventh. 14-14.
“Coach just told us to keep our cool and that’s what we did,” said Lanser, who added a solo shot in the top of the eighth. “I just went up there and had a good time, had a lot of fun with it.”
The Tigers had the winning run at third with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Vinny Martinez was thrown out at home by Jeff Lanser trying to score on Mike Langfield’s flyball to right.
Ross hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth that preceded Lanser’s third blast to give Denver Christian a 17-14 lead.
Holy Family answered again. Michael Hernandez and Scott Hesemann each singled to set the table for catcher Brian Coday. The junior belted a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall to tie the score again.
“I was just focused on getting the runs in when we had the runners on base,” said Coday, who went 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs, an intentional walk and eight runs batted in.
“It was very important, especially in the late innings.”
Said Denver Christian coach Bill Postma, about pitching to Coday: “We went in trying to keep the ball down and out and the ball was toward the outer half and he jumped on it.”
Denver Christian plated two more runs in the top of the ninth, but the Tigers had one last rally.
Coday drove in his eighth run, after getting hit by a Tyler Olson pitch. Adam Guarino, who went 5-for-6 at the plate, singled in the tying run.
With two out and the bases loaded, the game finally ended when Jake Gonzales drew a walk and Hesemann came home.
Denver Christian 301 103 632 – 19 26 4
Holy Family 202 262 033 – 20 26 2
Denver Christian – Bennett 2b-p-rf 6-3-2-3, Van Kooten ss-2b 0-0-0-0, Olson p 0-0-0-0, Matthies c 6-2-3-0, Ellsworth cr 0-0-0-0, Ampe lf 7-2-4-1, Ross 1b 6-4-3-3, A. Lanser ss-p 5-4-3-7, Weitzel p 0-0-0-0, Lofe dh 6-1-4-1, Lai 3b 6-1-3-2, J. Lanser rf-p 6-1-3-1, Bailey cf 4-1-1-0. Totals 52-19-26-18.
Holy Family – Hernandez cf 7-3-4-0, Hesemann 3b-2b 5-5-4-1, Coday c 5-4-4-8, Guarino 2b-p 6-2-5-3, Guzman cr 0-0-0-0, Garcia p 6-2-2-2, Eres dh 6-0-2-0, Gonzales 1b 0-0-0-1, Harris rf 1-0-0-0, Pries 3b 1-1-1-2, Martinez p 2-0-1-0, Chappell lf 3-1-1-2, Langfield ss 5-1-2-0. Totals 47-20-26-19.
E – Weitzel, Lai, Van Kooten, Matthies; Langfield 2. LOB – Denver Chr. 11; Holy Family 13. 2B – Lofe 2, Lai 2, Ross, J. Lanser; Hernandez, Hesemann, Coday, Guarino, Chappell. HR – A. Lanser (3), two on in sixth, two on in seventh and solo in eighth; Bennett, one on in seventh; Ross, one on in eighth; Coday (2), one on in first and two on in eighth. SAC – A. Lanser, Bailey; Chappell, Hesemann. DP – Denver Christian 3.
Batteries – Weitzel, Dykstra (4), Bennett (5), A. Lanser (7), J. Lanser (8), Olson (9) and Matthies; Garcia, Guarino (3), Martinez (6) and Coday. W – Martinez (7-0). L – J. Lanser (0-1). WP – Dykstra, A. Lanser; Martinez. PB – Matthies, Coday. HBP – Langfield (by Dykstra in the 5th); Heseman (by Olson in 9th); Coday (by Olson in 9th). Balk – A. Lanser. Time – 3:02.
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-820-5446 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
