Centennial – On one of those wild Colorado mornings, with the array of wind, cold, sun, clouds, rain, hail and snow that only seem to come up for spring sports participants, Grandview reaffirmed its claim as one of Class 5A’s top teams.
With no runners on base and an out away from squandering a share of its second Centennial League championship, the visiting Wolves rallied to down Eaglecrest on Saturday 5-3.
The victory pushed them to 15-3, 13-1 in league, which tied them with Cherry Creek. The Wolves are all but assured of being seeded no lower than third Wednesday, when the Colorado High School Activities Association’s baseball committee releases its 32-team district field.
The Wolves also could be as high as No. 2.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do,” Wolves coach Dean Adams said.
It could be whacky, as in as crazy as Saturday’s finish.
With two outs, Grandview, which had seemed unusually lethargic and lifeless, and trailed all game, got it going when leadoff batter Blake Tagmyer walked and stole second base. Nate Schmoll was hit by a pitch by Eaglecrest starter Anthony Musielak, who then made it worse by firing a pickoff attempt to second into center field. It also got by Raptors center fielder Jonathan Trivisonno – Eaglecrest’s seventh and eighth errors of the game – as Tagmyer scored to tie it at 3.
Musielak followed by walking Grandview starting pitcher Jared Schlehuber and got to a 2-0 count on catcher Cole Leonida before being lifted in favor of Jordan Strode. Leonida walked two pitches later.
Wolves center fielder Aaron Cain followed by knocking in two runs on an infield hit. He rolled a dribbler to Musielak at third and beat it out. All the while, Schlehuber kept running from second and scored.
Kyle Orgill, who relieved Schlehuber in the sixth, allowed only a harmless walk in the bottom of the seventh to nail down his third victory.
“Yeah, we gave it away,” Eaglecrest coach Neil Holden said of his team that is 10-9, 7-7, and entering districts with a winning record for the first time in eight years.
The Raptors, who appeared upbeat after coming off a 19-0 loss to Cherry Creek on Thursday, started briskly as their first three hitters, Taylor Brooks, Blake Litke and Musielak, opened the game with a single, triple and single to lead 2-0. The Raptors and Smoky Hill will be the league’s final two district seeds.
Cain had three of the Wolves’ five hits and they hope to keep a banner 2005-06 scholastic sports year going – their football and boys basketball teams made the state semifinals.
Along with the other 5A top seeds from leagues – Brighton, Columbine, Doherty, Grand Junction, Monarch and Mountain Vista – the Wolves and Cherry Creek figure to host district rounds next weekend. Two victories means a spot in the 5A Championship Series.
Grandview 001 001 3 – 5 4 1
Eaglecrest 200 010 0 – 3 5 8
Grandview – Tagmyer 2b 2-1-1-0, Schmoll rf 3-1-0-0, Schlehuber p-3b 3-1-0-0, Spomer cr 0-0-0-0, Leonida c 3-0-0-0, Anderson cr 0-1-0-0, Cain cf 4-0-3-2, Orgill dh-p 3-0-0-1, Albritton ss-cf 0-0-0-0, O’Leary lf 3-1-0-0, Huddleston 1b 2-0-0-0, Hewitt 3b-ss 2-0-0-0. Totals 25-5-4-3.
Eaglecrest – Brooks 3b-rf 3-1-2-0, Litke lf 4-1-1-1, Musielak p-3b 3-01-1-1, McIlvain 1b 3-0-0-0, Caggiano ss 3-0-0-0, Trivisonno 2-0-1-0, Castro c 2-0-0-0, Phillips c 0-0-0-0, Suazo 2b 2-1-0-0, Strode 2-0-0-0. Totals 24-3-5-2.
E – McIlVain, Castro, Musielak 2, Caggiano, Brooks 2, Leonida, Travisonno. DP – Eaglecrest, Grandview. LOB – Grandview 6, Eaglecrest 5. SB – O’Leary, Tagmyer. CS – Tagmyer, Hewitt. SAC – Huddleston, Strode, Phillips. 2B – Tagmyer, Cain. 3B – Litke.
Batteries – Schlehuber, Orgill (6) and Leonida; Musielak, Strode (7) and Catsro, Phillips (5). W – Orgill (3-0). L – Musielak (3-3). WP – Schlehuber. PB – Leonida. HBP – Orgill (by Musielak); Trivisonno (by Schlehuber); Schmoll (by Musielak).
Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-820-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
