Englewood – You could excuse Alex Sunderland for having trouble finding the zone.
The Colorado Academy junior already had notched a complete- game win earlier in the day when coach Skip Jutze called on him to protect a one-run lead in the seventh against Bishop Machebeuf in the Class 3A Metropolitan League championship game. Sunderland plunked the first two batters he faced and gave up the lead, but came back strong on the mound and at the plate to lift the Mustangs to a 9-7 win and the league crown.
“I tightened up a little bit (between outings),” Sunderland said of his shaky entrance. “It was tough. I’d already thrown seven innings, so I was a little tired.”
With the Mustangs (17-6, 6-5) protecting a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Sunderland hit Machebeuf (19-4, 9-2) pitcher Nick Cafasso with his first pitch. Cafasso ended up scoring on a ground out from pinch-hitter Roman Ashford to send the game into an extra frame.
Colorado Academy solved a weary Cafasso in the eighth, though, notching three runs on three hits. Second baseman Zach Gerum doubled to open the inning and scored on a wild pitch, and Sunderland doubled off the wall in left-center to score center fielder Shea Moore-Farrell and right fielder Geoff Ball, giving the Mustangs a 9-6 cushion.
Sunderland made good on the runs in the bottom of the eighth, allowing a solo homer to Buffs right fielder Mike Hensen before striking out shortstop Richie Parkhill to secure the win.
Both teams advanced to the state playoffs with wins in the semifinals earlier in the day. Colorado Academy handed Denver Christian a 7-1 pasting as Sunderland dominated the Crusaders earlier in the day, and Machebeuf outlasted Faith Christian 5-4.
Faith Christian also moved on, ousting Denver Christian from the playoff picture with a 9-4 win.
The Mustangs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead against Machebeuf as Cafasso struggled with his control. Moore-Farrell brought home two runs with a double down the left-field line in the second inning, and Ball followed up with a two-run blast to cap the rally.
Machebeuf battled back at Colorado Academy’s lead. Left fielder Jacob Machado’s two-run double in the third put the Buffs on the board, and first baseman Jacob Yurich put his team within a run with a two-run single in the fifth. The Buffs never managed to take the lead though, and Sunderland’s double in the eighth inning proved to be the difference.
Colorado Academy 050 100 03 – 9 9 1
Bishop Machebeuf 002 120 11 – 7 8 1
Colorado Academy – Moore-Farrell cf 4-2-1-2, Ball rf 3-3-2-2, Sunderland ss-p 5-0-2-3, D’Argonne 1b 5-0-0-0, Porterfield p-rf 4-0-0-0, Pav 3b 4-1-1-0, Lightstone dh 3-1-2-0, Gerum 3-2-1-0, Craft 4-0-0-1. Totals 35-9-9-8.
Bishop Machebeuf – D. Machado lf 4-0-0-1, J. Machado 2b 4-0-1-2, Hensen rf-3b 5-1-2-1, Parkhill ss 5-1-1-0, Cafasso p 2-2-1-0, Yurich 1b 3-0-1-2, Paoluccci 3b-p 3-1-0-0, Tenorio cf 3-1-0-0, McIntyre c 4-1-2-0, Ashford ph 1-0-0-1. Totals 34-7-8-7.
E – D’Argonne; Parkhill. LOB – Colorado Academy 8, Bishop Machebeuf 9. CS – Paolucci. 2B – Moore-Farrell, Lightstone, Gerum, Sunderland; J. Machado, Cafasso. HR – Ball, CA, one on in second; Hensen, BM, solo in eighth.
Batteries – Porterfield, Sunderland (7) and Craft; Cafasso, Paolucci (8) and McIntyre. W – Sunderland. L – Cafasso. WP – Porterfield, Cafasso 2. PB – McIntyre. HBP – D. Machado (by Porterfield), Cafasso and Yurick (by Sunderland).
COLORADO ACADEMY 7, DENVER CHRISTIAN 1
Colorado Academy 000 043 0 – 7 7 4
Denver Christian 100 000 0 – 1 5 0
Sunderland and Craft; Ross, Weitzel (7) and Matthies. W – Sunderland. L – Ross.
BISHOP MACHEBEUF 5, FAITH CHRISTIAN 4
B. Machebeuf 031 010 0 – 5 6 2
Faith Christian 002 000 2 – 4 6 1
Tenorio, Cafasso (7) and McIntyre; McBeth and Carbajal. W – Tenorio. L – McBeth. S – Cafasso. HR – Paolucci, BM, one on in second; Tenorio, BM, solo in third.
