It’s as if the small-market teams have taken over the Class 5A Baseball Championship Series.
Or how would you explain it?
Relative to Colorado schoolboy history, none of the four remaining teams resembles the Yankees in terms of success. Columbine is the only one to have won a lower-class title. Three of this weekend’s programs are so new they could be considered expansion teams – Chaparral, Monarch and Mountain Vista are big suburbans that started popping up in the late 1990s. And who knows how any of the players will react on the final weekend for big schools (also the big cap to the 2005-06 scholastic school year)?
First times have to count for something, right?
Despite crowds that were noticeably lighter for the past weekend’s earlier rounds, when they took turns mixing timely hitting, solid defense and front-line pitching, these four that will complete the double-elimination format Saturday afternoon could have an ending as cool as Bono narrating World Cup commercials on ESPN.
Think of it. Each school has compelling interests to be a baseball champion at All-City Field, perhaps appealing enough to give the eventual winner a shot at a notable place in the 57th year of in-state annals.
One of the immediate objectives is to knock off Columbine – Rebels without a loss – for three others who’ll be out with the next setback in the final three or four games remaining.
First up are the Monarch Mashers, er, Coyotes, who performed their usual longball magic Saturday. They were certainly wiley in a 5-0 decision of Heritage, then returned to form in a 16-12 slugfest against Grand Junction, the 2005 champion. Tyler Bartsch threw a three-hit shutout with no strikeouts, then coach Carmen Rivas had to go to five others as the Coyotes nearly squandered leads of 12-1 and 13-5.
“It was just like our league season,” Rivas said.
In all, the Coyotes, who ran the table in the Front Range League, pounded out 26 hits – four for home runs. Usual names, such as Wade Landowski, Joe Manders and Tyler Dunn, were at the forefront.
Monarch knows Columbine will be difficult to handle, particularly if big right-hander Evan Anundsen takes the ball first. The Wichita State-bound Anundsen hasn’t lost a game since late March in reeling off eight straight gems (while allowing one earned run).
Don’t argue. Anundsen is Colorado’s top professional prospect, as well as series MVP and player-of-the-year favorite. He also has belted nine homers from his No. 3 spot in the order.
The thing is, Columbine, champion of Jefferson County, is clicking everywhere and not just by scoring enough to keep Anund- sen fresh. The Rebels’ 41 runs in five series games have come in all shapes and sizes, led by sophomore first baseman Curtis Cunningham’s power and multiple contributions from Jeff Cicchinelli, C.J. Gillman, John Fink, J.T. Baum and Nick Wiggins. This is an athletic team, one with savvy built into its extended leadership.
The other matchup will further spice a simmering Continental rivalry between teams with a combined 10 years of varsity experience. A year ago, the two competed in a 7-6 victory for Chaparral in 16 innings, complete with 27 hits and nine errors. Earlier last month, it was 1-0 in favor of Mountain Vista on an unearned run.
Mountain Vista of Highlands Ranch may be in varsity year No. 3, but is quite capable of advancing. The Golden Eagles were somewhat miffed at not being recognized early, but that seems like a long time ago. Their Continental League title and the past weekend’s two victories in the losers’ bracket – one on a seventh-inning rally; the other a convincing decision of co-Centennial champion Grandview – have far superceded anyone else’s prognostications if not justified their own.
Mostly, the Golden Eagles are getting it done on the mound. Joe Allison, Danny Beck and James Katsaros have led the staff in permitting just six runs in 21 Championship Series innings. Their offense may be more of the lighter variety statistically – it has generated only 15 home runs – but is coming off burying Grandview early (seven runs in the first three innings). A.J. Schugel, Travis Cruz, Zach Higgins, Evan Haezebrouck, Zac Stout, Nick Robertson and Beck have been the run-producers for coach Keith Wahl, who was on the Mitchell team that lost to Cherry Creek on a walk-off home run in the 1992 big-school championship game.
Chaparral is attempting to draw a line through a disappointing performance against Columbine. Coach Steve Eaton’s guys never displayed their strengths of spraying the ball around the field, baserunning, defense and creating pressure, but they will have had six days to shake it off.
“We revisited some old ghosts from the past,” Eaton said in noting his team’s eight strikeouts in five innings against power pitching.
The Wolverines promise to be ready. David McKnight, their top thrower, will be on the bump. Behind him will be the likes of Lorenzo Roybal, Ryan Serena, Greg Crowe, Mike Smigiel, Mike Frank, Corey Gaudet and Danny Catts.
