The magic of Coors Field returned Sunday, long after all the major-league stars had gone home for the day.
The usual crack of the bat and roar of thousands was replaced by the ping of aluminum and the oohs and ahs of the hundreds who turned out for the annual Colorado Rockies Senior Top 50 Game.
The state’s top prep baseball players banged out 26 hits, including three home runs, and 26 runs in just six innings.
There were smiles all around, even though the Rockies squad won 16-10 behind rallies in the second and fifth innings to drop the Colorado squad.
Players from Paonia, Greeley, Pueblo and Grand Junction joined the locals for the chance to make some lasting memories. Greeley West catcher Seth Budde caused the biggest stir with his towering solo home run for the Rockies leading off the bottom of the third inning. Budde’s blast nearly reached the concourse in left field and, yes, he got a chance to watch it fall from orbit.
“I knew when I hit it, it was out,” Budde said. “It felt good. It was just a dream come true. You couldn’t ask for a better way to do it.”
Budde was the only Rockies player with multiple hits. Evergreen’s Tim Wulf and Lewis- Palmer’s Joe Galindo each had multiple hits for Colorado.
Colorado began the game with four consecutive hits, including a three-run blast to straightaway center field by Monarch’s Wade Landowski.
The Rockies trailed 7-0 but tied the game in the bottom of the second.
Rockies relief pitcher David McKnight of Chaparral got stuck in the right-field bullpen before the third inning and had to hop the fence to escape. The first batter he faced was Mitchell’s Jake Mays, who parked his home run back into the bullpen.
“I didn’t have a home run all year, so it was kind of unexpected,” Mays said. “I’ll go home and tell all my teammates about it.”
Colorado took a 9-8 lead in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Arvada West’s Trevor Zott before the Rockies’ crushing rally. Pueblo South ace Kevin Cover was tagged for six runs (just one earned) in the two-error fifth. The Rockies took advantage with a run-scoring single by Arapahoe’s Luke Hardcastle and a two-RBI hit from Rangeview’s Ben Ferrell.
Cherry Creek’s Joe Mills scored twice and stole three bases for the Rockies. He said, “It’s great, just being in front of all these people and knowing it’s all for fun.”
Douglas County’s Dan Huff got the win and was the only pitcher to throw two innings.
Nearly all the best seniors were on hand, even Columbine pitcher Evan Anundsen, who flew in right before the game from an audition at Miller Park with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Anundsen is awaiting the major-league draft to determine if he will attend Wichita State.
Colorado 521 011 – 10 13 4
Rockies 071 062 – 16 13 1
Colorado – Tagmyer (Grandview) 2b 2-1-1-0, Galindo (Lewis-Palmer) 1b 4-2-3-0, Landowski (Monarch) ss-3b 2-1-1-3, Wulf (Evergreen) 3b-1b 2-2-2-0, Lunsford (Dakota Ridge) cf-lf-cf 2-0-0-0, McDonald (Cherry Creek) lf-cf-lf 0-1-0-0, Novotny (Grand Junction) rf 1-0-1-1, Mays (Mitchell) c 1-1-1-2, Dyer (Eaton) rp 1-0-0-0, Sawyer (Grand Junction) sp 1-0-0-0, Zott (Arvada West) cr-ss 2-0-1-1, Anundsen (Columbine) rp 1-0-0-0, Rossetti (Ponderosa) 2b 2-0-0-0, Case (Arapahoe) 3b 1-0-0-0, Schmoll (Grandview) cf 1-0-0-0, Wilkinson (Boulder) lf 1-0-0-0, Schlagel (Roosevelt) rf 1-2-1-0, Oldfield (Rangeview) c 2-0-0-0, Decker (Coronado) 0-0-0-0, Bryant (Cherry Creek) rp 1-0-0-0, Katsaros (Mountain Vista) rp 1-0-1-1, Cover (Pueblo South) rp 0-0-0-0, Moller (Highlands Ranch) rp 0-0-0-0, Glime (Smoky Hill) inj. Totals 29-10-13-9.
Rockies – Valenzuela (Monarch) lf 2-0-0-0, Trivisonno (Eaglecrest) cf 2-1-1-0, Smith (Rangeview) rf 1-0-0-0, Redding (Northglenn) cf 1-1-0-0, Morgan (Wheat Ridge) cf 1-2-0-1, Mills (Cherry Creek) rf 1-2-1-0, Hardcastle (Arapahoe) lf 1-2-1-1, Serena (Chaparral) 2b 0-1-0-1, Hansen (Fruita Monument) ss 2-1-1-2, Ferrell (Rangeview) 2b 2-0-1-2, Chevalier (Air Academy) ss 2-1-1-0, Wood (Ralston Valley) 3b 2-1-1-2, Skufca (Heritage) 1b 2-2-1-1, Coffey (ThunderRidge) 3b 1-0-0-0, Raudenbush (Monarch) c-rf 2-1-1-1, Coughlin (Golden) c 2-0-1-1, Budde (Greeley West) c 2-1-2-2, Scheid (Regis) sp 2-0-0-0, Mohrmann (Manitou Springs) rp 1-0-0-0, McKnight (Chaparral) rp 2-0-0-0, Huff (Douglas County) rp 1-0-0-0, Bachman (Rocky Mountain) rp 1-0-0-0, Marek (Paonia) rp 1-0-1-0, Ast (Northglenn) rp 0-0-0-0. Totals 34-16-13-14.
E – Decker 3, Case; Coffey. LOB – Colorado 10, Rockies 10. SB – Schlagel; Mills 3, Hardcastle. 2B – Wulf; Wood. HR – Landowski (two on in first), Mays (solo in third), Budde (solo in third). DP – Rockies. GT – 2:12. Batteries – Sawyer, Moller (2), Katsaros (3), Dyer (4), Cover (5), Bryant (5), Anundsen (6) and Mays, Oldfield (4); Scheid, Mohrmann (2), McKnight (3), Huff (4), Bachman (6), Ast (6) and Raudenbush, Coughlin (3), Budde (4). W – Huff. L – Cover. HBP – McDonald (by Scheid in first), Schmoll (by Huff in fourth), Morgan (by Moller in second), Hardcastle (by Moller in second), Mills (by Cover in fifth). WP – Cover 2, Anundsen.
