Fort Collins – Rocky Mountain hurler Cory Berliner has a nasty screwball, an unhittable rise and a confounding changeup.
But as good as the senior is, the reason the Lobos sit atop The Denver Post/9News poll is that she has the team behind her to back her up.
Class 5A top-ranked Rocky Mountain pounded out 11 hits and Berliner tossed a complete game five-hitter with 13 strikeouts in an 8-0 rout of Class 4A’s top-ranked Cherokee Trail on Saturday in pool play at the Triple Crown Invitational.
“You can’t win the game if you don’t score any runs,” said Berliner, who improved to 4-0 and has allowed just one earned run while compiling 56 strikeouts.
“We’re a strong-hitting team and the defense made some plays.”
The offense came out of the gate swinging. Leadoff hitter Lisa Pille singled to left and advanced to third on a stolen base and a Sarah Bok wild pitch.
Back-to-back hits by Jaime Winsor and Corinna Gonzalez had the Lobos (7-0) threatening again. Kaitlyn Lanteri appeared to ground into the third out, but shortstop Brooke Bails sailed her throw to first and Winsor and Gonzalez scored.
“It’s definitely a two-part game and that’s what makes it a team sport,” said Winsor, who went 3-for-4 with a triple. “Even if you can’t hit off a pitcher, you still have to have the offense come through in order to win.”
In the bottom of the third, the Lobos batted around and scored four more runs off reliever Stephanie Thurston. The highlight was Samantha Brauch’s double down the left-field line that plated Gonzalez and Aubree Maul.
The Cougars (8-2), whose bats have been impressive to start the season, managed one hit in each of the final five innings against Berliner but never got a runner past second.
“We came up here to play the better talent, because the 5A schools offer us better pitching and more opportunity to prepare for the end of the year,” Cherokee Trail coach Dick Hormann said. “(Rocky Mountain is) clearly the best team in the state, bar none.”
Cougars starting pitcher Bok went 2-for-3 at the plate. Cherokee Trail finished the round robin 3-2, including a loss to Fort Collins on Friday.
The Lobos beat Fort Collins 3-2 in the championship game of the tournament to finish 5-0.
Cherokee Trail 000 000 0 – 0 5 3
Rocky Mountain 304 001 x – 8 11 1
Cherokee Trail – Drayton cf 3-0-0-0, Thurston 3b-p-lf 2-0-1-0, Runia lf 1-0-0-0, Cuellar 2b 2-0-0-0, Gronlund 2b 1-0-0-0, Bails ss 3-0-1-0, Blanton c 2-0-0-0, Bond ph 1-0-0-0, Bok p-3b 3-0-2-0, Radcliffe rf-3b 3-0-1-0, Dougal 1b 1-0-0-0, Holi 1b 2-0-0-0, Hormann dp 2-0-0-0, Young lf-rf 1-0-0-0. Totals 27-0-5-0.
Rocky Mountain – Pille 2b 3-1-1-1, Gleiforst 3b 4-0-0-0, Winsor ss 4-3-3-1, Gonzalez 1b 4-2-2-1, Maul lf 4-1-2-1, Lanteri c 3-0-0-0, Summers cr 0-0-0-0, Brauch dp 3-1-1-2, Berliner p 0-0-0-0, Judish 2-0-1-0, Crockett 2-0-1-0. Totals 29-8-11-6.
E – Bails, Bok, Drayton; Gonzalez. LOB – Cherokee Trail 6, Rocky Mountain 6. 2B – Brauch, Maul. 3B – Winsor. SAC – Crockett, Lanteri. SB – Radcliffe; Pille.
Batteries – Bok, Thurston (2), Bok (3) and Blanton; Berliner and Lanteri. W – Berliner (4-0). L – Bok (1-2), WP – Bok; Berliner. PB – Blanton, Lanteri.
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
