Saturday’s Class 5A district baseball playoffs were indicative of why they play the games.
In a series of wild rounds played in wind, rain, cold and cloudy conditions, three of the top six seeds were ousted.
At the top, No. 1 Grandview is out. With a 4-1 decision, Fort Collins knocked down the Wolves in the stunner of the day. The Lamb- kins did not allow a run until the seventh inning.
Elsewhere, Regis held off Grand Junction 10-8, then blistered parochial rival Mullen 17-4 in five innings.
Spencer Jackson paced the Raiders by getting the final out for a save in the first game, then earned the pitching victory and ripped one of his team’s two grand slams in the finale.
“Everybody on the team had a moment during the games, it seemed like,” Raiders coach Steve Cavnar said.
Arvada West advanced to the double-elimination rounds beginning Friday by downing Rampart 9-8, then got past Jefferson County League rival Pomona 6-2 as right-hander Ryan Hill earned the pitching victory.
Rocky Mountain advanced by drubbing Dakota Ridge 12-2, then ended the season of Mountain Vista, last season’s state runner- up, 12-7.
Columbine, the defending state champion, rallied past ThunderRidge, then advanced by nipping Arapahoe 2-1 in extra innings.
Weather problems forced Air Academy-Chatfield and Wheat Ridge-Doherty into makeup games Monday.
Notable upsets also were relevant to 4A, which had Mountain View, seeded 30th, stun third-seeded Cañon City 3-1, and Pueblo Central (No. 29) rip D’Evelyn (No. 4) 12-1.
Cherokee Trail (seeded No. 1), Thomas Jefferson (No. 2), Liberty, Greeley West and Northridge (No. 23, which beat seventh-seeded Palisade) also advanced.
The Skyline-Niwot and Ralston Valley-Thompson Valley title games will be resumed beginning today.
Weather problems forced delays in three of 3A’s eight districts.
Two of the host sites, Eaton and Pagosa Springs, never got started. Two others – top-seeded Faith Christian, which will meet Roosevelt to settle District 1, and Bayfield, which will take on Brush to decide District 8 – didn’t finish.
Save for Denver Christian, which fell to Valley, the other top seeds held serve.
Lamar (No. 2), Erie (No. 5) and Bishop Machebeuf (No. 8) advanced to 3A’s first attempt at a double-elimination tournament.
