PUEBLO, Colo.-
Sophomore Pierce Johnson pitched a six-inning three-hitter and allowed only one run to help the Faith Christian Eagles win their first 3A state baseball championship with an 11-1 victory over the Erie Tigers at Runyon Field on Saturday.
The higher-seeded Eagles had a chance to win the championship earlier in the day but lost the first game to Erie 8-7 and had to play an additional game because of the tournament’s new double-elimination format.
Center fielder Dave Fox scored four times for the Eagles and hit a solo home run over the left center field wall in the top of the third inning.
Faith Christian (25-2) scored two runs in the first inning on a single by shortstop Jobi Wall and an error by the Tigers. Fox’s home run put the Eagles up 3-0, and Erie got its lone run in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out infield single by leadoff hitter Bubba Barros that scored left fielder Kevin Kosorok.
Faith Christian widened its lead to 6-1 with three runs in the fifth inning, then secured the mercy-rule victory with five runs in the top of the sixth. Seve Carbajal’s three-run double in the sixth scored Chris Tycksen, Mariano Carbajal and Drew Tycksen and broke the game open.
Wall went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored as Erie pitchers Luke Fisher and Cody Fulton struggled, giving up a total of seven hits and six walks. Kosorok and Barros had the only hits for the Tigers, who were looking for their first state title since 1970.
Erie (18-7) forced the second game in dramatic fashion. Game one ended with center fielder Cody Fulton making a diving catch on a ball hit by Wall that would have scored the tying run.
Erie trailed 5-2 after the first inning, but a four-run fifth inning put the Tigers up for good. Kosorok pitched 4 2/3 innings to earn the win, which came largely because the Eagles stranded 11 base runners in the seven-inning contest.
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