There is little doubt Dakota Ridge has earned one of Class 5A’s top spots.
The Eagles, who had previously wrapped up the Jefferson County League championship, completed their league season Wednesday by winning at Columbine 7-6 in eight innings and further underlining their status as a serious big-school challenger.
They will finish the regular season next week with a tuneup game against Chaparral, then eagerly await the announcement of the district pairings Wednesday. They will host one of the eight playoff sites May 3.
“That was our goal, to win the league and win districts,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeff Legault said.
The Eagles (16-2, 9-1 league) ripped six home runs, turned three double plays and rode the gutsy pitching of right- hander Alex Ellison, who battled through a couple of rough spots and earned the complete-game victory.
Uncharacteristically, Dakota Ridge was guilty of five errors and multiple baserunning miscues, which Legault said baffled him, but the Eagles’ undeniable power was again on display.
In Colorado, it is said there are home runs and there are Jeffco home runs, in reference to the county’s notoriously smaller parks, but Cameron Pritchett and David Whitaker (two each), and Eric Cain and Ellison combined for a half-dozen no-doubters. Pritchett had the game-winner to lead off the eighth.
“Most of our home runs this year haven’t been Jeffco home runs,” Legault said.
Meanwhile, the Rebels (10-9, 6-4) continually battled back behind senior reliever Scott Anundsen and an order that took turns contributing but ran out of gas. The Rebels lost senior shortstop Jeff Cicchinelli for the district opener after a collision at home plate, a no-no in the prep ranks.
Dakota Ridge 003 210 01 — 7 14 5
Columbine 101 031 00 — 6 8 2
Dakota Ridge — Phelan cf 4-0-0-0, Melton ss 3-0-1-0, Cain 3b 4-1-2-1, Ochoa 5-0-3-0, Espinoza cr 0-1-0-0, Whitaker 5-2-3-3, Brown dh 4-0-1-0, Rosco rf 4-0-0-0, Ellison p 4-1-2-1, Pritchett lf 4-2-2-2, Porter 2b 0-0-0-0. Totals 37-7-14-7.
Columbine — Cicchinelli ss 3-1-1-1, Blatnik 3b-2b-ss 3-1-1-0, Cunningham 1b 2-2-1-1, Hagan rf-lf 3-1-2-2, Spond 2b-lf 4-0-1-1, Tanner lf-cf 3-0-1-1, Brady p-3b 4-0-0-0, Autenrieth c 3-0-1-0, Waldman cr 0-1-0-0, Roberts cf 1-0-0-0, Anundsen p 1-0-0-0, Guzmnan rf 0-0-0-0. Totals 27-6-8-6.
E — Cunningham, Cain 2, Melton, Porter, Brady, Pritchett. DP — Dakota Ridge 3. LOB — Dakota Ridge 10, Columbine 5. SB — Phelan. CS — Cain. SAC — Hagan, Anundsen.
2B — Ellison. HR — Cain, solo in third; Whitaker 2, one on in third and solo in fifth; Ellison, solo in fourth; Pritchett 2, solo in fourth and solo in eighth.
Batteries — Ellison and Ochoa; Brady, Anundsen 4) and Autenrieth. W — Ellison (5-0). L — Anundsen (1-1). WR — Anundsen. SF — Cunningham. T — 2:17.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
