With opening day fast approaching, Coors Field is looking green and luscious.
Two-time defending Class 5A state champion Rocky Mountain ate it up, as it did Chaparral, on Wednesday in a 12-2, six-inning nonleague game.
In just their second in-state game — the Lobos went 2-2 in an out-of-state tourney — Rocky Mountain, top-ranked in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, improved to 4-2 overall while competing in the region’s friendliest confines.
“If we had Rocky Mountain looking like this, I would sleep on our field,” junior Marco Gonzales said after picking up the victory and reaching base four times, getting two hits and knocking in two runs.
Plus, he added, it was easy to get carried away — he envisioned himself as a major-leaguer when he took the mound.
“It’s hard not to,” said the left-hander, who has committed to Gonzaga. “I’m looking around the whole time.”
In their seventh year playing at Coors Field, the fundraiser and experience are worth it for Lobos coach Scott Bullock.
“It’s awesome,” Bullock said. “It’s something I get excited about. The kids do, too.”
Rocky Mountain collected 10 hits and scored in every inning. Leadoff hitter Luke White reached base five times, scored four runs, rapped three hits and had two RBIs. He paced a powerful lineup that knocked out Chaparral starter J.J. Gerken in the first inning.
The Wolverines (4-4) and Lobos substituted freely in order to provide as many at-bats and innings played for both rosters.
Chaparral’s Pat Hirschberg came the closest to putting one out of the park with a ground-rule, RBI double to right-center field in the first inning.
The public-address announcer also provided a crowd count, 282, that was significantly larger than the average prep game attendance.
Chaparral 100 001 — 2 6 3
Rocky Mountain 421 122 — 12 10 2
Chaparral — Gerken p-3b 3-0-1-0, Lowry cr-rf 1-1-0-0, Wallace 2b 2-0-0-0, Graff lf 3-0-1-0, Hirschberg cf 3-0-2-1, Nath 1b 3-0-0-0, Serena ss 2-1-1-0, R. Monaghan 2-0-1-0, Petriella ph 1-0-0-0, Duffy c 3-0-0-0, Pachelli rf 1-0-0-0, Shelton p 0-0-0-0, Pearce p 0-0-0-0, Miller p 0-0-0-0. Totals 24-2-6-1.
Rocky Mountain — White 2b 3-4-3-2, Peters 3b-p 2-2-1-1, Pell ph 1-0-1-2, Stewart cf-p 3-1-1-1, Amedee ph 1-0-0-0, Gonzales p-cf-lf 2-1-2-2, Seidel cr-3b 2-3-1-0, O’Grady cf 1-0-0-0, Trumper cf 3-0-0-0, Matz ph 1-0-1-0, Roglen rf 2-0-0-0, Leidholt rf 1-0-0-0, Lopez 1b 0-0-0-0, Felton cr 0-1-0-0, Hersch 1b 1-0-0-0, McLimans lf-p 1-0-0-1, Chuvala 3-0-0-0, Hayes ph 1-0-0-0, Schrader c 0-0-0-0. Totals 28-12-10-9.
E — Serena, Hersch 2, Lowry, Miller. LOB — Chaparral 6, Rocky Mountain 10. SB — Seidel, Roglen, Felton, Gonzales. SAC — Wallace. 2B — Hirschberg, Peters, Gonzales, White. 3B — Seidel.
Batteries — Gerken, Pearce (1), Petty (3), P. Honahan (4), Calascione (5), Miller (6) and Duffy; Gonzales, McLimans (4), Stewart (5), Peters (6) and Schrader. W — Gonzales (2-1). L — Gerken. WP — Gerken, Pearce, Miller. HBP — Gonzales (Calascione) T — 2:13.
