FORT COLLINS — The buzz Thursday was real in this northern city as approximately 1,000 fans elbowed their way into Gabe Pando Park.
They were treated to some of the nicest weather of the spring in watching Colorado’s high end of Class 5A baseball and a convincing 14-3 victory in five innings by Rocky Mountain over rival Fort Collins.
The Lobos, top-ranked in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll and two-time defending state champions, pushed their record to 14-3. They also clinched at least a tie for the Front Range League crown (10-0) and appear to be ready for the playoffs, but the thing was to get one more against No. 3 Fort Collins.
“Oh, yeah, it was huge to go out on top and do it against Fort Collins,” Lobos senior Bryan Peters said. “I think it was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had here.”
Rocky Mountain delivered early — it scored seven runs in the first inning. The Lobos had 11 hits, including four home runs, and rode stellar defense and pitching from an order that pressured the Lambkins (14-3, 8-1) from the first pitch.
Peters (4-0) went the distance and homered; Marco Gonzales had a three-run homer and doubled; Chris Roglen homered to open the decisive fifth and Luke White had a two-run homer to cap it; and the speedy Jake Stewart beat out an infield single and had five putouts from his center-field spot over the first four innings.
And the Lobos did it against Lambkins ace Ryan Beck (5-1).
Fort Collins also helped the Lobos — two errors brought 10 batters to the plate in the first, when four of the seven runs were unearned.
“I wish we could have played better, but it happens,” Fort Collins coach Brad Deal said.
However, the Lobos remain in the chase to host a district round early next month. Of the five hits against Peters, Jake Brunner had two of them and Landon Flax ripped a homer.
For Rocky Mountain, every starter reached base at least once, and all scored.
“I thought it was a great day for Fort Collins, period, to have two city teams playing this well coming into one game,” Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock said. “We were just a little better today.”
Fort Collins 011 01 — 3 5 2
Rocky Mountain 720 05 — 14 11 0
Fort Collins — Flax c 3-1-1-1, Graham 2b 3-0-0-0, Holcomb 3b 3-0-1-1, Beck p-lf 1-1-0-0, Brunner ss 2-0-2-0, Dimick rf 2-0-0-0, Schmidtbauer 1b 2-0-0-0, Bowden dh 1-0-0-0, Randazzo lf 0-0-0-0, Williams cf 2-1-1-0, Kirkman p 0-0-0-0. Totals 19-3-5-2.
Rocky Mountain — White ss 4-1-1-2, Peters p 3-2-1-1, Stewart cf 3-1-1-0, Gonzales 1b 3-2-2-3, Roglen rf 2-2-2-2, Trumper ss 3-0-2-0, Leidholt cr 0-1-0-0, Schrader c 0-0-0-0, Lopez dh 2-1-0-0, Chuvala 3b 1-2-0-1, Seidel lf 2-1-1-0, Matz ph 1-1-1-1. Totals 24-14-11-10.
E — Brunner, Flax. DP — Fort Collins. LOB — Fort Collins 3, Rocky Mountain 1. SB — Roglen, Williams, Brunner 2. Caught stealing — Bowden. 2B — Gonzales, Holcomb, Trumper, Matz. HR — Gonzales, two on in first; Peters, solo in second; Flax, solo in fifth; Roglen, solo in fifth; White, one on in fifth.
Batteries — Beck, Kirkman (5) and Flax; Peters and Schrader. W — Peters (4-0). L — Beck (5-1). WR — Peters. T — 1:44.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
