BROOMFIELD — These Tigers are beginning to earn their stripes.
Holy Family, currently ranked No. 3 in The Denver Post/9News Class 3A poll, achieved its top goal Saturday, capturing at least a share of the Metropolitan League title with a doubleheader sweep of Faith Christian at Kevin Ritz Field 3-1 and 8-1.
The second goal is still three weeks away.
“That was the goal today, we wanted to win two and we weren’t going to be satisfied unless we did that,” said Holy Family coach Marc Cowell, whose team improved to 15-1 overall and 11-0 in the league, with two games remaining Monday against Bishop Machebeuf. “These guys did a great job today.”
No. 2 Faith Christian (12-5, 7-4) will close out the season with a doubleheader next week against Ridge View Academy and await the seeding committee’s fate Wednesday morning.
“I don’t like to write anything off, we played a good team,” said Faith Christian coach Gino Carbajal, who had five freshmen in the lineup and whose star pitcher Pierce Johnson gets the cast off his throwing hand Wednesday.
“We’ll see where they send us. There are always surprises, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
It was the work on the mound of the Tigers’ hurlers that was most impressive Saturday. In Game 1, Josh Tinnon improved to 5-0 by striking out seven and limiting the Eagles to just five hits.
Game 2 belonged to Matthew Lopez. The senior breezed through the first two innings, changing speeds and baffling the Faith hitters with four of his nine strikeouts.
“I had all the pitches going today,” said Lopez, who went to 6-0 with the complete-game victory. “Our confidence is really high. We got to this game, we were nervous because we wanted to win the league and this team always gives us a good run. But we just keep getting a little better each time out.”
An inning after Faith Christian narrowed the lead to 4-1, it was Lopez who delivered the big blow offensively. After Tinnon led off the inning with a base hit, Lopez turned on Ian Henry’s first pitch and crushed it over the left-field wall.
“I just asked him to move up in the box and take away the breaking pitch,” said Cowell, who urged Lopez to trust him after he had hit the ball with the same authority in his second plate appearance, but foul. “I figured they (would) come back and throw him the off-speed stuff again and I knew he could hit it far.”
Holy Family catcher Rob McCand-lish had a great day at the plate, going 4-for-7 with a double and three RBIs.
Brandon Mochal was the only Eagles player to have multiple hits, including a double in Game 2.
Game 1
Faith Christian 000 001 0 — 1 5 6
Holy Family 000 030 x — 3 6 1
Faith Christian — Ian Henry cf 4-0-0-0, Smith 3b 2-0-0-0, Carbajal 2b 2-1-1-0, Mochal p 3-0-1-1, Rice cr 0-0-0-0, LePore rf 2-0-0-0, Buchman c 3-0-1-0, Beasley 1b 3-0-0-0, Pott ss 3-0-1-0, Isaac Henry lf 3-0-1-0. Totals 25-1-5-1.
Holy Family — Genders dh 3-0-0-0, McCandlish c 3-0-2-1, J. Tinnon p 3-0-0-0, Hernandez cr 0-0-0-0, Lopez 2b 3-0-0-0, Lambert lf 2-0-0-0, Meining 1b 3-1-2-0, M. Tinnon 3b 3-1-1-1, Guzman rf 2-0-0-0, Gonzales ss 3-1-1-1, Roth cf 0-0-0-0. Totals 25-3-6-3.
E — Beasley 2, Carbajal 2, Pott, Mochal; Gonzales. LOB — Faith Christian 6; Holy Family 6. SB — Gonzales. Caught stealing — Smith. 2B — Carbajal, Buchman. SAC — Guzman. DP — Holy Family 1.
Batteries — Mochal and Buchman; J. Tinnon and McCandlish. W — J. Tinnon (4-0). L — Mochal (6-2). WP — Mochal 3. J. Tinnon 1. HBP — Lambert (by Mochal in 7th). Time — 1:44.
Game 2
Holy Family 031 040 0 — 8 12 1
Faith Christian 000 010 0 — 1 2 1
Holy Family — McCandlish c 4-0-2-2, Guzman rf 4-1-1-0, J. Tinnon 2b 3-1-2-0, Lopez p 4-1-2-2, Hernandez cr 0-0-0-0, Meining 1b 4-1-2-0, M. Tinnon 3b 2-2-0-0, Gonzales ss 4-0-0-0, Roth cf 3-1-1-0, Lambert lf 3-1-2-2. Totals 31-8-12-6.
Faith Christian — Ian Henry p 3-0-0-0, Smith 3b 3-0-0-0, Bote 3b 0-0-0-0, Carbajal 2b 3-0-0-0, Mochal lf 3-0-1-0, LePore cf 3-0-0-0, Buchman c 2-1-0-0, Beasley 1b 1-0-0-0, Rice p 1-0-0-0, Pott ss 3-0-1-0, Isaac Henry rf 1-0-0-1, Masciotro 1b 0-0-0-0. Totals 23-1-2-1.
E — Lopez; Ian Henry. LOB — Holy Family 5; Faith Christian 4. SB — Guzman. SAC — Isaac Henry. 2B — Meining 2, McCandlish; Mochal. 3B — J. Tinnon, Lopez. HR — Lopez (one on in fifth).
Batteries — Lopez and McCandlish; Ian Henry, Rice (7) and Buchman. W — Lopez (5-0). L — Ian Henry (2-2). WP — Ian Henry 4. HBP — Buchman (by Lopez in 5th). Time — 1:45.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
