HIGHLANDS RANCH — Eric the Great also proved perfect.
Mountain Vista’s big horse of a right-hander, 6-foot-5, 210-pound Eric Anderson, dominated his team’s district rounds Saturday. In the finale, the Missouri-bound Anderson pitched a five-inning perfect game and belted two home runs in a 10-0 whipping of Dakota Ridge as the host Golden Eagles (17-4) flew into Friday’s beginning of Class 5A double elimination.
“I was feeling it,” Anderson said. “My stuff was working and I was just going with it.”
Anderson did whatever he wanted. He struck out nine Eagles, including the side in the fifth inning, the final four hitters he faced and at least one in every inning. No Dakota Ridge batter came close to a hit — there were five harmless flyballs and just one groundout.
His stuff was as nasty as yet another cold, damp and rainy day in Colorado springtime. Dakota Ridge, which ended 11-8, was late on his high heat and had zero success chasing his breaking balls.
“Everything was low in the bullpen; (leaving balls up) has been my problem all year,” Anderson said after moving to 6-0 on the season.
Second-year Mountain Vista coach Mark Goldsberry was and wasn’t surprised: “I didn’t even realize he had a perfect game until we came in to hit that one inning, didn’t realize no one had gotten to first base. But Eric’s a man-child out there.”
He also was at the plate — Anderson, who bats third in the order, ripped a two-run homer in the first, then a one-out solo effort in the fourth.
Dakota Ridge had no answers. The Eagles went through two pitchers, committed three errors and fizzled quickly.
“When it rains it, it pours,” coach Jeff Legault said. “Not a whole lot went right.”
Mitch Ottoson hit a three-run homer for Mountain Vista. Brian Caggiano scored three times, and Downing McFadden added two hits, one a double.
In earlier rounds, the Golden Eagles waxed Westminster 14-0, and Dakota Ridge survived a terrific pitching effort by Abe Bobb in prevailing 2-1 over George Washington.
It’s a confident Golden Eagles team headed to who knows where.
“We played well and we’ve talked all year about getting to this position, to host in districts, and that’s all you can ask for,” Goldsberry said. “Hopefully, we’ll continue the momentum.”
Dakota Ridge 000 00 — 0 0 3
Mountain Vista 233 11 — 10 7 0
Dakota Ridge — Melton ss-p 2-0-0-0, Pritchett cf 2-0-0-0, Lotze 1b 2-0-0-0, Whitaker c 2-0-0-0, Cloud 3b 2-0-0-0, Ellison p-ss 2-0-0-0, Vander Velde rf 1-0-0-0, Greenstreet 2b 1-0-0-0, Rodriguez lf 1-0-0-0. Totals 15-0-0-0.
Mountain Vista — McFadden 3-0-2-1, Newman 2b 3-1-1-0, Anderson p 3-2-2-3, Kissner cf 3-0-0-0, Cross 3b 2-1-0-0, Caggiano c 1-3-1-0, Clotheir 3b 1-1-0-0, Hartog 1b 0-1-0-1, Ottoson dh 2-1-1-3, Morales rf 0-0-0-0. Totals 18-10-7-8.
E — Cloud, Melton, Vander Velde. Sac — Clothier. LOB — Dakota Ridge 0, Mountain Vista 6. Caught stealing — Ottoson. 2B — McFadden. HR — Anderson, one on in first, solo in fourth; Ottoson, two on in second.
Batteries — Ellison, Melton (3) and Whitaker; Anderson and Caggiano. W — Anderson (6-0). L — Ellison. WP — Ellison, Melton 2. HBP — McFadden (by Melton). T — 1:11.
MOUNTAIN VISTA 14, WESTMINSTER 0
Westminster 000 00 — 0 2 1
Mountain Vista 710 6x — 14 14 2
Padilla and Downing; Cross and Caggiano. W — Cross. L — Padilla.
DAKOTA RIDGE 2, GEORGE WASHINGTON 1
George Washington 000 100 0 — 1 3 1
Dakota Ridge 000 101 x — 2 5 1
Bobb and Burnette; Jaramillo and Whitaker. W — Jaramillo. L — Bobb (8-2). HR — Melton, DR, solo in sixth.
