Cherry Creek Bruins
Coach: Marc Johnson
Record: 19-5
Hot at the plate: 1B Alec Mielnicki has reached base in eight of his last nine plate appearances. . . . C Corey Keller has a team-leading seven home runs. . . . 3B Duncan Satherlie has hit safely in all but three games.
Menace on the mound: Junior right-hander Tito Nava is 10-1, one short of the program’s record for single-season victories.
Around the yard: Bruins have a solid, experienced lineup that has produced 62 runs in five postseason games. . . . Pitching-wise, they’re as deep as any of the other three remaining. . . . Johnson, in his 37th season, and Cherry Creek have won it all nine times, most recently in 1999.
Mountain Vista Golden Eagles
Coach: Mark Goldsberry
Record: 19-5
Hot at the plate: Golden Eagles have homered in every postseason game, three by P-SS Eric Anderson, who has 10 in 2009. . . . 3B-P Tucker Cross is five for his last nine with two runs scored, four driven home.
Menace on the mound: Anderson (8-0), a right-hander, fired a five-inning perfect game in districts, then won two games on the same day to open the Championship Series.
Around the yard: Goldsberry used to assist at Cherry Creek. . . . Anderson leads the team in batting average, hits, homers, RBIs, pitching wins and strikeouts. He’ll attend Missouri. . . . Golden Eagles lost to Cherry Creek 15-0 on March 12.
Rampart Rams
Coach: Adam Strah
Record: 22-2
Hot at the plate: In three Championship Series games, OF Miguel Ortega is 3-for-8 with four runs scored and three RBIs. . . . CF Austin Kaiser is five for his last six with six RBIs.
Menaces on the mound: Top starter Robert Forrest earned the Rams’ opening Series victory. . . . Nick Whitbeck has a win and a save.
Around the yard: The Rams raised a few eyebrows when they were awarded the top seed; now they’ll need three straight wins for a title. . . . In 20 Series innings, Rampart’s defense has been sharp with just one error. . . . The most recent Colorado Springs team to hold the big-school championship was Air Academy’s AAA crown in 1989.
Rocky Mountain Lobos
Coach: Scott Bullock
Record: 20-4
Hot at the plate: OF Jake Stewart has 11 homers and 51 RBIs on the season, 11 knocked home in the playoffs. . . . OF-P Marco Gonzales ripped consecutive three-run homers this past Saturday. . . . In the postseason, 2B leadoff Luke White has scored nine runs, and has nine hits and seven RBIs.
Menaces on the mound: Senior Bryan Peters is 21-0 in his career, 7-0 in 2009. . . . Gonzales, a junior lefty, has won the past two 5A title games.
Around the yard: Lobos have outscored five playoff foes by an aggregate 51-6 with three shutouts. When they won it all in 2007, it was by 79-24; in 2008, by 60-32.
Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post
