DENVER—Marco Gonzalez struck out 11 hitters and hit a 3-run home run as Rocky Mountain won its fourth straight Class 5A state championship with a 9-4 victory over Ralston Valley at All-City Field on Saturday.
Gonzalez made state history by winning his fourth consecutive crown on the mound. His fourth-inning homer broke the game open, extending Rocky Mountain’s lead to 7-2.
The Gonzaga-bound pitcher allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, 1 walk and no errors in 7 innings.
Rocky Mountain (24-2), the No. 1 seed from Fort Collins, won 21 straight to finish the season.
Ralston Valley (20-6), the No. 6 seed from Arvada, had solo homers from Peter Herrin and Dylan Dwyer.
Matt Jones took the loss, yielding 9 runs on 9 hits, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in 3 2/3-innings.
