AURORA — In baseball’s classic sense of power versus placement, host Smoky Hill was decidedly outslugged but not outhit.
Regis Jesuit hit ’em out. No problem. The Buffaloes hit ’em where they weren’t.
Despite allowing seven home runs at Kevin Wolitzky Field, all of them no-doubters at one of the state’s recognized launching pads, Smoky Hill strung together six consecutive singles in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday to outlast the Raiders 15-11 in a Class 5A nonleague game.
“It just goes to show that it’s not all about home runs,” said Matt Ogden, a Buffs senior who ripped his team’s only long ball and pitched the seventh inning for the save.
Smoky Hill (3-0) scored seven runs with an eight-hit sixth, and the winning run scored on a line-drive bunt single by Brett Bandy.
“Obviously, he wasn’t supposed to bunt it that hard, but that’s where he was supposed to bunt it,” Buffs coach Scott Henry said. “He’s been working so hard that he deserves something like that.”
The Buffs tacked on two more runs, then Ogden, the staff ace who struck out 11 in a victory Thursday, had the only 1-2-3 inning to save it.
Back and forth they went in a slugfest, with Regis Jesuit’s Mitch Robinson and Evan Escobedo each belting two homers. Sam Cameron, Brodie Weiss and Brian Eller also went deep.
However, Smoky Hill, which trailed twice, kept battling. Challis Wright, who started on the mound and was battered, didn’t pout and produced six RBIs on three two-run singles.
The Raiders (1-1), who on Thursday drubbed Cherry Creek, No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, added two double plays.
“I thought our guys competed,” said Raiders coach Steve Cavnar, who oversaw the Buffs for years. “It’s Colorado baseball in March.”
Regis Jesuit 305 102 0 — 11 12 1
Smoky Hill 420 207 x — 15 15 0
Regis Jesuit — Cameron dh 4-2-2-0, Weiss ss 4-1-1-1, Robinson 3b 4-3-3-0, Escobedo cf 4-2-3-3, Merton c 3-0-0-0, Ernst cr 0-0-0-0, Kennedy 1b 2-1-0-0, Doerr rf 3-1-0-0. Eller lf 4-1-1-3, Griffith 2b 4-0-1-1, Bayer p 0-0-0-0, Zederson p 0-0-0-0, Sutherland p 0-0-0-0. Totals 32-11-12-11.
Smoky Hill — Bothwell 2b 4-2-2-2, Ogden dh-p 2-3-1-2, Williams ss-c 4-2-2-1, Fessel c-p 4-2-2-1, Hill cr 0-1-0-0, Snyder cf 4-2-3-1, Wright p 4-1-3-6, Martinez 3-1-1-1, Bandy 1b 2-1-1-1, Brooks 3-0-0-0, Klatt lf 0-0-0-0, Gaines 3b 0-0-0-0. Totals 30-15-15-15.
E — Griffith. LOB — Regis Jesuit 4, Smoky Hill 6. SAC — Brooks. DP — Regis Jesuit 2, Smoky Hill 1. 2B — Fessel, Snyder. HR — Robinson (2), one on in first and solo in fourth; Escobedo (2), solo in first and one on in third; Ogden, one on in first; Eller, two on in third; Cameron, solo in sixth; Weiss, solo in sixth.
Batteries — Bayer, Pederson (3), Sutherland (6) and Merton; Wright, Fessel (5), Ogden (7) and Fessel and Williams (5). W — Fessel. L — Pederson. S — Ogden. HBP — Doerr (by Wright); Merton (by Fessel); Williams (by Bayer); Bandy (by Bayer); Bothwell (by Pederson). Balk — Pederson. WP — Bayer, Pederson. T — 2:29.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
