AURORA — It didn’t matter to John Green. Single. Double. Walk. Hit by pitch. “Just anything to help the team,” the junior outfielder said.
Green took it further, literally — he got the big part of his bat on a pitch away from him Tuesday as he hit a windblown, walkoff home run to right field for Cherokee Trail in an 11-10 home victory over Mullen in the Class 5A Centennial League.
The scrappy Cougars (6-1, 3-0 league) remained atop The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, yet continued to age coach Allan Dyer.
“I’m getting grayer,” he said, agreeing that windy baseball near the Aurora Reservoir is redundant and “just like at Wrigley Field.”
Green’s first homer of the season was one of four on the day, including two by Mullen’s Greg Ehrhart. The No. 6 Mustangs (6-1, 2-1) had taken control (10-8) with a seven-run fifth, but the Cougars got within 10-9 in the sixth before Green’s big hit.
“We didn’t make a good pitch there,” Mustangs coach Vince Porreco said.
Mullen 201 070 0 — 10 11 2
Cherokee Trail 240 201 2 — 11 12 1
Mullen — Haggerty ss 4-1-2-0, Boyer 2b 3-2-2-2, Samuels 3b 3-1-1-1, Ehrhart rf 4-2-2-5, Davis lf 3-0-1-1, Bayers p-1b 4-1-1-0, Silva 4-1-2-1, Healy c 3-0-0-0, Comito cr 0-0-0-0, McAleer 1b 1-0-0-0, Mispagel p 2-0-0-0, DeCristino cr 0-1-0-0. Totals 31-10-11-10.
Cherokee Trail — Johnson 2b 3-1-1-0, Chavez lf 3-2-0-1, M. Mucha cf 4-2-3-4, Perry 1b-p 3-0-1-1, Mackay p-1b 4-1-3-0, Schneider cr 0-0-0-0, Schlekway 3b 3-0-0-0, Wilson ph 1-0-0-0, Green rf 3-2-1-2, McPhail dh 3-1-1-1, Bradley c 0-0-0-0, Marquardt ss 3-2-2-1. Totals 30-11-12-10.
E — Bayers, Haggerty, Perry. DP — Cherokee Trail 2. SB — Schneider, Comito. CS — Silva. LOB — Mullen 5, CHerokee trail 4. 2B — Mucha, McPail, Marquardt, Perry, Haggerty, Silva. 3B — Bayers. HR — Ehrhart, one on in first; two on in fifth; M. Mucha, one on in fourth; Green, one on in seventh. Batteries — Bayers, Mispagel (3) and Healy; Mackay, Perry (5) and Bradley. W — Perry. L — Mispagel. HBP — Chavez (By Bayers); Healy (by Perry). Balk — Mispagel. T — 2:12.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
