FORT COLLINS — Certain trips around the basepaths are sweeter than others.
Tyler Wiens had one of them Tuesday night.
The senior catcher ripped a grand slam in the first inning as four-time defending Class 5A champion Rocky Mountain knocked off top-ranked Fort Collins 9-3 in the Front Range League.
In one of big schools’ better rivalries, approximately 800 fans turned out at Fort Collins City Park to watch the Lobos, ranked No. 3 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, move to 7-4 overall, 3-1 in league. The No. 1 Lambkins, in dropping their second consecutive game, are 7-3-1, 2-2.
“I put a good swing on it,” Wiens said of his second homer of the year.
There was atmosphere. The Rocky Mountain choir sang the national anthem. A representative of the Fort Collins Baseball Club threw out the first pitch. There was a 50-50 drawing in which the winner donated his winnings to Respite Care.
“It was great,” Lobos starter and winner Jess Amedee said. “A lot of fun.”
Wiens’ homer, Amedee settling down and the Lobos batting around in the sixth lifted Rocky Mountain, which also was coming off a loss. The reigning power in 5A is experiencing a different season than any since its run began in 2007, but is working through a balanced high end of 5A, according to coach Scott Bullock.
The Lobos put it away with a three-run sixth and Amedee, despite being touched for a two-run homer by Lambkins cleanup hitter J.D. Hammer in the third that brought them within 4-3.
Rocky Mountain compiled 13 hits, three by Nick Komar.
Fort Collins 012 000 0 — 3 3 1
Rocky Mountain 402 003 x — 9 13 0
Fort Collins — Schwindt cf 2-0-1-0, Flax 2b 3-0-0-0, Cordova 1b 3-1-0-0, Hammer ss 4-1-1-2, Tovar 3b 2-1-1-0, Tomasino lf 2-0-0-0, Nesby dh 3-0-0-0, Connor rf 2-0-0-0, Sakala, c 0-0-0-1, Poehlmann p 0-0-0-0, Brunner p 0-0-0-0. Totals 21-3-3-3.
Rocky Mountain — Komar ss 4-0-3-1, Allen rf 4-1-1-2, Ferguson cf 4-2-2-0, Amedee p-3b 4-0-2-1, Cook cr 0-3-0-0, Wiens c 4-1-1-4, Westhius lf 3-1-2-0, Bean 1b 3-1-2-1, O’Donnell 3b 2-0-0-0, Ibarra 2b 2-0-0-0, Schofield ph 1-0-0-0, Bonk p 0-0-0-0. Totals 31-9-13-9.
E — Hammer. DP — Rocky Mountain. LOB — Fort Collins 7, Rocky Mountain 5. CS — Westhius. SAC — Flax, Schwindt. 2B — Komar, Amedee, Bean. HR — Wiens, grand slam in first; Hammer, one on in third.
Batteries — Amedee, Bonk (7) and Wiens; Poehlmann, Brunner (6) and Sakala. W — Amedee (3-2). L — Poehlmann. HBP — Cordova (by Amedee). Balk — Poehlmann. T — 2:07.
