AURORA — Cherokee Trail was well aware of its high-end, three-part week.
Phase I is complete and under control — the Cougars, top-ranked in The Denver Post/9News Class 5A baseball poll, erupted for 18 hits Tuesday, 11 for extra bases, in a 13-6 home thrashing of perennial power Cherry Creek in the Centennial League.
Phase II is Thursday at home against No. 2 and nearby Grandview for outright control of the league.
And Phase III is set for Saturday at Smoky Hill, perhaps against top Buffaloes right-hander Matt Ogden.
Why should it be easy?
“We came into (Tuesday’s game) thinking that if we didn’t get this one, we could be done,” Cougars coach Allan Dyer said.
In a virtual must-win situation, 6-foot-4 Eric Perry was huge. He belted two home runs, drove in four runs and gave Cherokee Trail (13-4, 10-2 league) five innings on the mound, albeit shaky ones for Dyer. Perry struggled with his control — he walked six and was touched for a grand slam — but the right-hander never gave up the lead.
“He’s a controlled struggler,” Dyer said. “If he can just hold it, we’ll be OK. And that’s what he did.”
That was OK for Perry, who said he was “just trying to help our team win. It’s a tough league, but we just kept our focus on winning.”
Mission accomplished, as Perry, who has signed to play at Trinidad State Junior College next season, gave up five runs and seven hits before giving way to Daniel Mackay in the sixth inning.
Overall, the Cougars belted seven doubles, a triple and three homers. Senior center fielder Mikel Mucha homered and had two doubles. Nick Johnson was 4-for-4, including two doubles, as the Cougars ravaged two Bruins pitchers. Eight-hole hitter Nathan Schneider added a bases-clearing triple.
The loss may prove historic for Cherry Creek, which is ordinarily tuning up for districts by now on the way to challenging for another state title.
But not in 2011.
“When you give up 18 hits, you can’t expect to win,” coach Marc Johnson said of his Bruins (11-6, 7-5), who are in danger of missing the postseason for the first time in three decades. “(The Cougars) are playing very well.”
Cherry Creek 040 110 0 — 6 10 2
Cherokee Trail 642 100 x — 13 18 0
Cherry Creek — McCabe cf 3-0-0-0, Wilson 2b 2-1-2-0, Kurilich lf 3-0-2-1, Schutzius ss 4-0-1-1, Beauprez 1b 4-0-0-0, Jenkins 3b 3-1-1-0, Kang rf 3-1-1-0, Jax dh 3-1-0-0, Milligan c 4-1-3-4, Bullard cr 0-1-0-0, Mostajo p 0-0-0-0, Williamson p 0-0-0-0. Totals 29-6-10-6.
Cherokee Trail — Johnson 2b 4-2-4-1, Marquardt ss 5-0-1-0, M. Mucha cf 5-3-3-2, Perry p-1b 4-2-3-4, Smith cr 0-1-0-0, Mackay 1b-p 3-2-1-0, Schlekway 3b 4-1-2-1, Wilson dh 4-0-2-0, Bradley c 0-0-0-0, Schneider rf 4-2-1-3, Chavez lf 3-0-1-0. Totals 36-13-18-11.
E — Mostajo, Schutzius. DP — Cherokee Trail LOB — Cherry Creek 10, Cherokee Trail 8. 2B — Perry, M. Mucha 2, Johnson 2, Schlekway, Wilson, Marquardt. 3B — Schneider. HR — M. Mucha, one on in first; Milliigan, grand slam in second; Perry, one on in second, one on in third.
Batteries — Mostajo, WIlliamson (2) and Milligan; Perry, Mackay (6) and Bradley. W — Perry (3-1). L — Mostajo (3-3). Balk — Williamson. SF — Kurilich. T — 2:19.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
