LITTLETON — Admittedly, Ralston Valley coach Shane Freehling is a little biased when his catcher, junior Nick McCasky, is mentioned in the race for the Class 5A Jeffco League’s most valuable player award.
After Wednesday’s clutch performance, Freehling will get no argument from his Dakota Ridge counterpart, Jeff Legault, about McCasky’s MVP credentials.
Although Ralston Valley squandered a seven-run lead, McCasky made certain the No. 8-ranked Mustangs remained atop the conference standings by blasting a dramatic two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to lift Ralston Valley to a wild 9-8 victory.
Ralston Valley (13-5, 6-1) can clinch the conference crown with a victory in its regular-season finale against Bear Creek on Monday.
“I think he solidified himself today. I think (McCasky) is the league MVP,” Freehling said. “Jeff Legault told me after the game that he has his vote, and I think the same thing. Big players make big plays in big games, and Nick did that today.”
Dakota Ridge (8-9, 4-3) trailed 7-0 going into the bottom of the fourth but gradually chipped away at the deficit, cutting the Mustangs’ lead to 7-4 before rallying for four runs in the bottom of the sixth. A home run by the Eagles’ Will Ochoa, followed by an RBI single from Keaton Greenstreet, gave Dakota Ridge an 8-7 edge going into the seventh.
But Ralston Valley’s Tanner Roth opened the final frame with a single, and McCasky promptly drilled a wicked line drive to center field for his ninth home run of the season.
“I think we showed great character fighting and being able to come back,” said McCasky, who also executed one of two bunt singles that led to Mustangs runs. “We’re a very well-rounded team. We don’t hit the long ball all the time, and we can get people on base and score them. I think this shows what we can do.”
Ralston Valley 213 100 2 — 9 13 2
Dakota Ridge 000 224 0 — 8 15 2
Ralston Valley (ab-r-h-rbi) — Coleman ss 4-1-1-0, Sawaya 2b 4-1-2-1, Roth lf 3-3-2-0, McCasky c 3-1-2-2, McKinney dh 4-0-0-0, Russell rf 4-1-2-1, Yokley p 4-1-1-2, Wiemers cf 3-1-1-0, DiLoreto 3b 3-0-2-1. Totals 32-9-13-7.
Dakota Ridge — Fugita 2b 4-1-1-1, Valerio 1b/p 3-0-1-0, Ochoa 1b 2-1-1-2, Fishel c 5-2-3-1, Nutsch ss 4-1-2-0, Robbins lf 4-1-0-0, Greenstreet 3b 4-1-2-1, Ekman rf 1-0-0-0, Latham rf 3-0-2-2, Wilson dh 2-0-1-0, Romero dh 1-0-0-0, Kornmann cf 1-0-0-0, Kannenberg 3-1-2-1. Totals 37-8-15-8.
E — Kormann 2, DiLoreto, Wiemers. LOB — Ralston Valley 4; Dakota Ridge 10. 2B — Roth, Sawaya, Kannenberg, Fishel. HR — Yokley (one on in third); McCasky (one on in seventh); Fishel (solo in fifth); Ochoa (one on in sixth). SB — Wiemers, Nutsch.
Batteries — Yokley, Gibbs (6), Eden (6) and McCasky; Silva, Van Gorden (5), Valerio (7) and Fishel. W — Eden. L — Valerio. PB — McCasky. HBP — Romero (by Yokley in 4th).
