HIGHLANDS RANCH — Valor Christian baseball coach Keith Wahl believes any of the Eagles in his lineup can provide the crucial hit in any given game.
On Saturday, with the Class 4A Jeffco League championship on the line, it was Jacob Steese’s turn.
The senior infielder helped the Eagles shake off a sluggish start with a solo home run, and Valor took advantage of multiple defensive miscues by No. 4 Golden to record a 10-8 victory. The Eagles’ victory, coupled with Green Mountain’s loss to D’Evelyn, allowed Valor to clinch sole possession of first place in the league.
“We always talk constantly about trying to bring our own energy, but no matter what you do, baseball is one of those games where somebody has to start the spark,” said Wahl, whose club has won six consecutive games. “One of the things I love about this team is we’ve got nine guys — even 10, if you consider our pitchers — who can light that spark. That’s one of the cool things about this team.”
Valor Christian (13-5 overall, 9-1 Jeffco) trailed 3-0 before Steese cranked a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the second inning. The blast appeared to energize the Eagles, who tied the game by the end of the frame and answered every Golden salvo the rest of the way.
Golden (13-5-1, 7-3) recaptured the lead with three runs in the third, but porous defense by the Demons in the bottom half of the inning promptly allowed Valor to get back in the game. The Eagles captured the lead for good by scoring four unearned runs on two walks and no hits in the third, and senior Tanner Houston added valuable insurance runs with a two-run double in the fifth.
“I just went up there confidently and told myself I was going to get it started for us,” Steese said. “And that’s exactly what I did.”
Golden 123 002 0 — 8 8 6
Valor Christian 034 030 x — 10 10 1
Golden — Cvar lf 4-1-2-1, Brady cf 4-0-0-0, Williams ss 3-2-2-0, X. Morris dh 4-1-1-2, Richy 1b/p 2-1-1-1, Hosburgh 3b 3-1-0-0, Hermanussen c 1-0-0-0, Ouellette pr 0-2-0-0, S. Morris p 2-0-1-1, Givens 1b 1-0-0-0, Bonesio 2b/rf 2-0-1-2, Mintara ph 1-0-0-0. Totals 27-8-8-7.
Valor Christian — Ward cf 4-0-1-2, Roebuck ss 4-0-0-0, Anderson c 3-1-1-0, Troka 3b 4-0-0-0, Butler 1b 4-2-1-0, Steese 2b 3-3-3-1, Houston lf 3-2-2-2, Lund dh 3-1-1-1, Falls rf 3-1-1-0. Totals 31-10-10-6.
E — Hosburgh 2, Bonesio 2, S. Morris, Williams, Falls. SB — Cvar, Williams, Ward. LOB — Golden 7, Valor Christian 6. SAC — Houston. 2B — Anderson, Falls, Steese, Houston. HR — Richy, solo in first; Steese, solo in second; X. Morris, one on in sixth.
Batteries — S. Morris, Richy (5) and Hermanussen; Palser, Ramirez (4) and Anderson. W — Ramirez. L — S. Morris. Balk — S. Morris. SF — Lund.
