LAKEWOOD — The relay throw and Broomfield runner arrived at the plate at about the same time, and Cheyenne Mountain catcher o stretched in the attempt to make the tag.
The home-plate umpire signaled safe, Broomfield’s dugout emptied, and as the celebration began, Lacayo argued that he had blocked the plate and gotten the glove on Gable in time.
Of course, the call stood, and it meant Broomfield second baseman ‘s two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh had given the Eagles a 6-5 victory over Cheyenne Mountain in the Class 4A third-round game at All-Star Park on Sunday.
The drama came with Cheyenne Mountain clinging to a 5-4 lead. Shortstop was on third and Gable on first with two outs. Arensdorf’s hit down the left-field line easily scored Perez, and Gable charged around third, determined to end the game.
“He was out,” Lacayo said. “I didn’t cuss at (the umpire), I told him I blocked the plate. He didn’t touch the plate, I didn’t think, or I touched him before he got there.”
Said Gable: “I thought I was safe. I saw the bat there, and that’s mostly what I was worried about. But I thought I was safe. It was close.”
The wild victory left Broomfield (20-4) as the only undefeated team remaining in the double-elimination tournament that concludes next weekend. , so the Indians also still have a shot at the title.
When he came to the plate, Arensdorf was hitless in three trips, with two strikeouts.
“I was just looking to execute and drive in those runners,” he said. “I couldn’t stand losing. I’m so happy for my team that I was able to drive in the two. I was looking for the right pitch, it was there and I just ripped it.”
Cheyenne Mountain took the 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on pitcher ‘s two-run single. That put the Indians ahead for the first time in the game. Perez’s two-run homer off Cheyenne Mountain starter in the bottom of the first got Broomfield started quickly, and the Eagles were up 3-0 after two.
The Eagles got four solid innings (six hits, two runs) from starter before Lockwood came on in the fifth. Ultimately, the seventh-inning rally meant the Eagles will have to lose twice next weekend to come up short of a state championship.
“We were down Friday, 6-2 to Longmont too, and that’s where it showed,” said. “They have confidence in themselves and their teammates, and they know if they keep working, it’s going to happen. … Now we have to wait a week. It’s going to be a long wait, but that’s all right. It’s worth it.”
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
