AURORA — There was no reason for Morgan Smith to get too analytical after starting the season 0-for-9.
“Recently, I’ve been trying to simplify things,” the Grandview senior said.
It worked. Smith was 3-for-3 with two doubles and three runs batted in as the Wolves patiently outlasted Cherry Creek 7-3 on Tuesday in a Centennial League game. The Wolves, No. 4 in The Associated Press’ Class 5A poll, are 6-2 overall, 3-0 in league. The top-ranked Bruins are 5-2, 1-1.
“The nice thing is we’re so senior-heavy, with a great group, but we’ve started out not hitting,” coach Dean Adams said.
But not Tuesday. The Wolves spotted the Bruins a 3-0 lead in the first inning before Smith’s first double drove home two in the third as Grandview took the lead for good. CSU-Pueblo-bound for football and baseball, Smith plated another in the fifth.
All the while, Wolves junior right-hander Grant Schroeder shook off a five-hit, three-run first. He didn’t allow another hit until the seventh.
“I think his nerves got to him a bit in the first, but he threw well,” Adams said.
Offensively, Grandview was patient against Bruins starter and loser Blake Goldsberry, ringing up 10 hits and generating base runners in each inning. Eric Mingus and Travis Parker scored twice for Grandview, which also benefitted from three Bruins errors.
“Grandview’s good and played well,” Bruins coach Marc Johnson said.
Cherry Creek 300 000 0 — 3 8 3
Grandview 013 012 x — 7 10 2
Cherry Creek — Roberson cf 3-0-1-0, Benedetti 2b 4-1-2-0, Goldsberry p-ss 4-0-1-0, Bernstein cr 0-1-0-0, O’Tremba rf 3-1-1-1, Chavez 1b 3-0-1-1, P. Jax c 2-0-0-0, Gill cr 0-0-0-0, C. Jax lf 3-0-1-0, Sweeney ss 2-0-1-0, Widoff 3b 0-0-0-0, Ulmer p 0-0-0-0, Weber dh 3-0-0-0. Totals 27-3-8-2.
Grandview — Glau cf 3-0-1-0, O’Dorisio 3b 2-1-0-0, Mingus ss 4-2-1-0, T. Smith 2b 1-0-0-0, Marshall lf 4-0-0-0, Parker rf 4-2-2-1, McLaran c 2-1-2-0, Sundine cr 0-1-0-0, M. Smith 1b 3-0-3-3, Boswell dh 3-0-1-1, Schroeder p 0-0-0-0. Totals 26-7-10-5.
E — McLaran, M. Smith, Goldsberry 2, Benedetti. DP — Cherry Creek, Grandview. LOB — Cherry Creek 6, Grandview 8. SB — Bernstein. 2B — Benedetti, Boswell, M. Smith 2. 3B — O’Tremba. Batteries — Goldsberry, Ulmer (5) and P. Jax; Schroeder and McLaran W — Schroeder. L — Goldsberry.
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or
