With each Chatfield win, Sean O’Dell is finding it harder to walk away from baseball.
O’Dell doubled with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday night and scored from second base on a two-out error as Chatfield became the only unbeaten team remaining in the Class 5A state tournament with a 3-2 winners’ bracket victory over Mountain Vista at Metro State.
O’Dell, a second baseman, is headed to the Colorado School of Mines and is committed to playing football as a wide receiver for the Orediggers and their new coach, Gregg Brandon.
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“The last coach didn’t really approve of two-sport athletes,” O’Dell said of former Mines coach Bob Stitt, who moved on to the University of Montana. “I haven’t really run it by (Brandon) and the academics are so hard, I’m not sure I can handle it. But I really, really want to. Coming out here and doing so well in the state tournament, it’s making me not want to give up baseball, for sure.”
O’Dell and the Chargers won twice Sunday, opening with a 2-1 victory over Cherry Creek in a morning matchup of 1-0 teams. O’Dell pitched 4 innings in that one and didn’t get a decision, and his RBI double in the bottom of the seventh ended the game. The Chargers beat Monarch 6-3 on Saturday, and the remarkable turnaround is continuing.
Chatfield was 1-8 at one point, and after a midseason coaching change, with Matt Johnson taking over, now is 14-10.
Once-beaten Mountain Vista, Grandview and Rock Canyon also are still alive in the double-elimination tournament; matchups for when play resumes Friday will be announced Monday. Chatfield could lose Friday and still advance to a Saturday championship game. A Chatfield win Friday would put the Chargers in position to need to win only once in two games Saturday to claim the title.
In other Sunday games, Rock Canyon and Grandview each won twice. Rock Canyon beat Pine Creek 7-6 and Cherry Creek 5-1. Grandview knocked off Monarch 7-6 and Regis Jesuit 9-4.
In Chatfield’s win over Mountain Vista, left fielder Brycen Lynn was 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI for the Chargers. Junior Mike Lucero got the win in relief, coming on with one out and two on in the top of the eighth and getting two strikeouts to end the threat and also throwing a scoreless ninth. He was called on in all three of the Chargers’ tournament wins so far.
“Oh, my goodness, that kid had ice in his veins,” O’Dell said.
O’Dell is the Chargers’ top hitter, and he had to sit out the Saturday win over Monarch because he was ejected from a victory over Smoky Hill in district play after he was involved in a collision at the plate.
“That was the worst thing,” O’Dell said. “I made a mistake in the regional game and you have to pay for your actions. I’m glad my teammates picked me up.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
