LA JUNTA – Having hit hard all game with multiple extra-base knocks, Cael Buxton also realized just how close at least two of his rips Saturday came to finding a Bayfield Wolverine’s glove.
Particularly his low liner off Devin Avery with third place in La Junta’s 2022 Hampton Inn Tiger Baseball Classic at stake. Buxton’s hit was just out of the reach of BHS second baseman Austin Twedt’s dive, giving Lamar a runner at first with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and the game tied 5-5.
“The game before, we got killed,” LHS’ freshman left fielder said afterward, “but we had … to get back on track.”
Relieved to be on base against Avery (L; 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, 0 BB, 3 K), who’d retired the previous eight Savages and 12 of the 14 he’d faced since bailing Bayfield out of a jam in third, Buxton was even more relieved when Tyler McTaggart wasted no time driving an Avery offering to deep right-center.
Knowing the blast would not be caught, Buxton bolted all the way home, barely beating the Wolverines’ relay throw to catcher Nic Twedt with a feet-first slide and concluding the battle at Potter Park, the two-day tourney’s primary venue, with a walk-off win.
“Once I saw it got past the outfielders, I knew I could get home,” said Buxton, who finished 3-for-4 with a double and a fourth-inning RBI-triple that completed Lamar’s comeback from a 5-1 deficit after the first two frames.
“I think we were kind of tense coming off of that last game; we didn’t really know what we were doing out there, for lack of a better say,” said Carson Carere, LHS’ starting shortstop, whose long-relief work (ND; 3.2 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 4 K) was just as crucial as Avery’s. “We definitely didn’t start how we’d wanted to in this game.”
Because of unplayable field conditions at Swink High School, the Classic’s secondary site, requiring both of Thursday’s opening games be postponed to Friday when Babcock Park in Rocky Ford was secured, the Savages began their tournament there with a 7-3 win over 4A Pueblo East. Lamar then fell 10-0 in five innings to Sterling on Saturday.
Bayfield, meanwhile, demolished 2A Pueblo Dolores Huerta Prep 22-7 on Friday. But later that evening, fielding breakdowns behind pitcher Isaac Ross prevented BHS from pulling off an upset of unbeaten 4A Fort Morgan as the Mustangs pulled away 7-3.
“We had heart. We knew that they were going to be good, and we came out battling. ... Just didn’t make the right plays at the right time to get the win,” said interim head coach Clay Miller, who picked up his first varsity-level win as skipper via the rout of DHPH. “Isaac threw the game of the year, but we couldn’t really help him out defensively.”
While logging a complete game on the mound, Ross (L; 6 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 3 ER, BB, 6 K) went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Counterpart Frank Ortega (W, CG; 7 IP, 3 R, ER, 5 BB, 9 K) also went the distance in an impressive pitchiing duel, and went 2-4 with a double, two runs, and a two-run homer – giving FMHS a 2-1 first-inning lead that grew to 4-1 through three.
“I was kind of hoping I could pitch the whole game,” said Ortega. “I’m just proud of our defense, proud of the way we hit.”
“I think it starts on the mound,” longtime Mustangs boss Josh Langford said. “Frankie obviously hit the home run, but I think we had him for 108 pitches – we were fortunate he was able to get the last out before the (CHSAA-mandated) pitch count! He did a good job … keeping us in the game, limiting the walks and letting our defense make plays for him.”
“And Bayfield played awesome,” he said. “Their pitcher was outstanding, had good command of his curveball – that kept us honest! I thought he did an excellent job on his complete game as well.”
Well aware of the pitch-count rules, Miller had smartly limited junior Caden Wood to just two innings in his winning start against Dolores Huerta, then utilized outfielder Andy Monger and newcomer Cole Wagner as relievers – saving both Ethan Candelaria and Avery for potential duty against Fort Morgan and whomever BHS would face on the final day.
So even without ace juniors Lance Mazur and Jackson Queen, the Wolverines had plenty of arms available, and a short-rested Wood took the ball against Lamar – but only after he fouled Savage junior Erik Aguilar’s first pitch off his lower left leg, then took Aguilar’s next pitch square in the back.
With the bases loaded, Candelaria took Aguilar deep to left-center for a two-RBI double, and Wood would go to work in the bottom of the first inning with a 2-0 lead. After a pop out, Buxton banged a double to right and scored via an Austin Twedt error at second base off McTaggart’s bat.
Wood (ND; H, R, BB, K) would eventually strand two runners, preserving a one-run advantage which quickly grew to four as Aguilar (ND; 2 IP, H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 HB, 2 K) struggled with his control and gave up a sacks-packed walk to Ross that scored Dante Candelaria. Aguilar then plunked Noah Chamblee, scoring Monger, and threw a wild pitch to Wood that scored Nic Twedt.
Up 5-1, Wood worked quickly in the bottom of the second, retiring Aguilar, Dashawn Martinez and Morales in order. But like Aguilar, whose day prematurely ended after the Wolverines’ breakout, a reluctant Miller pulled Wood as his combined pitch count neared CHSAA’s limit for a hurler operating on a day’s rest.
Relieved, the Savages welcomed Ethan Candelaria in the home half of the third. Carere led off being hit by a pitch and then stole second. McTaggart singled up the middle, plating Carere, and later scored on a Coy Spitz double. After Spitz scored via a Ryker Ratcliff double, Miller had seen enough fireworks.
Brought in from right field, Avery got Thacker to line out to Chamblee at first, and Treagyn Duarte – who’d replaced Aguilar – to ground out to third, to which Candelaria (ND; 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, HB, 0 K) had returned, allowing Wood to move from the hot corner out to left field and Dante Candelaria over to right.
Able to get Lamar unscathed through BHS’ third, Duarte was pulled after walking Ross leading off the visitors’ fourth. Carere answered, striking out Chamblee, getting Wood to ground out to short and Candelaria to pop foul – the first three of 10 consecutive Wolverines he’d retire before Wood (1-3) hammered a seventh-inning double with one out.
Facing his last batter, Carere managed to fan Avery (0-4, 3 K). With the score still tied at 5-5, LHS head coach Jason Veyna summoned starting catcher Thacker to the mound, and Thacker froze Dante Candelaria (0-4, R) with a called third strike.
Throwing a handful of pitches to one Wolverine, Thacker (0.1 IP) would earn the win for the Savages – ranked ninth in the week-starting CHSAANow.com Class 3A poll; Bayfield had been No. 6.
“Bayfield, coming all the way from the Western Slope, was awesome, and a couple of these other teams are great competition that we wouldn’t face anywhere else,” said Carere (0-3, 2 R). “It’s awesome – at least for us – to face a lot of good teams from not only southeastern Colorado and Pueblo, but elsewhere, you know?”
Lamar improved to 4-3 overall.
Ross ended up 0-for-1 with three walks – giving him seven during the Classic – plus a run and an RBI in defeat. Chamblee went 0-2 but reached base via two beanballs. Nic Twedt was plunked once and walked once in going 0-2.
Up next, BHS (6-4, 0-0 3A Intermountain) will travel to Salida for 3A SHS’ Spartan Invitational, April 1-2. Other teams presently slated to compete are Buena Vista, Calhan, Meeker, Monte Vista, Pagosa Springs, Bailey Platte Canyon and Rye.
“I mean, it makes you playoff-ready, all these tournaments and all these (opposing) pitchers,” Miller said. “That’s huge for our whole team.”
Not allowing a run in three games, Sterling (3-1 overall) blanked Fort Morgan (6-1) 7-0 in the Classic’s championship.
LJHS (2-2) lost 15-2 to Pueblo East (4-3) in a five-inning fifth-place clash, while 4A Colorado Springs Coronado (2-4) crushed Dolores Huerta (1-5) 19-4 to salvage seventh place.
