Bayfield’s athletes are used to playing against private schools. Now the Wolverines find themselves in a baseball regional surrounded by three private institutions.
BHS (10-9) will face the Class 3A Region 4’s top-seed Faith Christian (16-3) at 10 a.m. Saturday in Arvada. The other regional semifinal will be played at noon between Resurrection Christian (12-6) and Bishop Machebeuf (10-8).
Bayfield finished second in the 3A Intermountain League after going 7-3 with two losses to champion Alamosa (15-4) and another to Centauri (10-9). BHS will enter the postseason on a two-game losing skid in a pair of games against Class 4A Durango.
But Bayfield rested its top pitchers in Tuesday’s loss to the Demons to be prepared for regionals, and the Wolverines will have all arms ready to go.
It has been a season of turmoil for the Wolverines after a hot start. After going 3-0 on the road, the team lost four games on a spring break road trip to Arizona, and lost its head coach in the process, as Danny Petrie resigned. Under interim head coach Jake Forsythe, BHS went on to win its first four league games before dropping three of four and five of its final eight games.
Hub Brandon has led BHS at the plate with a .431 batting average, 21 runs batted, 19 runs scored and six extra-base hits, which includes one home run. Michael Gettman has blasted two homers and hit for a .400 average to go with 14 RBIs and 22 runs. Hayden Farmer has hit for a .407 average with 13 RBIs, 17 runs, one homer and three doubles. Max McGhehey also has been a force with a .400 average, 11 RBIs, 20 runs and five extra-base hits with a homer.
Farmer is 4-3 on the mound this year with a 2.66 earned-run average. He has 40 strikeouts to only 11 walks. Andrew Morgan has gone 2-2 as a starter with a 4.50 ERA. He has 23 strikeouts to 11 walks. Gettman has pitched well in relief appearances.
Faith Christian has two players hitting above .500 with senior Tyler Mattingley and junior Macklin Brockmeyer, who has eight doubles, 23 RBIs and a team-best 36 runs scored. Senior Colin Stone has also hit .421 with two homers, three triples, five doubles, 23 RBIs and 18 runs. Freshman Garrett Everett also has provided a big bat with three homers, two triples and nine doubles to go with a .365 average, 20 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Junior pitcher Michael Thorne boats a 5-0 record with a 1.70 ERA. He has struck out 60 batters in 37 innings pitched while allowing only 31 hits. He also has only walked eight batters all year.
Brockmeyer is 3-0 with a 0.97 ERA. He has struck out 27 in 21 2/3 innings and has issued only five walks. Everett also pitches and has gone 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
