BAYFIELD
After the Wolverines topped Florence 13-3 in 5 in the district semifinals, some impressed Cedaredge partisans asked Bayfield High School baseball head coach Tom Horton if winning pitcher Matthew Knickerbocker was his ace.
His response? Not exactly.
Bayfield’s ace still was tucked up Horton’s sleeve, ready to play tricks on the Bruins.
Clay Miller threw his third no-hitter this season, striking out 15 in another five-inning gem that pushed BHS past No. 14-seeded Cedaredge 15-0 in a mercy-rule win at the Class 3A District 7 title game Saturday at Bayfield Middle School and into the elite eight of the CHSAA Class 3A Boys Baseball State Championships beginning May 17 in Greeley.
“They wanted to know if that was our ace. Needless to say, we said no. He’s our No. 2,” Horton said with a smile. “And they said, ‘Well, does the other guy throw harder?’ And we said yes.”
Miller (10-0) faced just 18 batters for the third-seeded Wolverines, with two reaching on dropped third strikes, another on a walk and two hitters grounding out. The Colorado Mesa signee set the tone with four strikeouts in the first inning and had Cedaredge’s hitters more often than not looking like they wanted to put out an all-points bulletin for a missing baseball every time it left Miller’s hand.
“Hands down, he’s the best pitcher that we’ve seen and hands down the best pitcher in the state. Unbelievable command, got great velocity. He’s the real deal,” said Cedaredge head coach C.J. Cannell, whose team advanced to the final with a wild 6-5 semifinal win over No. 19 Peak to Peak (12-8).
Miller demurred when asked about his performance, crediting catcher Darren Hoselton’s work behind the plate for helping set him up for success. Miller and Knickerbocker combined for a no-hitter earlier this year, and the senior southpaw also has a perfect game to his name this season.
According to longtime BHS assistant coach Rex Howard, Saturday marked Bayfield’s first-ever no-hitter in postseason play.
“It feels good. The way we’re hitting, it’s real easy just to get up there and throw strikes,” said Miller, son of Mitzi and Robert Miller. “My catcher just spotted me up good, and I was just trying to hit the glove.”
The Bayfield offense played a huge part in setting the tone in both victories. BHS (19-2) scored seven runs in the first two innings off Cedaredge starter Tylor Beach, who exited in the third inning after allowing 11 runs.
The Wolverines plated five in the first against Florence starter Zach Hoxie in the opener, with the big blow a Kelton McCoy grand slam over the netting in left-center field and off the Bayfield Middle School roof.
“The first game, our star freshman comes up, second high school varsity homer of his life, and it’s his second grand slam,” Horton said of McCoy with a chuckle.
Knickerbocker (4-0) threw five innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while walking four and striking out four to pick up the win in Game 1’s mercy-rule affair.
Offensively, Knickerbocker was 3-for-4 with two doubles, four RBIs and two runs scored against the Bruins after a 2-for-3 effort with three RBIs and three runs scored against Florence. Miller was 3-for-4 against Florence with a homer, three runs driven in and two runs scored before scoring three times in the finale.
Zane Phelps drove in five runs and had a pair of hits against Cedaredge, while Tyler Kerr was 2-for-2 with two runs scored against the Bruins (13-6). Austin McMenimen was 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and two RBIs in the win over No. 30 Florence (5-15).
“We knew we were going to have some offense and defense to beat these better teams in the playoffs,” said Knickerbocker, son of Kirk and Marie Knickerbocker.
Both Miller and Knickerbocker were thrilled with the reception at Bayfield’s first home playoff games since 2008, also the same year BHS advanced to the elite eight.
Now comes the fun part – a possible two weekends of double-elimination play with a state title on the line.
“This has been a real loose and free, easy-going group of kids the whole year,” Horton said. “And they don’t seem to tighten up. Now, it could happen next week. Things are going to get real serious quick. But they approach the game lightheartedly. ... (Saturday), they took care of business.”
rowens@durangoherald.com
Class 3A District 7
CHSAA State Championships
Bayfield Middle School
Note: There are eight district tournaments in the state tournament. Bayfield’s district, hosted by Bayfield High School, is the only one listed.
District Semifinals
Saturday, May 11
No. 3 Bayfield 13, No. 30 Florence 3, five innings
No. 14 Cedaredge 6, No. 19 Peak to Peak 5
District Championship
Saturday, May 11
No. 3 Bayfield 15, No. 14 Cedaredge 0, five innings
Durango Herald
