An early 1-0 lead was quickly erased, and it signaled the end of the Bayfield High School baseball season.
Bayfield’s Hayden Farmer ripped a double that scored Hub Brandon, who also had reached base on a double in the top of the second inning. But that would be the end of the scoring for the Wolverines, who fell 11-1 in a mercy-rule shortened, five-inning game in the 3A Region 4 semifinals against the region’s top seed, Faith Christian, Saturday morning at Ralph Nance Field in Arvada.
The Eagles (17-3) scored eight runs in the bottom of the third inning, one more in the fourth and added two in the fifth to secure the 10-run victory.
Bayfield (10-10) managed six hits, but the Faith Christian pitchers allowed only walk to limit base runners.
In the field, the Wolverines made five errors, and that was costly.
Farmer was the losing pitcher. The junior went 2 2/3 innings and allowed five hits and eight runs, but only three were earned. He walked four, hit one batter and struck out three.
The Eagles sent 12 batters to the plate in the big third inning. Garrett Everett, a Faith Christian freshman, went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run. He also walked and scored twice. Colin Stone was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs batted in, two runs scored and two walks. Tyler Mattingly had the game-clinching hit in the bottom of the fifth, as his single to left field to score Jake Radi and end the game via run-rule.
Junior pitcher Macklin Brockmeyer went 2 2/3 innings for Faith Christian in a no decision. He allowed three hits and one run, while he struck out five and walked one. Mattingly was the winning pitcher. He shut the door on Bayfield in 2 1/3 innings of work. He allowed two hits and struck out five.
Gettman pitched the final 1 1/3 innings of relief for Bayfield. He allowed two hits and three runs – two earned – while he walked four and struck out one.
BHS finished second in the 3A Intermountain League in 2018 and saw a coaching change before the league schedule began, as Danny Petrie resigned for violating a district policy during the team’s 0-4 spring break trip to Arizona. Jake Forsythe took over as interim coach, and the Wolverines will now begin a coaching search.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
