Migrating south for the latest "winter" to wrack the Front Range made a world of difference for teams - including Bayfield - competing in last weekend's St. Mary's Invitational.
Snow (as much as a foot in places) and wind played havoc with much of the tournament's second day, when the Wolverines were to face Manitou Springs on the Mustangs' home field, then travel into neighboring Colorado Springs to meet the hosting Pirates at their field.
Neither contest occurred, but after a re-route to the Runyon Complex in Pueblo, BHS got busy last Saturday in a big way: an 11-0 rout of 4A Colorado Springs Sand Creek, and a 10-0 triumph over 3A C.S. Christian.
According to reported statistics, the Bayfield offense hit off of four Scorpion pitchers for 13 hits while sophomore Hayden Farmer allowed one in a complete-game, eight-strikeout effort. The Wolverines then hit six against the Lions, who'd squeaked out a 15-14 win over 3A Olathe earlier in the day, while allowing four.
Three came against junior Michael Gettman, who earned the win after working 4-1/3 innings, walking two and fanning seven before giving way to senior Fred Edwards (1.2 IP, H, 0 BB, K).
Offensively, senior Austin Bushnell was 2-5 with three RBI against SCH. Sophomore Jake Brandon was 1-3 with two runs and two batted in, and Gettman was 2-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Junior Kirk Malone was 2-3 with a run and senior Fred Edwards was 2-4 with a run.
Aggressive in his own support, Farmer went 1-4 with a run and two RBI, and also swiped three of BHS' nine stolen bases. Edwards took two, as did sophomore Max McGhehey (who then stole four of the Wolverines' 10 against CSCS, while Gettman took three).
Only junior Quinton Clark managed a knock for Sand Creek (1-6, 0-2 Pikes Peak), but he also drew two bases-on-balls-allowing Taber Banks to log a stolen base and thus set up for the potential shutout-snapping score.
Gettman went 2-for-3 with two runs and drove in as many against C.S. Christian (1-5, 0-0 Tri-Peaks), and sophomore Rhett Hoover was 2-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
Brandon was 1-3 with a pair of runs and one batted in, sophomore Hub Brandon was 1-3 with a triple and a run, and though combining to go hitless in seven at-bats, Bushnell, Edwards and Farmer each recorded one RBI.
Senior Daniel Burton went 2-3 with a double to lead CSCS in defeat.
Now 3-2 overall, Bayfield will begin Intermountain League work at home Tuesday, April 4, with a doubleheader versus Pagosa Springs beginning at 3 p.m. Also fighting the weekend's weird weather, the Pirates (5-2, 0-0 IML) managed a 12-0 win over 4A C.S. Sierra after losing 3-1 to 4A C.S. Mitchell.
FEELING THINGS OUT: In both victories, BHS started gradually. The Wolverines' first runs in each came during the third inning-two versus Sand Creek, five versus C.S. Christian-and were followed with at least one in each subsequent frame (including a four-run seventh versus SCHS). Eager to stay on the attack, Bayfield also kept things moving in the field and committed only three total errors.
