On Saturday, Durango High School baseball showed it could win in a multitude of ways with its triumph over Grand Junction.
The Demons came back from an 8-0 deficit to win 12-9 in an offensive showdown on Friday, then stifled the Tigers’ offense on Saturday, winning 3-1 to sweep the Tigers and take the lead in the 4A/5A Southwestern League.
Sophomore Cole Clark pitched a great game for Durango, and the Demons had timely hits in the fourth and sixth innings, plus Grand Junction’s errors helped Durango’s slow offensive day.
“It just shows that this team can win in many different fashions,” Durango head coach Masen Hibbeler said. “Coming back from a game like yesterday, (today) was low-scoring; handling the ball on the defensive side was really cool to watch. These boys are starting to really catch their stride.”
Durango improved to 7-4 overall and 2-0 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League. The Demons are 3-0 at home, and their 3-1 victory was their lowest-scoring win since 2014. Durango out-hit Grand Junction, 6-5.
Senior Austin Romero led the Demons at bat, going 2-3. Senior Dawson McInnes and sophomore Cole Clark each went 1-2 at bat for Durango.
Clark pitched all seven innings, finishing with four strikeouts after allowing five hits and a run.
“He’s outstanding,” Hibbeler said about Clark. “His intensity is what sets him apart. When he gets on the mound, we always feel like we have a shot because he’s intense and he competes better than anyone on the field.”
Grand Junction dropped to 9-3 overall and 0-2 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League after the loss. The Tigers had five different players finish with a hit, and pitcher Andrew Henderson finished with eight strikeouts and six hits allowed.
After allowing eight runs in the first two innings on Friday, Hibbeler said the team was very relaxed pregame, playing ping pong in the locker room. There wasn’t any pressure; the team saw it as an opportunity to get two against a league rival.
There were three scoreless innings before the Demons got their offense going in the fourth inning. Durango excelled with two-out hitting, with junior Coen Anderson hitting one up the middle and Romero hitting one over the right fielder’s head. Grand Junction responded with one run in the bottom of the fourth.
Durango’s defense kept things scoreless in the fifth inning with Clark on the mound. Grand Junction could only get a few pop-ups in the air.
“I’m just settling down, knowing I can do this and putting all my faith in God,” Clark said. “Jesus Christ is my lord and savior. I’m just trusting in him. He’s got it no matter what. This is a small game he lets us play.”
McInnes was walked to start the top of the sixth. Clark’s speed got him to first base before his grounder could be thrown there. A bunt by junior “Bubba” Padilla and a fielding error loaded the bases for the Demons. Another fielding error by the Tigers at first base allowed the Demons to get a runner home to increase their lead to 3-1 going into the bottom of the sixth.
Clark’s pitching only allowed the Tigers to hit a few easy pop-ups, ending the inning quickly without any damage as the Demons took a 3-1 lead into the final frame. After a quick top of the seventh, Clark was back on the mound to finish the job. The inning quickly finished with a few more pop-flys that turned into easy outs.
“The fast ball was definitely working well,” Clark said. “The knuckleball looked good, and the curveball was there.”
Durango hits the road to play at Montezuma-Cortez on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
