It’s unwise to count out the Durango High School baseball team no matter the deficit, and Friday’s 12-9 home win over Grand Junction proved that point.
Grand Junction showed why it entered the matchup 9-1 overall by shelling the Demons with eight runs in the first two innings to create an 8-0 advantage going into the bottom of the second.
Most teams would’ve rolled over, but Durango’s aggressive style and powerful hitting led them back with an incredible nine runs in the bottom of the second inning. Durango’s defense took over after that, with junior pitcher Coen Anderson bouncing back to finish the game strongly with some impressive pitching to knock off the stunned Tigers.
“It’s a testament to the heart the boys have,” Durango head coach Masen Hibbeler said. “They never get down, even in the beginning of the season, they're never down, they're never out of it. We came back, and we don't lose at home.”
Durango improved to 6-4 overall and 1-0 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League with the win, snapping a two-game losing streak. The Demons are 2-0 at home after they outhit the Tigers, 17-9.
Senior Dylan Burns led the Demons at the plate, finishing 3-3 at bat with a home run. Junior Duncan Walsh went 2-2 at bat with three RBIs, and seniors Austin Romero and Landin Padilla went 3-4 at bat.
Anderson pitched all seven innings for the Demons, allowing nine hits, nine runs and finishing with seven strikeouts.
The Tigers dropped to 9-2 overall and 0-1 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League after the loss. Kaleb David and Tyler Johnson finished 2-4 at bat for the Tigers, and the Tigers had three pitchers take the mound, finishing with a combined five strikeouts.
Grand Junction came out with its bats on fire, hitting two home runs in the first and second innings to take an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the second.
“They do everything well,” Hibbeler said about Grand Junction. “If you look at all their stats, they're all good. Their ERA is low, they score a lot of runs. They’re a great club, and tomorrow's going to be another great game.”
Durango responded. The Demons put two runs on the board without any outs. After that, Burns cranked a homer to center field, bringing another Demon home. After a disastrous start, Durango cut the Tigers’ lead in half to 8-4 with zero outs on the board.
The fun didn’t stop there. Senior Dawson McInnes cranked a ball to right field that was a few feet from being a homer. His teammate got home, and McInnes slid into third. The Tiger third baseman couldn’t handle the catch, and the ball went into the fence. McInnes advanced home for the inside-the-park home run to cut the deficit to 8-6.
“I just called them together and told them the only thing you can control is if you hustle on and off the field,” Hibbeler said. “The game just took care of itself, the boys took care of that, and the game rewards guys who work hard.”
Anderson hit a great double down the third baseline to advance Padilla to third. Romero then hit a pop fly right in between the shortstop and center fielder, and neither Tiger could come down with it, leading to Padilla and Anderson coming home to tie the game at 8. Walsh then cranked a two-run homer, but his celebration was too elaborate, and he was called out, keeping the game at 9-8 going into the fourth.
The Demons only allowed one run in the third via a nice hit between the shortstop and left fielder to tie the game at 9. Durango got Burns to third, but the Grand Junction pitcher struck out McInnes to keep the game tied at nine going into the fourth.
Sophomore Cole Clark got home off a nice grounder by Padilla to put the Demons up 10-9 with zero outs in the fourth. Anderson had an impressive fifth inning, striking out multiple batters.
“I just had a lot of faith in my teammates,” Anderson said. “I knew that we're really good with the stick, so I had no worries in that aspect. I just continued to put it in the zone. Let them hit it.”
The Demons increased their lead a little more in the sixth thanks to a fielding error by the Tigers, allowing McInnes to race ahead for the 11-9 lead. Anderson hit a beauty over the third baseman and down the third baseline for the 12-9 lead.
Grand Junction connected on a few of Anderson’s pitches at the top of the seventh, but those hits went right to Durango’s outfielders for a quick final inning as the victory bell rang in front of the cheering Durango crowd.
“I just kept going off-speed and working it backward,” Anderson said. “They didn’t seem to adjust to it, so it worked well.”
Durango will host Grand Junction on Saturday at 11 a.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
