A nine-run sixth inning and strong pitching from senior Blake Dunlap carried Durango High School to another victory.
Already leading 5-1, the DHS Demons (10-6, 5-4 Southwestern League) rallied in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 14-1, and Dunlap finished off Grand Junction Central (12-4, 4-3 SWL) in the bottom half to wrap up the Demons’ fifth consecutive win.
“The kids are playing good ball right now, and it is fun to listen to them in the dugout and watch them pick each other up on the field,” DHS head coach Rob Coddington said.
Dunlap pitched all six innings, giving up one earned run on two hits and a couple of walks, Coddington said. He had five strikeouts and twice worked out of bases-loaded situations.
“Everyone on defense competed hard. There were a couple of errors, but it was on plays where kids were being aggressive and trying to make plays,” Coddington said. “We’ve really cut down on our errors and walks in the last couple of weeks, and that’s helping us a lot.”
Chris Jaworsky helped spark the sixth inning rally for the Demons. He came through with a two-run double to create momentum. He was 1-for-4 in the game.
Jeremy Szura went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and two runs scored. Isiah Mayberry was 2-for-4 with four runs batted in, and Hayden Sill was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Zac Gasaway also went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
“We hit a lot of line drives and kept scoring guys,” Coddington said. “We got to their starter and then hit a couple of their relievers real well.”
The win gave DHS a sweep of Grand Junction Central. Two of the Warriors’ three league losses have come to the Demons.
The Demons still are mathematically alive in the SWL championship hunt, but it will take some help and a few losses by Montrose (12-2, 6-2 SWL). Coddington is more focused on the team playing one out and one run at a time as they wrap up the SWL schedule with a game at Grand Junction (11-6, 4-4) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The Tigers beat DHS 10-6 in Durango earlier this year despite only managing four hits in the game.
“We aren’t putting a lot of pressure on ourselves. We know where we are and know we are playing good baseball,” Coddington said. “We have three games left, and every win will help us in a couple of weeks. We are taking a real tenacious approach to each inning right now, and that’s what we have to keep doing.”
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