Needing a win to preserve postseason hopes, the Durango High School baseball team went on the road and handled business against cross-county rival Bayfield High School.
The Demons picked up a 11-2 win Tuesday at BHS. Gus Kidd continued his hot hitting, Kegan D’Aleo was tough on the mound, and Durango did what it needed in the regular-season finale.
Durango will find out for certain if it made a Class 4A regional tournament and where it will play when brackets are released Wednesday. Regionals will be held Saturday. Thirty-two teams make regionals, and DHS is currently No. 29 in the RPI rankings.
“I thought we would move up with a win, and we look to be 29,” DHS head coach Eric Baker said. “It’s hard to predict, but a number of regional hosts will be in Denver, and Pueblo West should have one and so should Palisade. Sometimes they do stuff for geography and keep a team closer to home, but Montrose is qualified as well. We will see what they do.”
The win Tuesday gave Durango (11-8) a season sweep in the two-game series against Class 3A Bayfield (10-9). The Wolverines rested their top pitchers Tuesday. Even though BHS is No. 31 in the Class 3A RPI, the Wolverines are guaranteed a spot in the regionals by finishing second in the Intermountain League.
The rivalry win was sweet for the Demons.
“The guys are really happy about the win,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of rivalry between Bayfield and Durango kids; it’s kind of interesting. We have a lot of football players in our dugout, too, and that’s a pretty special rivalry more in football than baseball, but it carries over. Bayfield won in football and basketball this year, and we didn’t want to be beaten in baseball.”
Bayfield took a 2-0 lead with one run in each of the first two innings. But Durango answered with seven runs in the top of the third and tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning. With a pair of runs in the seventh, DHS built its 11-2 advantage.
“Bayfield came out and got one in each of the first two and got up on us a bit,” Baker said. “We were getting runners in position and felt like we’d push them across sooner or later. The big third inning felt good.”
Baker felt his team was being too patient at the plate in the first few innings and encouraged the Demons to swing freely and be more aggressive. They answered.
Kidd went 3-for-5 at the plate with a double, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Dawson Marcum was 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored. Fynn Hyson was 1-for-5 with two RBIs and one run. Jordan Woolverton went 3-for-3 with a triple, one RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Genualdi and Max Hyson each had doubles.
Marcum and Gavin Mestas stole two bases each, and Kidd added another steal.
D’Aleo pitched six innings. He allowed nine hits and two runs, but neither were earned. He struck out nine and didn’t issue a walk. Gage Mestas closed with a perfect seventh inning.
“Kegan has thrown really well all year,” Baker said. “He doesn’t throw hard enough to be unhittable, but he spots the ball well, keeps hitters off balance. They get hits off him but not a whole lot of damage. He’s come into his own as a senior. His physicality and maturity has made him a tough pitcher.”
D’Aleo will be available in relief this weekend. The team’s top-two starters, Fynn Hyson and Gavin Mestas, will both be ready to start.
“We’re healthy enough and rested enough and ready to play two games Saturday,” Baker said.
Michael Gettman took the loss on the mound for the Wolverines. In three innings, he gave up seven hits and seven runs – six earned. He walked four, struck out five and hit two batters.
Max McGhehey led BHS at the plate. He was 2-for-4 with a run. Jake Brandon was 2-for-4, and Alec Demko went 1-for-3 with a triple and a run.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
