One-run losses are haunting the Durango High School baseball team.
The Demons (1-7) came into Thursday’s game against Fountain-Fort Carson having lost five of the seven games on the schedule by the narrowest of margins. The hard luck continued Thursday, as DHS found itself on the wrong end of a 6-5 game in extra innings.
Max Hyson was 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs batted in for Durango. Peyton Woolverton pitched seven innings, gave up six hits and three earned runs, struck out eight batters and walked two. Woolverton was also 1-for-4 with a walk, double and a run scored in the loss.
“I’m proud of the way we fought back, but this is obviously starting to wear on us,” Durango head coach Eric Baker said. “It’s the strangest thing. It’s not like we’re over-matched because we’re in all of these games, but eventually there’s not much else to say.”
The Demons scored two runs in the first inning, but the Trojans scored in each of the first four innings to grab a 5-2 lead.
The game stayed that way until the Demons put together a rally in the seventh. Hyson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game 5-5, but Durango couldn’t get the go-ahead run across.
Woolverton held the Trojans scoreless in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Durango couldn’t manage to get a run across in the top of the eighth, and Fountain-Fort Carson (3-3) manufactured the winning run off of Durango’s losing pitcher Dakota Padoven.
“There hasn’t been one consistent thing that has cost us games,” Baker said. “The guys are working hard, but the results we want haven’t been there. We’re close, but it’s hard to keep saying that and have it mean something when you continue to lose in heartbreaking fashion.”
Gavin Mestas and Dawson Marcum were 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Demons.
DHS will try to get things going in the right direction in a 2 p.m. Saturday doubleheader at home against Battle Mountain.
jfries@durangoherald.com
