Leading 8-2 against Valor Christian, the Durango High School baseball team couldn’t seal the deal.
The DHS Demons (10-8, 5-5 Southwestern League) went on to lose 11-8 to the Eagles (13-5) on Friday in Highlands Ranch. The Eagles scored seven runs in the fourth inning to take a 9-8 lead, and they never looked back.
“We always play Valor, and we always play right with them. I feel like we should be competing with teams like that,” DHS head coach Rob Coddington said. “If it is not for one big inning, that game is ours.”
Blake Dunlap went 2-for-4 with a double, four runs batted in and two runs scored for the Demons. He started the game on the mound and lasted four innings. He gave up nine earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out five.
Ben Wiley pitched two innings in relief of Dunlap.
“Ben kept us close. He did a good job and showed control,” Coddington said. “We just weren’t able to score any more runs.”
Lawrence Mayberry was 2-for-3 at the plate with one run scored and one RBI for DHS.
The Demons scored five runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth before the Eagles’ big inning.
“We’ve had too many big innings against us. We have to eliminate that from our game,” Coddington said. “If we eliminate those, we can beat anybody we play.”
The Demons’ regular season will come to a conclusion with a game at the Fort Collins Lambkins at 11 a.m. Saturday.
DHS already owns an 11-7 victory against Fort Collins this year, coming in the first game of the season for the Demons.
“We know what to expect, and they’ve been playing a lot of good games,” Coddington said. “We have to play a good game and try to finish with a win to give ourselves a solid chance to host a district playoff game.”
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