BAYFIELD – Neither team played like a state champion Friday, but one will likely have a golden opportunity to become one by the end of May.
The Bayfield High School baseball team hosted Class 2A top-ranked Paonia on Friday afternoon. Both teams struggled to pitch to a tight but consistent strike zone, and errors mounted for the Bayfield Wolverines. Behind a nine-run third inning, the Paonia Eagles defeated the Wolverines 15-5 to improve to 11-0 this season.
Beating a Class 3A Bayfield team with a strong reputation around the state was another strong victory for the Eagles, who earned a big 7-5 win at Class 5A Grand Junction on Tuesday.
“Bayfield didn’t play as well as I know they can,” Paonia head coach Nate Miller said. “They gave us a lot of free runs. At the end of the day, it’s still a win for us.
“Tuesday was huge for us. Winning a big game like that, it can be hard to get up for the next one. I’ve been on both sides when you lose or like today when you win. It’s a great week with wins against Grand Junction and Bayfield.”
Bayfield (7-3, 4-0 3A Intermountain League) committed seven errors in the game, five of which came in the big third inning. It didn’t help the Wolverines were without three regular starters. Fred Edwards missed Friday and will miss a league doubleheader Saturday at Centauri to play tennis. Max McGhehey is battling a hip injury, and Kirk Malone also has an injury that won’t allow him to play. Add in a few players out with illness, and BHS head coach Danny Petrie was forced to call up junior varsity players and cancel a junior varsity road doubleheader on Friday.
“We missed a couple of big sticks in the lineup and guys who are fast on the bases that help the cohesion we’ve built,” Petrie said. “It made it tough. We wish they were able to play, but we can’t cry about it and have to move on.”
Bayfield earned a 1-0 lead in the second inning, as Tyler Conner drew a walk with the bases loaded to score Kaleb Heck, who had a one-out single followed by a Hub Brandon single to get into scoring position.
The Eagles answered back in the third. BHS starting pitcher Hayden Farmer let emotions get to him with the tight strike zone. He walked Kelby Carver to start the inning, and Slater Podgorny reached on an error. Kayden Seriani, one of the state’s top pitching prospects who played center field Friday, then drew a walk to load the bases.
Petrie opted to have his infield play in to try to cut down a run at the plate. Jaden Miller made the Wolverines pay for that decision, as he hit a hard shot to short stop that got by the BHS fielder, who would’ve been able to make the play if he was playing a normal depth. With as hard as the ball was hit, BHS likely could’ve exchanged a double play while giving up only one run. Instead, it was 2-1 Paonia, and the inning was only beginning.
Alex Lozano had an RBI-single, as did Podgrony in his second at-bat of the inning. Seriani capped off the inning with a two-run double. The five errors made the Wolverines hang their heads, but they kept clawing back little by little.
“When we let our emotion show, it controls us,” Petrie said. “We can’t let that happen. We have to let it go and move on to the next pitch or next play.”
Farmer lasted four innings. He issued four walks and struck out two. He gave up four hits and was charged with four of the nine runs that crossed home plate on his watch.
Andrew Morgan pitched in relief, and the Eagles knocked him around for nine hits and another six runs. He struck out one and didn’t issue a walk.
Trevor Smith was the winning pitcher for Paonia. He lasted 3 1-3 innings and gave up three hits and five walks and hit one batter while he struck out four. He was charged with three runs.
BHS scored one run in the third inning thanks to a Paonia error. Michael Gettman had an RBI-double in the fourth inning, and Austin Bushnell had a sacrifice fly, as Conner and Morgan scored in the inning. The Wolverines tackled on another run in the fifth thanks to another Paonia error.
But Paonia, a state semifinalist a year ago in 2A, committed only the two errors in the game and played a strong game defensively.
“We had to throw right down the middle,” said Paonia catcher Jaden Miller. “It was more trying to let them hit it then strike them out. We made plays in the field that we wouldn’t of made last year at state, and that’s what cost us.”
Paonia will play a doubleheader Saturday at Dove Creek, while BHS will try to stay unbeaten in the IML with two big games at Centauri on Saturday. After pitching both Farmer and Morgan and missing an arm in Edwards, BHS will hand the ball to young pitchers Saturday.
“Younger boys will get an opportunity and see what they can do,” Petrie said. “We’re building for next year, but we want to win and have to keep plugging along. We want to win our division outright so we are in the playoffs regardless.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
