Nine-year-old Matt Pane is a picture of concentration Wednesday as he connects with a baseball on a tee on the fields at the La Plata County Fairgrounds during the Rockies Baseball Skills Challenge. Sponsored by the Colorado Rockies, Durango Parks and Recreation Department and Colorado Parks and Recreation Association, the Baseball Skills Challenge was held for area youths ages 6 to 13. Boys and girls competed in running, throwing and batting skills. The top boy and girl in each age group will advance to the regional competition and from the regional level, to the state championship, which will be held before a Rockies home game. Phillip Quintana was the winner in the boys 6-7-year-old division, Wyatt Bartel took second and Seth Baxter was third. In the 8-9-year-old division, Matt Pane took first with Jordan Stanley second and Eppie Quintana third. In the 10-11-year-old division, Tyrell Martinez took first, Haezen Mestas was second and Dixon Shropshire was third. Moises Zenizo won in the 12-13-year-old division, and Andrew Morgan took second. Raban Shropshire won the girls 8-9-year-old divison, and Makayla Howell won the girls 12-13-year-old division.
Douglas Malcolm, 10, launches one skyward Wednesday at the Baseball Skills Challenge.
