GREELEY – With a name confusing the public-address mouthpiece from start to finish, Eban Ficklin channeled a little of the “Bull Durham” character Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh and announced his presence with authority on Saturday.
With the Delta Panthers well into their second trip through their order during a two-out, sixth-inning rally, Ficklin sensed his best chance to do damage would present right away.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the “home” team at Tom Roche Field in Greeley, the junior designated hitter guessed correctly.
Facing junior Brandon Anderson, taking over for senior reliever Noah Chamblee, Ficklin flogged the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for a two-out, two-run homer – increasing 7-seed Delta’s advantage to 10-6. Delta eventually scored a 12-6 victory, with the game slowed by a 2-hour, 56-minute lightning and rain delay.
“The first pitch he threw … it was pretty much what our coach throws for B.P.,” Ficklin said. “Same speed, and so I just took my B.P. mentality and jumped on that first-pitch fastball. It was right there.”
The 14th of 15 Panthers to bat during the breakout sixth inning, which Bayfield led 6-0 at the start, starting pitcher Landon Kennell then cranked an RBI-ground-rule double to left. Anderson got junior Landan Clay to pop up to a dejected Chamblee – back manning his customary first base – to mercifully end a torturous inning Wolverine Baseball and its supporters can only hope to soon forget.
Not even Delta’s players saw the inning coming – particularly after BHS senior Jackson Queen (ND; 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 5 K) had worked out of not one, not two, but three dangerous situations in five scoreless innings before suddenly exiting two batters into the Panthers’ sixth, favoring his potent right arm after walking senior left fielder Konner Workman.
“That was kind of a relief. That first guy (Queen), I give props to him. Hope I don’t have to see him again; he was just a great pitcher,” said DHS senior catcher Luke Gastineau. “It gave us the opportunity to step up, do what we needed to win.”
The game was postponed after Bayfield pinch-hitter Cole Wagner struck out against Delta reliever Braeden Sprout leading off the bottom of the sixth. The inclement-weather interruption unfortunately bought the Wolverines no extra time; Sprout fanned seniors Nic Twedt and Lance Mazur to end the sixth, then retired senior Caden Wood, Chamblee and sophomore Austin Wilmer – batting for Queen – in the seventh to abruptly end Bayfield’s season.
Having lost 7-6 to Denver-based No. 11 Colorado Academy the morning before, the No. 3 Wolverines finished 18-6 in 2023.
“Two tough losses,” said head coach Bert Miller, standing next to BHS’ idling bus and needing to say little more.
“That was crazy,” Delta freshman Kennell (W; 5 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 HB, 6 K) said of the Panthers’ comeback. “When the person in front of you gets on base and passes the bat, it just gives you so much more confidence when you go up to the plate.”
“And Braeden (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 HB, 4 K) just came in there and threw strikes,” he continued. “That’s all you need to do – throw strikes, be around the zone, and not give up freebies. And we played clean defense behind him … got it done.”
Getting it done, however, took some doing. Wood turned a 6-3 double play off Panther sophomore Ty Reed’s bat in the Delta seventh, but Bynum followed with a triple off freshman Tavian Box (IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 HB, 0 K) and promptly scored when Box – BHS’ starting third baseman – pitched wild to Sprout (4-5, 2B, R, RBI).
Sprout then singled to center. After beaning both Workman and Ficklin, Box got Jesse Delgado to ground out to Wood – leaving the Wolverines six runs away from extra innings.
Queen finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, while Wood went 2-4, scored two runs and plated one. Twedt went 1-4, reached once via error and scored twice. Mazur ended up 1-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and scored twice. Chamblee (L; 0.2 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K) walked twice but finished 0-for-2. Sophomore Micah Cornelia went 0-2 with a sacrifice fly and one RBI. On the hill, Anderson worked one-third of an inning, gave up two hits and two runs, one earned.
Gastineau finished 2-4 with a walk and also reached via fielder’s choice, and logged three RBIs via a bases-clearing single off Chamblee in Delta’s sixth. Kennell went 2-4 with a walk, run and RBI. Workman 0-2 with two walks, a hit-by-pitch and two runs. Ficklin 2-4 with a double, hit-by-pitch, run and three batted for DHS.
Delta then beat No. 5 Montezuma-Cortez 13-3 to keep its title hopes alive. Delta, No. 1 Eaton, No. 2 University and Colorado Academy will return to Greeley next week to play for the Class 3A state championship.
