The Bayfield baseball team didn’t have the best showing over the weekend at the Oeltjenbruns Memorial Tournament at Montrose High School and Delta High School, losing all three games.
Having seen his start on the mound Saturday morning come to an early end after giving up a two-RBI single to Rifle senior Joey Spritzer, then an RBI-triple to senior Josh Wright, and then seeing Robbie Magnuson reach first via third baseman Cameron Queen’s fielding error, there perhaps was no better example of quickly things turned all weekend against Bayfield than when Micah Cornelia was moved from the mound into the infield.
Shifted over to third, ironically, with Queen repositioned and first baseman Josiah Mayfield pulled from play, action found the spent senior as quickly as it could, with Bear sophomore Blake Rider ripping an Owen Eidem offering down the line and directly past Cornelia’s outstretched glove, plating Magnuson and officially closing the book on Cornelia’s pitching effort.
Coincidentally, RHS starter Ryder Bjurstrom then brought Rider home via a single, and would score himself three hitters later via a wild Eidem pitch – with the bases loaded – to senior Quentin Kramer. Kramer would strike out swinging, but Rifle had racked up seven runs – all coming with two out – and turned a 3-0 advantage into 10-0 security over the Wolverines.
Bjurstrom then worked quickly through the bottom third of BHS head coach Clay Miller’s order in the top of the fifth to clinch the mercy-rule victory. Cornelia (L; 3.2 IP, 4 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, HB, 2 K) came up representing the designated guests’ last hope but bounced to third baseman Baden Phillips – who threw to second baseman Kramer to complete the fielder’s choice retiring Beck.
Only junior Tavian Box (1-2) managed to log a true hit off Bjurstrom (W, CG; 5 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 8 K), while senior Austin Wilmer (0-1) drew a walk and senior Isaac Forsythe (0-2) reached via error when Spritzer spilled Forsythe’s fly to center.
Burned by the big inning all weekend, there was still work to do at the two-day Luke Oeltjenbruns Memorial Tournament – held at venues in both Delta and Montrose Counties – for the Wolverines later that afternoon. As fate would have it, Bayfield had to face the event-hosting Delta Panthers … in Delta.
BHS fared somewhat better, at least on the scoreboard which showed the guests with four runs. DHS, however, finished with 10 in the regulation seven innings – leaving Bayfield 0-3 at the tourney, and 1-3 overall in the young 2025 season.
Box went 1-2 with a double, run, and two runs batted in, while senior Brendan Heydinger went 1-3 with a double and two RBI. Cornelia went 2-4 with a run, while Wilmer, Forsythe and Anderson each went 1-3. Wilmer and Queen (0-2, BB) each scored one run in defeat.
On Friday, Bayfield took on Montrose at MHS – the same site as against Rifle – and fell 12-2 in six innings. Five of the Red Hawks’ runs came in the bottom of the third after the Wolverines had closed to 3-2. Montrose then added two runs in the bottom of the fourth, plus two in the home half the sixth.
Heydinger and Queen each went 1-3 with a double and one RBI, Forsythe went 1-3, and Cornelia was 1-3 with a hit-by-pitch. Box finished 1-2 with a walk, Wilmer went 0-1 with two walks and one run scored, and junior Tyler Harriman (0-0) logged one run. Wilmer (2 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) took the loss against Montrose, and Queen (3 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 3 ER, BB, HB, 3 K) the loss against Delta.
Bayfield will next travel to Aztec for AHS’ Tiger Invitational on Thursday-Saturday and will first face 4A Taos on Thursday at 10 a.m.
