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Wolverines win ’23 diamond debut, 9-3

BHS belts Glenwood Springs in Montrose
Bayfield freshman Tavian Box smacks a two-RBI double, in his first varsity plate appearance, against Glenwood Springs on Friday in Montrose. The Wolverines defeated the Demons 9-3. (Joel Priest/Special to the Herald)

MONTROSE – Resisting weather still more wintry than wonderful, Bayfield baseball broke out to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning Friday and never looked back to begin the 2023 season by defeating 4A Glenwood Springs by six, 9-3, at the Montrose Invitational.

“We’re finally on grass. It’s the first time we’ve been outside all year; one day, we threw in our parking lot,” BHS head coach Bert Miller said. “Glenwood, they’re just like us; they haven’t been on a field. We were all kind of rusty, but it worked out in our favor.”

Getting to Demon right-hander Jackson Aguirre quickly, Wolverine senior catcher Nic Twedt drew a walk leading off and quickly stole second with senior shortstop Lance Mazur at bat. Mazur went down swinging, and senior Caden Wood then struck out looking. But Twedt managed to steal third with senior first baseman Noah Chamblee in the right-handed batters’ box, and Chamblee brought him in by flaring a single into short right field.

Bayfield senior Jackson Queen pitches against Glenwood Springs on Friday in Montrose. Queen earned the win on the mound as the Wolverines notched a season-opening 9-3 win over the Demons. (Joel Priest/Special to the Herald)

Senior pitcher Jackson Queen then lined an Aguirre pitch to center, and was fortunate Zac Pidcock couldn’t squeeze the ball after making a fine dive to grab it. Chamblee hurried from first to third on the error, and third baseman Tavian Box followed with a two-RBI double to left-center in his first varsity plate appearance.

“Tavian’s a freshman with lots of potential,” Miller said. “And he stepped up, had a key hit and played great defense at third base. The bottom of our lineup in general was very effective.”

Queen worked swiftly through GSHS’ first two times at bat, issuing two walks but striking out four. Queen then led off Bayfield’s third inning with a single to center. Box barely missed an extra-base knock to center as Pidcock caught the fly, but Queen had already stolen second. He then took third on a passed ball charged to Demon catcher Nate Grosscup with Dante Candelaria at bat, and Candelaria zipped a low RBI-single along the third-base line into left.

Sophomore Austin Wilmer and senior Andrés “Andy” Monger (0-0, 3 BB, R) then both walked to load the bases, and Twedt (0-0, 3 BB, HBP) plated Candelaria with an RBI-walk. Mazur lined a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Wilmer (0-1, BB, R), and Wood followed with a two-RBI double over left fielder Leo Meraz – which marked the end for Aguirre (L; 2.2 IP, 5 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 2 HB).

Chamblee (1-3, BB, R, RBI) would then reach via an error by Demon first baseman Geo Salcido, and Queen (2-4, 2 R, RBI) knocked in Wood (1-3, 2B, HBP, R, 2 RBI) with a single to right off lefty reliever Cole Sherick. Box (1-4, 2 RBI) then ripped a threatening liner to left and hustled to second, but Meraz somehow speared it for the third out.

Glenwood Springs went quietly in the bottom of the third, but got on the glitchy scoreboard in the fourth via a two-out, two-RBI double off Queen by third baseman Jacob Sims. Queen (W; 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K), however, recovered by getting Salcido to fly out to Wood in center, and was then replaced in the bottom of the fifth.

“First game of the year; he probably threw 60, 70 pitches, and did very well,” Miller said of Queen. “Very effective.”

Sherick greeted junior Brandon Anderson with a lead double to center, and soon came home via shortstop Jackson Irving’s sacrifice fly to Wood, but Anderson (IP, H, ER, K, HB) later stranded Demons at the corners by striking out Aguirre. Playing to an apparent time limit so GSHS could begin their second tournament game – against Montrose – as close to on time as possible, Bayfield (1-0 overall) was declared victorious though unable to enact any kind of run rule.

Wasting no time building on last spring’s 19-8 record, the Wolverines – ranked No. 7 in the preseason CHSAANow.com Class 3A poll – were to next face Frisco-based 4A Summit (0-1), plus 4A Gypsum Eagle Valley (0-1) on Day 2 of the Invitational. Results were unavailable at press time.

Glenwood Springs, meanwhile, lost 8-0 to the event-hosting Red Hawks (action was stopped after GSHS batted in the top of the sixth), but reportedly gutted out a third game in the cold, rainy conditions and edged Eagle Valley 11-10 in a full seven.

Bayfield Baseball head coach Bert Miller wishes Glenwood Springs' Rob Norville good luck before the teams’ season-opening meeting Friday at the Montrose Invitational. BHS would defeat GSHS 9-3. (Joel Priest/Special to the Herald)