It was the perfect ending to a historic day for Bayfield baseball.
On Saturday, the team opened its new home field, complete with the Star-Spangled Banner performed by the Marching Wolverines.
The event was capped with a 7-3 victory over the 5A Aztec Tigers. Then on Monday, Bayfield defeated Kirtland in a doubleheader, 12-5 and 13-0.
"It was great having the whole community out here to come support us and watch us," junior center fielder Brody McGhehey said on Saturday. "It was nice.playing on a new field-it's a lot nicer than the old middle-school field-and it was nice to have such a big crowd out here."
Senior second baseman Anthony Chamblee recorded the first varsity run on the new field, followed later by Kelton McCoy hitting the first homer, bringing in Zane Phelps and leading the game 3-0.
"The hit by Kelton.they've all been fighting over who's going to hit the first home run on the new field," said Head Coach Jon Qualls. "So glad to get that one out of the way!"
Colter McMenimen doubled and later scored in the Bayfield third inning, and McCoy tripled, leading off the fifth.
Aztec led off the guests' sixth with a single and later scored on a delayed double-steal, in which McCoy gunned out Brandon Archuleta at second.
Bayfield then responded with runs by McGhehey and Phelps.
"We scored in most of the innings.it wasn't our best game, but we did the job," Qualls said.
Phelps was ecstatic about the team's win. "It was awesome! We expected Brody to throw a first strike, and we knew somebody was going to hit one out today," he said.
McGhehey scattered seven AHS hits and allowed none of his six walked Tigers to score during five innings of work, while striking out four to earn the win on the hill.
"Yeah, I was kind of missing my spots sometimes on some pitches," McGhehey said. "Walked a couple people, they got some hits off me.but I was just able to work out of that with the help of my defense."
"That's always our first priority," stated Phelps. "We just want to make sure we don't give up easy runs, don't give up big innings. And put a run on the board every inning-that's what we play by."
McCoy finished 3-4 with two runs and three RBIs versus Aztec. Knickerbocker was 2-4, McMenimen 1-2 with a walk and Chamblee 1-3 with a walk.
"It was a great Opening Day," Qualls said. "The weather.it's always nice when you get a day like this in Colorado. So to open a field like this, it's pretty special. And we got the win to put the 'icing' on top!"
In opening ceremonies, Bayfield Superintendent Troy Zabel thanked voters for approving the bond to build the new field. He was joined on the field by Tim Stumpf, president of the school board.
Tod Funkhouser, a BHS baseball dad and architect who worked on the project, threw the opening pitch.
On Monday, the Wolverines made the road trip to Kirtland. Dillon Hoselton, Phelps, and junior Taed Heykinger pitched the winning games.
Chamblee went 3-4 in Jon Qualls' leadoff spot, scoring three times and swiping three bases. McGhehey went 2-4, scored twice and plated two as eight different purple jerseys each scored at least once.
Eight runs came across during the first three innings of Game 2 for Bayfield, as KCHS crumbled to 2-12 overall (0-0 Dist. 1-4A) after managing just two hits-both off McCoy in the bottom of the fifth as daylight dwindled-as opposed to the Wolverines' 17.
Senior Matthew Knickerbocker bashed a homer as part of a 4-for-4, three-run, four-RBI showing, while McCoy was 3-4 with a double, a run and two knocked in.
First baseman Noah Loutherback and McMenimen each went 2-4, combining to score three times and drive in as many, and Chamblee was 1-5 with two runs.
Now 7-2 overall and ranked ninth in this week's CHSAANow.com Class 3A poll, BHS will at last begin Intermountain League play tomorrow with two games (the first to start at 11 a.m.) against Centauri out in La Jara.
