Senior Zane Phelps had quite the good fortune on the mound last week, firing a six-inning perfect game to help Bayfield blank Intermountain Leaguers Centauri 10-0 in Game 1 of a May 3 doubleheader at Wolverine Field. He then contributed two innings towards a three-man perfecto four days later in Game 2 of two at Pagosa Springs.
Frankly, the Wolverines' fortune as a whole probably hasn't been better, statistically speaking, all season. Since a 6-4 loss at 4A Durango on April 26, BHS has won its most recent six outings by a combined 94-4 margin, including last Saturday's 28-0, 21-0 decimation of the Pirates. The wins helped Bayfield secure the IML with an 8-0 mark.
"It's good that we won," Head Coach Jon Qualls said via phone, "but I don't know how much it helped us."
The squad will find out this weekend.
As of Tuesday night, Bayfield (15-4 overall) stood 13th in the Class 3A ratings percentage index table, its 0.554508 mark behind Denver Colorado Academy (0.558359), Manitou Springs (0.565172) and #10 Gunnison (0.567208). Eaton led with a 0.668773 figure.
After CHSAA's seeding committee met Wednesday, the Wolverines indeed received the #13 seed in the 32-team state tournament, and a date with #20 Bennett tomorrow in a District 3 semifinal at Lamar.
"We'll be traveling, but that may be good for us," said Qualls.
Also 15-4 overall and third in the Tri-Peaks League's East Division, Lamar received the 4-seed and will first clash with Centauri, given the #29 after going 8-10 during the regular season and 5-3 in the IML. Bennett, meanwhile, will check in standing just 10-6 but a third-place 8-2 in the Frontier League.
The semifinals' winners will then battle later in the day at Merchants Park for a berth in the 'Great Eight.'
In Pagosa Springs on Saturday, senior Noah Loutherback went 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs and an awesome seven RBI in the Game 1 explosion which saw BHS go for 10 runs in the top of the second inning and 12 in the fifth. Senior Brody McGhehey went 3-6 with a homer, four runs and five RBI, and Phelps (3-4, 4 R), senior Kelton McCoy (2-5, 4 R) and senior Taed Heydinger (2-3, 2 HBP, SAC-FLY 5 R) each plated three.
McGhehey earned the win, tossing two unblemished frames and striking out two, while freshman Andrew Morgan (2 IP, 2 H, 5 K) and sophomore Michael Gettman (IP, 0 H, BB) also put in work on the hill.
"We threw a lot of pitchers," said Qualls of the twinbill, "and we hit the ball really good."
McCoy received the Game 2 starting assignment, and after Bayfield banged out three runs in the top of the first, that was all the support he, Phelps and junior Fred Edwards would need in not surrendering a base. McCoy would fan five before giving the ball to Phelps, who then struck out as many before giving way to the left-handed Edwards for a 1-2-3 fifth completing the hurlers' gem.
"It's pretty cool to get another," Qualls said, "especially using different pitchers."
Offensively, BHS scored in every inning and put across two runs in the second, five in the third, six in the fourth and another five in the fifth. Loutherback again was deadly with the bat, going 3-4 with two runs and three RBI, and Phelps brought five runs in and scored twice with 2-for-4 work.
McCoy helped his own cause with four RBI and two runs scored while going 2-4. Heydinger was 1-for-3 and scored four times and senior Logan Sabinski 3-4 with two runs and as many ribbies. All told, every Wolverine regular in the game had at least one knock, and senior Cam Seivert-used as a courtesy runner, primarily for catcher Austin Bushnell-scored three times.
Pagosa Springs finished the regular season 0-8 in league (2-16 overall) after Tuesday's 14-2, 18-11 losses at home to Alamosa (5-3 IML, 5-14 overall), bumping Monte Vista (2-6, 6-13) up into fourth place in the loop.
CAN SCORE SOME TOO: Bennett also enjoyed quite a ride offensively, one of the state's longest this season in fact, on April 22 when the Tigers bashed a reported 25 hits and capitalized upon six errors in mauling KIPP Denver Collegiate by a 38-0 margin.
Averaging about 11.2 runs per game, BHS' season began with a 20-1 crushing of Kersey Platte Valley in non-league play, and Bennett more recently put up 21 in a FL rout of Granby Middle Park on Monday.
UNTOUCHABLE: In the aforementioned perfect game versus Centauri, Phelps threw only 65 pitches and struck out 11 Falcons in retiring the minimum 18, and also went 3-for-4 batting with a triple, one run and two RBI.
