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BHS playing in Final 8 today
Written by: Joel Priest
5/9/2008
They'll now attempt to go where the Eagles dared last season.
First up however, they'll have to beat those Eagles.
Facing Class 3A's best of the best, Bayfield will challenge the defending state champions Eagles of Arvada's Faith Christian High School this morning in the double-elimination ‘Great Eight’ of the 2008 State Baseball Championships. The first pitch for the Wolverines is scheduled for 10 a.m. 0at Butch Butler Field in Greeley.
Faith Christian enters the tournament with a 19-2 overall record, having won the Metro League with a 15-1 loop mark. Hosting District 1 play last Saturday as the #1-seed, Faith Christian crushed both 32-seed Coal Ridge of New Castle and 17-seed Platte Valley of Kersey by respective counts of 18-0 and 23-2.
Bayfield, the 8-seed, hosted District 2 meanwhile and downed #25 Gunnison 13-4, then #24 Peyton 10-6 to improve their standing to 16-5 overall.
"It's fun when you get to play different teams," said BHS head coach Ken Hibbard. "I thought we had a bit of a ‘home’ advantage today, a bunch of fans, and I’m proud of the kids."
But against the Eagles, i's and t's had to be dotted and crossed.
Every aspect of their skills had to be sharp if BHS is to have a fighting chance today. Basic math tells all one should need to know about Faith's force: 253 runs scored (12.05 per game), 35 allowed (1.67 per).
With Hibbard likely starting senior Michael McGraw, Faith Christian could counter with either senior Pierce Johnson, winner of the 2007 title game against Erie, or 6'6" senior Jobi Wall on the mound. Johnson, Wall, senior Seve Carbajal, and sophomore Mariano Carbajal all boast batting averages topping .500 as well, so every Wolverine pitch will need to be precise.
In the event of an upset, the Wolverines would play again this afternoon at 3 p.m. against either Eaton (18-3) or Roosevelt (18-3), so the road to the state finals would remain most treacherous.
In the Round of Eight, the Reds are the #4 team and the Roughriders are the #5.
A BHS loss would mean an 11 a.m. test against the loser of Eaton or Roosevelet, to be held at the University of Northern Colorado‘s Jackson Field.
Should the Wolverines win, it would mean an immediate turnaround to play at 1:30 p.m., the winner surviving to see next Friday's Final Four, then possibly the May 17 championship game.
Another loss though...well, let’s not go there.
DISTRICT DIAMOND DIRT
McGraw (6-2) threw a complete game against Gunnison, giving up 12 hits but striking out seven. With major help from his defense, McGraw stranded six runners (of nine total) in scoring position. Logan Funkhouser (2.2 IP, 3 H, R, 3 K) came in to spell Jeff Huffmyer against Peyton and improved to 3-1 as BHS rallied from a 6-2 deficit.
Against the Cowboys (10-10 overall), leftfielder Nic Mimmack was 3-3 hitting (3B, 2 R). Huffmyer (1-3, R, 3 RBI), centerfielder Marshall Beebe (2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI), and rightfielder Trevor Most (1-2, 2 R, 4 RBI) all belted home runs, Most's being a backbreaking grand slam.
“I've been waiting a long time to do that,” said the senior. “I haven't been hitting a lot lately but that helped out a bunch. I didn’t even think I hit it that hard.”
Mimmack again provided sudden punch against the Panthers (12-9), going 3-4 with two runs scored, and two RBI on a homer to right. Beebe (2-3) homered to left and scored twice, and third baseman Brenden Harrison (3-4) slammed the door with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning, plating Mimmack and first baseman Travis Newell.
“We knew we had to come back,” said Beebe, “and we weren’t going to lose this game.”
There was talk of moving district play from Bayfield’s funky little field near the middle school to fancier digs in Durango, but the Wolverines were glad to play at home.
“If we would have played all this in Durango, it wouldn't have been half as fun,” Beebe said.
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Articles:
5/9/2008 BHS playing in Final 8 today
5/2/2008 CHSCA dubs Kimball their year's best
4/25/2008 BHS belts Shiprock on Senior Day, 12-2
4/18/2008 BHS, Pagosa girls deadlocked again
4/11/2008 Going toe to toe
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