Standing in right field, Regis Jesuit senior Brody Chyr knew the Class 5A semifinal matchup against Cherry Creek would be decided in the sixth inning on Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders’ three-run lead was threatened as pitcher Luke Reasbeck gave up a single, a walk and threw a wild pitch, to put runners on second and third with one out. But Reasbeck’s confidence was unshaken.
Reasbeck struck out Bruins designated hitter Will Taylor with an off-speed pitch on a 3-2 count then forced third baseman Mason Scott to ground out, as Regis Jesuit escaped the sixth without allowing a run.
“My blood pressure dropped after that,” Regis Jesuit coach Matt Darr said.
Reasbeck’s dominance on the mound, mixed with timely hitting, allowed the Raiders to defeat Cherry Creek, 3-0, at All-Star Park in Lakewood.
After the Bruins smashed a combined four home runs in their first- and second-round matchups, Reasbeck kept their bats quiet. He pitched a complete game, allowing two hits and three walks and struck out nine batters.
“He was a dog on the mound,” said Chyr. “It was an unbelievable performance.”
Darr said Reasbeck wasn’t afraid to attack Cherry Creek’s talented lineup, which drove in 12 runs in two games on Friday. After Reasbeck gave up a leadoff walk in the first, he struck out two batters to get out of the inning. In the fourth, he forced Scott to ground into a double play before he struck out shortstop Sean Goldy.
The Raiders had opportunities to put runs on the board in the first two innings but couldn’t deliver. They left runners on second and third in the opening frame after second baseman Hudson Alpert grounded to first. In the following inning, junior designated hitter Justin Steinbeck reached second on an error but first baseman Jace Filleman failed to drive him home as he popped out to third.
Regis Jesuit’s aggressive approach in the third inning played in its favor. Senior shortstop Andrew Bell smacked a first-pitch single before Chyr drove him in on an RBI-triple.
The Raiders collected five hits on Saturday.
“(Cherry Creek starting pitcher Tyler Weston) threw the pitch right where I wanted it and I was able to do damage,” Chyr said on his triple.
The Raiders tacked on two more runs after third baseman Trevor Nordstrom sent Chyr home on a ground ball to first. Later in the fifth, Goldy’s attempt to complete the double play went wrong, as his throw to first skipped past junior Connor Larkin, allowing Regis Jesuit to score another run to take a 3-0 lead.
When Cherry Creek tried to make up for the error, it couldn’t. After Reasbeck escaped trouble in the sixth, he struck out Bruins pinch-hitter Joel Gibas on an outside pitch in the seventh to secure the victory.
“Once I got out of the (sixth), I knew it was going to be smooth sailing from there,” Reasbeck said.
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