Cherry Creek used stellar pitching to set the tone for the Class 5A state baseball tournament.
Starters Wyatt Rudden and Ryan Falke combined to allow one run while striking out 15 batters in the Bruins’ first- and second-round victories at All-Star Park in Lakewood on Friday.
Rudden whiffed nine in an 8-0 win over Chaparral in the morning before Falke delivered a strong performance in Game 2 against Grandview. The junior sat down six batters while allowing a run on six hits in six innings of the fifth-seeded Bruins’ 4-1 win to advance to Saturday’s semifinal matchup against No. 2 Regis Jesuit.
Falke surrendered a run in the top of the second inning before four straight scoreless innings. He had good support from the offense, led by junior first baseman Connor Larkin blasting the second of two home runs on the day.
“We’ve had three guys that have thrown really well (this season),” Rudden said. “I knew if I got this game done, the next two will be pitched well.”
In the first-round matchup against Chaparral, Rudden was in control from the jump.
The Cherry Creek junior struck out two batters on 13 pitches in the first inning. And he didn’t stop there.
With strong command of his fastball, Rudden recorded nine strikeouts in seven innings to lead the Bruins to a runaway victory over Chaparral.
“(Rudden) was throwing (his) fastball for strikes and (used) his curveball when he needed it,” Cherry Creek coach Marc Johnson said. “He was dominant.”
Cherry Creek was up 5-0 in the top half of the fourth when Rudden ran into a bit of adversity. After he struck out the first two batters, he hit senior designated hitter Derrick Ball with a pitch before walking third baseman Jordin Albertson. With runners on the corners, Rudden recorded his eighth strikeout to get out of the jam.
“I told him before the game that the one thing he has to do is respond when something goes wrong. I was very pleased,” Johnson said.
Said Rudden: “You have to trust your stuff and stay composed. That’s what I did.”
Rudden’s performance highlighted an all-around effort from the Bruins, who scored in four consecutive innings and smashed three home runs. Senior designated hitter Will Taylor belted a two-run home run in the first inning. Larkin hit a solo home run in the third. In the fourth, sophomore outfielder Tryce Smith blasted a homer over the right field wall before Larkin drove in another run with a triple.
“As a pitcher, there’s no better feeling than your offense hitting the ball for you,” Rudden said. “We were smashing the ball everywhere.”
Grandview’s nine-run seventh drops Prairie View
Before Grandview fell to the Bruins, its first-round matchup against Prairie View featured theatrics fitting for a state tournament.
With the score knotted up at four, Grandview designated hitter Easton Flores hit a screaming fly ball to left field. Prairie View outfielder Favi Gaeta tried to make the catch, but he stumbled on his feet, while the ball went over his head, landing in the warning track as the go-ahead runner slid into home plate.
Flores’ go-ahead single jump-started a nine-run inning as Grandview pulled away for a 13-5 win over Prairie View.
“We just kept doing the right things (at the plate) so everything went well for us in that inning,” junior pitcher Jax Pfister.
Grandview’s emphasis on the little things paid off in a big way. The Wolves recorded four straight bunts during their scoring outburst that served as a difference-maker. With the bases loaded and two outs, Pfister completely sucked the life out of the Thunderhawks by smashing a grand slam to left field.
“(Prairie View reliever Travis Teague) had to come at me eventually. I was sitting on a fastball and he gave it to me,” said Pfister, who gave up four runs on six hits and struck out six batters in five innings on the mound.
