Last year’s disappointment still lingers with the Yuma High School baseball team.
The Outlaws have finished the regular season with a 19-4 record, and will host a four-team regional on Saturday. The team that emerges will advance to the 2A double-elimination state tournament that begins next Friday in Pueblo.
Yuma’s boys of spring certainly hope it will be them this time.
The Outlaws hosted regional last year as the sixth seed. They won their first game, but then were no-hit by Monte Vista in the regional final.
“There definitely is that belief that we can go win the regional tournament, which I think really comes from being in it last year and playing in the regional championship,” coach Brady Nighswonger said. “With just about everyone returning this year, I think they still have a bad taste in their mouth from that, and the goal is to take that next step and go win the thing. Regionals are always tough and we are going to have to play our best baseball, but I think we are in a good place to get it done.”
Yuma was ranked No. 3 in the CHSAA 2A Selection & Seeding Index as of this past Tuesday. The Outlaws dropped to No. 4 after sweeping a one-win Holyoke team last Thursday, but moved back up to third after ending the regular season with a sweep at Burlington on Saturday.
Final regional pairings were released Wednesday. The Outlaws will play No. 30 Burlington at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. No. 14 Lyons and No. 19 Cedaredge will play at 10 a.m. The winners will meet in the regional final at 3 p.m.
“Anytime you get a chance to play on your own turf for a regional it’s always special, and we are looking forward to it,” Nighswonger said. “It should be a great atmosphere and great baseball.”
The Outlaws can set the program record for wins in a season this weekend. They currently are tied with the 2013 team, which won 19 while advancing to the state quarterfinals.
Yuma is in this position by closing the regular season on a 13-game winning streak. The Outlaws’ last loss was in eight innings at home to rival Wray last month. (The Eagles finished the regular season 17-6, but it appears they will have to travel for regional.)
The Outlaws took care of business last Thursday in a rescheduled home double header against Holyoke, sweeping the Dragons 14-0 and 10-0. They made quick work of the visitors as the twin-bill was done in a little over three hours.
They scored all of their runs in the opener in the first three innings as the game was called after the top of the fifth. Chuey Rodriguez hammered two home runs, and Reyli Trejo one, to power the 13-hit attack.
Rodriguez’s first dinger came in the first with Alex Pensado and Lennox Huwa on base for a 3-0 lead.
Yuma scored eight runs in the second. Christian Thomson’s double scored Marvin Duarte and Brody Sheffield. Pensado’s single scored Thomson. Huwa scored on Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly to center, and Pensado scored on a passed ball . Trejo followed with a solo homer. Duarte’s single scored Stevie Seward, and Duarte scored on a wild pitch after Sheffield singled.
Rodriguez homered again in the third with Luis Dominguez on base, and Duarte’s single scored Trejo to round out the scoring.
Chris Wario went three innings on the hill for the win, allowing one hit while striking out two and walking four. Huwa went the final two innings, allowing one hit while striking out one and walking two.
Rodriguez finished with six RBI and two runs scored, Trejo two hits with one RBI and two runs, Thomson two hits with a double, two RBI and one run, Duarte twohits, two RBI and two runs, Sheffield two hits and one run, Pensado two hits, one RBI and two runs, Huwa two runs, Dominguez one run, and Seward one hit and one run.
The Outlaws again got it done in five innings in the nightcap.
Five runs came in the first as Huwa scored on a grounder, Duarte singled in Wario and Seward, Jose Mario Ross scored on a wild pitch, and Duarte scored on a wild pitch. Rodriguez’s double scored Huwa in the second, and Trejo followed with a double to score Ross as a courtesy runner. Pensado’s sacrifice fly scored Dominguez in the third. Ross scored on an error int eh fourth, and the game ended in the fifth as Huwa’s triple scored Pensado.
Ty Weathers got the pitching win, striking out five and walking two over four innings allowing just two singles. Ross got in some closer work again, striking out one in scoreless fifth.
Huwa had two hits with a triple, one RBI and two runs, Trejo two hits with a double and one RBI, Rodriguez a one-run double, Duarte one hit, two RBI and one run, Pensado one RBI and one run, Seward one RBI and one run, Wario one run and Dominguez one run.
The Outlaws closed out the season Saturday with a 4-2, 11-0 sweep at Burlington, which will make the regional field as one of the lower seeds.
The Cougars always give Yuma fits on the diamond. It was not different Saturday as it took all the Outlaws had to pull out the two-run win.
They trailed 2-0 after the first inning. They got one back in the second when Sheffield tripled and scored, and tied it in the third when Huwa scored on Rodriguez’s single. Yuma finally took the lead in the fifth Huwa and Ross scored.
That was enough for Trejo. The senior threw his second straight complete-game win, blanking the Cougars over the final six frames. He scattered seven hits over seven innings, allowing two runs while striking out eight and walking two.
Sheffield had a triple and one run, Thomson a double, Rodriguez two hits and one RBI, Huwa one hit and two runs, Trejo two hits, Brodie Kallweit one RBI, and Ross one run.
The nightcap was done in five innings, thanks to an eight-run outburst in the fourth. Kallweit and Seward scoredin the second. Pensado’s triple scored Wario and Thomson, Huwa’s single scored Pendsado, Trejo’s single scored Huwa, Ross scored on Kallweit’s sacrifice fly, Trejo scored on Seward’s single, and Thomson’s double scored Seward and Duarte. The 11th run came in the fifth when Kallweit stole home following a groundout.
Yuma’s pitching again was dominant as Rodriguez struck out seven and walked two, throwing a one-hitter over four innings. Ross again got in some closer work, throwing a perfect fifth with one strike out.
“It was a great regular season,” Nighswonger said. “It started off a little rocky but I thought we really locked in down the stretch and took care of business. I felt it was really important to finish on a high note and I think we did that.”
Now comes the really fun part.