PEOPLE - What the leaden skies never delivered, the Christian bats of Denver did. There was more Thunder in the first two innings than a late Limon rally could overcome.
Denver Christian got past Lemon ace Keon Bandy early with critical hits in the first and second innings.
In the first inning, Nathan Buehler led off with a walk, followed by Caleb Stork driving it home with a double to left-center. The Thunder faithful had barely returned to their seats. Stork advanced to third on a wild pitch and then ran home on a pass ball.
When the Thunder returned to the plate in the top of the second, the story played out to a strikingly similar tune. This time it was Devon Van Andel who led off with a walk. Buehler took advantage of his turn to increase the lead with a brace that brought Van Andel home.
Limon's trainer Rocky Rockwell had seen enough. Switching positions at pitcher and third base, he brought Jordan Rockwell to the mound to stop the Thunder's torrent of runs.
Eventually, Rockwell would turn the corner against Denver Christian's bats, but not before Mason Reilly sent a short single to right field that fell out of reach of Brody Scherrer. It was enough to score Buehler from second.
Denver Christian came out on top with a 4-0 score. Surprisingly, they had cashed in against a Limรณn team that had won games all season while keeping a check on the opponents' scoring.
Reflecting on a four-run lead two innings into the biggest game of the season, Thunder pitcher Brayden Epperhard explained, "It takes a lot of pressure off me and allows me to go out there and do a good job."
Epperhard did his job with distinction until the bottom of the fifth inning, putting Denver Christian up 5-2 before DC head coach Sam Jones brought in the fresh arm of Mason Reilly to finish the game. .
โHe's a great pitcher, a great closer and a great guy. I had 100% faith in him,โ Epperhard explained about giving up the mound to Reilly late in the game.
Reilly would hold his own against Badger bats, but a determined Badger nine mounted a final rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Trey Smith had already crossed the plate to cut Denver's Christian margin to 5-3. Jordan Rockwell and Keon Bandy together accounted for the tying runs at the corners. Lemon had no outs on the board.
With his season on the line, Jones assembled his infield for a conference on the mound. โI went and said, 'Hey, we've been here before. I love you, I'm proud of you and let's enjoy this moment. Pressure is a privilege. You have earned this. You have earned the right to be in this position.'โ
With that little piece of refocus art in place, Reilly finished the contest with two strikeouts, a walk, and a strikeout. The infield wasn't even called for an out, but one suspects they would have been more than up for the challenge had it come their way.
The victory marks the first state title in baseball for Denver Christian since 2013. After claiming state titles in 2021 and 2022, Limรณn settles for second place in 2023.
I imagine there is a high probability of seeing both teams again in the 2024 state championship. Limรณn graduates a senior from this year's team. Denver Christian graduates a bit more than that, but pitchers Epperhard and Reilly hope to improve in the interim.
