To earn the title of Best of the West, the Manitou Springs baseball team needed two wins against Buena Vista on May 7. So the Mustangs went out and got them. They swept the double-header 9-2 and 14-7 to claim the Tri-Peaks West title. Next up is the league crossover tournament this weekend.
The Mustangs (15-5-1 overall, 8-0 Tri-Peaks West) will take on Lamar, which finished the season as the No. 2 team in the East. The winner of that game will take on the winner of St. Mary’s and Buena Vista for the league title.
“When we look at our vision every year, we’re looking at 16 wins, trying to get to Tri-Peaks West champions and then becoming Tri-Peaks champions,” coach Brandon DeMatto said. “This is another stepping stone in the direction we’re trying to get to.”
Each game saw a huge offensive outburst in one inning for the Mustangs.
In Game 1, they scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take that 9-2 lead. Davis Mack was solid at the plate and on the mound. He was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored. He also threw a complete game and struck out 11 hitters.
“I didn’t think too much about it, I just went out and did my own thing,” Mack said. “I just thought it was just another game and went out and threw strikes. I just had to pound the (strike) zone and trust my defense.”
The second game got off to a rough start and the Mustangs found themselves in a 4-3 hole before exploding for 10 runs in the third. Andrew Rhodes went just 1-for-2 at the plate, but drove in four runs and scored three of his own. Nate Gentzel threw five innings and gave up just one earned run to get the win.
Manitou will meet Lamar for the second time this season. The Mustangs won the first matchup 6-3 on April 28. Mack, the likely starter, threw five innings in that game, giving up four hits and two earned runs.
Should the Mustangs beat the Savages, they’ll have a good chance for another crack at St. Mary’s, which is an exciting prospect for the team.
“All the boys are pretty heated and excited to get back at them,” Raymond McCaskey said. “I think we can hit them with a haymaker.”