2A baseball: Denver Christian stops Limon Express to claim state title

PUEBLO – What the leaden skies never delivered, the Denver Christian bats did. There was more Thunder in the first two innings than a late Limon rally would be able to overcome.

Denver Christian got on top of Limon ace Keon Bandy early with critical hits in the first and second innings.

In the first inning, it was Nathan Buehler leading off with a walk, followed by Caleb Stork driving him home with a double to left-center. The Thunder faithful had barely returned to their seats Stork advanced to third on a wild pitch then sprinted home on a passed 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 leading off with a walk. Buehler took his turn adding to the lead with a double, driving Van Andel home.

Coach Rocky Rockwell of Limon had seen enough. Switching positions at pitcher and third base, he brought Jordan Rockwell to the mound to halt the torrent of Thunder scoring.

Eventually, Rockwell would turn the corner against the Denver Christian bats, but not before Mason Reilly sent a short single into right field that fell just beyond the reach of hard-charging charging Brody Scherrer. It was enough to score Buehler from second.

Denver Christian stood atop by a score of 4-0. Remarkably, they had cashed in against a Limon team that had won games all season long by keeping a lid on opponents’ scoring.

Reflecting on a four-run lead two innings into the biggest game of season, Thunder pitcher Brayden Epperhard explained, “It takes a lot of pressure off my back and allows me to just go out and do a good job.”

Epperhard performed his job with distinction into the bottom of the fifth inning, spotting Denver Christian to a 5-2 lead before DC head coach Sam Jones brought in Mason Reilly’s fresh arm to finish the game.

“He’s a great pitcher, a great closer, and a great kid. I had faith in him 100%,” Epperhard explained about yielding the mound to Reilly late in the game.

Reilly would hold his own against the Badger bats, but a determined Badger nine mounted one final rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Trey Smith had already crossed the plate to cut the Denver Christian margin to 5-3. Jordan Rockwell and Keon Bandy, together, represented the tying runs at the corners. Limon had no outs on the board.

With their season on the line, Jones brought his infield together for a conference at the mound. “I went out there and told them, ‘Hey, we’ve been here before. I love you guys, I’m proud of you guys, and let’s just enjoy this moment. Pressure is a privilege. You’ve earned this. You’ve earned the right to be in this position.’”

With that little piece of refocusing artistry in place, Reilly finished the contest with two strikeouts, a walk, and a strikeout. The infield wasn’t even called upon for an out, but one suspects they would have been more than up to the challenge had it come their way.

The win marks a first state title in baseball for Denver Christian since 2013. After claiming state titles in 2021 and 2022, Limon settles for second in 2023.

Figure there’s a high likelihood of seeing both teams again in 2024’s state championship. Limon graduates one senior from this year’s team. Denver Christian graduates a few more than that, but pitchers Epperhard and Reilly figure only to get better in the interim.