Dakota Ridge baseball rallies past rival to grab first win of the season

LITTLETON — Dakota Ridge baseball is winless no more.

The Eagles ended a 7-game losing streak Thursday with a dramatic 4-3 home victory against area-rival Columbine. 

“In measurable,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeff Legault said of the Eagles’ first win of the season after an 0-7 start. “But like I told (Dakota Ridge players), they have been amazing. Starting out 0-7 they could have packed it in.”

Columbine (2-7 record) led for the majority of the game until Dakota Ridge senior Mitchell Lee belted a 2-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Eagles their first lead of the game at 4-3.

“We needed one under our belt,” Lee said of the first victory. “That was a long stretch of some Ls.”

It didn’t start out well for Dakota Ridge with Columbine taking an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Columbine’s 9-hole batter Kane Mullin laced a 2-run single with the bases loaded to give the Rebels the early lead.

Columbine was aided by four walks by Dakota Ridge starting pitcher Braden Johnson in the second hitting that featured just the lone hit by Mullin. Johnson ended up pitching four innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out six, but also walking six.

Dakota Ridge got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning with the first of two home runs by Lee. 

“That was the timely hitting that we’ve been needing,” Legault said of Lee’s solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to end the no-hit bid by Columbine senior pitcher Aidan Jordan. 

It looked like Columbine would keep the lead, but a fielding error on a fly ball to centerfield with two outs in the fourth inning allowed Dakota Ridge pinch-runner Sam Wieber to score all the way from first base to tie the game at 2-2.

“It has been a struggle for us when the other team commits an error and we don’t capitalize on it,” Lee said. “We capitalized today.”

Dakota Ridge senior Jo Jo Calderon took over on the mound with the game tied in the top of the fifth inning. An RBI single by Columbine senior Casey Richie in the top of the sixth inning allowed the Rebels to regain the lead at 3-2.

However, after a ground-rule double by Dakota Ridge junior Matt Larmore to lead-off the bottom of the sixth inning, Lee delivered the eventual game-winning 2-run home run.

“We haven’t really been hitting that well this season,” Lee said after his two home run and three RBI performance. “Once we get one hit we all kind of get going.”

Legault stayed with Calderon on the mound going to the seventh inning.

“He is a strike thrower. That is what he does. Sometimes he gets hit hard,” Legault admitted of Calderon. “I told him I was going to stick with him. He was the one to win us the game. I didn’t want to go with a younger pitcher. I wanted that senior leadership out there.”

Calderon started the inning with a strikeout, but a walk and single by Columbine junior Matthew Kossik gave the tying and go-head runners on the bases.

“I was defintely pretty nervous, but I knew my guys were behind me,” Calderon said taking the hill to start the top of the seventh inning with a 1-run lead. “That made me a little more comfortable knowing I could just throw. I trust my defense.”

Larmore made a great defensive play running out to shallow left field from his shortstop position to make a basket catch for the second out of the inning. Calderon got his third strikeout to end the game.

“That was exactly where I wanted it,” Calderon said of the high fastball to end the game with a strikeout. “It was perfect as a sequence I thought.”

Dakota Ridge hosts its other cross-town rival in Chatfield (5-3) next week on Tuesday, April 1, before starting conference play April 22.

“We are going to be an underdog after starting out 0-7,” Lee said of the Class 4A/3A Jeffco League play right around the corner. 

Columbine is back at home in a non-league game against Poudre on Wednesday, April 2.