Josiah Rodriguez of Dayspring Christian Academy.
(Lance Wendt/wendt5280.com)
Josiah Rodriguez of Dayspring Christian Academy.

Baseball

2A Baseball: All Eight Regional Champions Awarded

AURORA - All eight of the 5A Baseball State Championship state qualifiers have been determined through regional play, as Forge Christian, Dayspring Christian, Fowler, Peyton, Monte Vista, Highland, Denver Christian and Platte Valley all won regional championships and will advance to state.

Region 1: No. 1 Forge Christian outscored its opponents 20-1 throughout the two games to clinch a spot in the state bracket. In the opening round, Forge Christian shutout No. 32 Manual, 10-0, while No. 16 Wray edged past No. 17 Ignacio, 12-11. In the regional final, Forge Christian knocked off No. 16 Wray, 10-1.

Region 2: No. 2 Dayspring Christian knocked off No. 31 Sedgwick County, 11-2, while No. 18 Burlington upset No. 15 SkyView Academy, 10-3. In the regional final, Dayspring Christian used a 13-3 win over Burlington to secure the bid to the state championships.

Region 3: No. 3 Fowler got off to a hot start with a 13-0 win over No. 30 Clear Creek in the first round and then eeked out a 7-5 victory over No. 19 Byers in the regional championship game to secure its bid to state. Byers advanced to the regional final by upsetting No. 14 Dawson School, 14-6. 

Region 4: No. 4 Peyton and No. 20 North Fork met in the regional championship game after Peyton knocked off No. 29 Estes Park, 7-3, and North Fork upset No. 13 Wiggins, 7-1. In the finals, Peyton escaped North Fork, 11-6, to secure the bid to state. 

Region 5: No. 12 Monte Vista got hot at the right time, taking down No. 5 Yuma in the regional championship game to secure a bid to the state bracket. No. 5 Yuma was coming off a 10-0 win over No. 28 Olathe in the first round, while Monte Vista had knocked off No. 21 Swink, 7-2. Monte Vista earned a 6-0 win Yuma in the finals.

Region 6: No. 6 Highland was all offense in Region 6, as it defeated No. 27 Buena Vista, 11-3, and then used a 10-0 win over No. 11 Las Animas to advance to state. Las Animas opened the regional with a 3-2 win over No. 22 Front Range Christian. 

Region 7: In the first round of regionals, No. 7 Denver Christian knocked off No. 26 Lyons with an 11-2 win, while No. 23 Crowley County upset No. 10 Cedaredge, 10-9. In the regional final, Denver Christian secured its bid to state with a 13-1 win over Crowley County. 

Region 8: No. 8 Platte Valley opened its run to state wtih a 7-3 win over No. 25 Bishop Machebeuf in the first round, while No. 9 Limon defeated No. 24 St. Mary's 10-0. In the finals, Platte Valley held on for a 10-6 win over No. 9 Limon.