Dakota Ridge baseball stays hot with home win over Green Mountain

LITTLETON — A 5-game winning streak has Dakota Ridge baseball feeling a lot better than it did 10 days ago.

The Eagles (5-5 record) reached the .500 mark Thursday with a 12-2 home victory in five innings against Green Mountain. 

“It feels great. We know that those first five games didn’t represent who we are as a team,” said Dakota Ridge senior Kellen Behrendsen, who knows a little bit about chemistry and winning after quarterbacking Dakota Ridge to its first football state championship last Fall. “We got a win and that was really what was hard for us. After getting over that hump we knew what we needed to do to get the win. That is what we need to keep repeating.”

Dakota Ridge got off to an 0-5 start this season under first-year head coach Shane Fugita. The longtime assistant coach stepped into the head coaching role with Jeff Legault moving into the Athletic Director position at Dakota Ridge High School.

It was actually a similar start to the season last year for the Eagles. Dakota Ridge started 0-7 before going on a run and falling just short of qualifying for the postseason with an 11-12 record.

“I’m super proud of the boys. It’s all them,” Fugita said of the quick turnaround to get on the winning track. “They are the ones who had to decided to get over the hump.”

Fugita admitted it has been hard at times taking over for Legault. The school actually named the baseball field — Jeff Legault Field — after his retirement from coaching last season.

“It’s different in that I really miss Jeff,” Fugita said of taking over the program. “He and I had a click. We knew each other really well. We fed off each other. All our coaches are wonderful, but none of them are what me and Jeff were because we were together for so long.”

It was a long bottom of the first inning. The Eagles plated six runs on four hits. Green Mountain starting pitcher Dominic Anderson didn’t make it out of the first inning.

Dakota Ridge’s offense eventually cranked out a dozen run on 13 hits. Behrendsen, Matthew Larmore, Jakson Barrett, Breckin Maynes and Daniel Medina all had multiple-hit games for the Eagles.

The Eagles did have a bit of an offensive loll in the middle innings before finishing off the game with a 5-run bottom of the fifth inning to induce the 10-run mercy rule.

“We are build as a team to keep grinding and grind teams out,” Behrendsen said of the quiet middle innings offensively. “Today was a one-time assurance. We’ll be fine. We’ll be good.”

Junior Ben Bixby threw a complete-game victory for Dakota Ridge. The only runs Bixby gave up were solo home runs by freshman Colton Buscher and senior Miles Flanagan. 

“Ben has done that four games for us,” Fugita said of Bixby going at least five innings in four of his five appearances on the mound so far. “Today he had to grind. That was not his best stuff today.”

Green Mountain (0-9) is still looking for its first victory of the season. However, Rams’ coach Cory Miller did see some bright spots. Namely, Buscher gave Green Mountain some quality innings in relief on the mound. The lefty gave up just one run on four hits in two and two-thirds of an inning, along with his solo blast in the third inning that left the yard.

“We settled in after that first inning and battled,” Miller said. “We had a freshman on the mound that pitched well and hits a home run. Those are always positives.”

Green Mountain returns home to face Standley Lake (3-3) in another non-league game against a 4A Jeffco opponent. The Rams host the Gators at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 4. Green Mountain begins league play on April 21 at D’Evelyn.

“I just want them to compete. That is where we are at right now,” said Miller, who graduated 15 seniors from last year’s squad. “I want them to want the ball. I want them to battle at the plate and throw strikes on the mound.”

Dakota Ridge travels a couple of miles to the south to face rival Chatfield at 4 p.m. Friday. 

“I love it. I absolutely despise them,” Behrendsen said of facing rival Chatfield for the final time in his prep career tomorrow. “I’m excited to show them what we’ve got.”

Chatfield (3-5) has a familiar face as its new head coach. Shane Horan is a 2011 graduate of Dakota Ridge High School and was on the Eagles’ coaching staff for seven years before taking the head coaching job at Chatfield this season.

“It is a little emotional for me playing them with Shane (Horan) being over there,” Fugita said. “I think the world of Coach Horan. I coached him. He grew up around here. It’s a little weird to be honest.”

The Eagles also have a handful of non-league games against 4A Jeffco foes before starting conference play at Evergreen on April 21.