Thanks to the strong arm of Jordan Ernst, the deceptive curveball of Colin Hobbs and timely hitting by Spencer Gatlin and others, the Dove Creek High School baseball team will play in the state finals for the second straight season.
The Bulldogs guaranteed their spot in the Class 1A title game after Regional Tournament wins over Holly High School and Community Christian High School in Lakewood, Colo., on May 12.
“We’re on top of the world right now,” Dove Creek manager Curtis Garver said. “We went into Regionals relaxed, played fundamental baseball and started hitting the ball. It’s exciting to be back in the finals.”
Ernst pitches Dove Creek past Holly
Opening the Regional Tournament with a matchup against Holly, Dove Creek rode a stellar pitching effort from junior Jordan Ernst to a 2-1 victory.
The Bulldogs allowed one run and struck out 10 hitters just over a week after throwing a perfect game and striking out all 15 batters that he faced during the District Tournament.
“Holly had two of the best pitchers that we’ve ever seen,” said Garver. “Their starter was throwing in the mid 70’s and the second guy that they brought in was throwing in the mid 80’s, but Jordan was just outstanding.”
Dove Creek pulled ahead 1-0 in the 3rd inning after Colin Hobbs reached base and stole second and third before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Alex Ogas. The Bulldogs moved ahead 2-0 when Scott Gatlin when Case Baughman grounded into a fielder’s choice.
Although Holly cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 2-1 after scoring a run in the bottom of the 5th inning, Dove Creek played error-free defense behind Ernst to help secure the win.
Bulldogs upset Community Christian
Playing its next game against top-ranked Community Christian, Dove Creek fell behind 4-0 early before rallying after a rain delay and scoring an 8-5 victory.
“Community Christian was the No. 1 team in the state and we were down 4-1 when a rain delay hit,” said Garver. “After the rain delay, the guys really locked in and started hitting the ball.”
Ernst started the game on the mound for Dove Creek, but struggled throughout the second inning, which saw Community Christian to score four runs.
After Colin Hobbs relieved Ernst in the top of the 3rd inning however, Community Christian managed one hit over the remainder of the game and scored no runs.
“Colin always tells me that as long as we don’t start him, he’s good,” Garver said. “He struck out two batters in the third and after that, he lit it up. His curveball was really working.”
Garver said that in addition to Hobbs’ pitching a 5th inning home run by Gatlin and a six-run 6th inning that included an RBI double by Scott Gatlin helped propel the Bulldogs to victory.
With its record now at 11-12 on the season, Dove Creek will next face off against Granada High School in the Class 1A State Championship, which will take place in Denver on May 16.
“I think that the experience that we had last year has allowed us to shake our nerves,” Garver said. “I don’t know a lot about Granada, but I’ll have all three of my pitchers ready and I expect that we’ll play well.”