Battling wet and chilly conditions at All-City Field in Denver on May 16, the Dove Creek High School baseball team defeated Granada 8-5 to capture the Class 1A state baseball championship.
The victory marked the fifth in the last six games for the Bulldogs, who entered the season ranked No. 1 in the state after losing in the Class 1A state championship game last season.
“All I can think right now is that we finally did it,” said Dove Creek junior Jordan Ernst shortly after the game. “We’ve been trying to do this for so long. Since we were in Little League, we’ve been going to state tournaments and coming up just short. Tonight, we finally got it done.”
While several players contributed to the Dove Creek victory, none were more important than Ernst, who pitched five scoreless innings to begin the game. Ernst also smashed an RBI double to left field in the top of the fourth inning, which brought home senior Alex Ogas and gave Dove Creek a 1-0 lead.
“I felt really confident on the mound,” Ernst said. “I started off strong. I started getting a little shook in the sixth inning and we brought Colin (Hobbs) in and he did a great job.”
Hobbs relieved Ernst in the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and Dove Creek leading 7-1. Although Grenada scored two more runs in the inning, Hobbs escaped a bases loaded jam when second baseman Kyle Schultz caught a hard line drive with the bases loaded to end the inning.
After Dove Creek scored a run in the top of the seventh inning to move ahead 8-3, Hobbs allowed two runs before retiring Grenada’s final batter with the bases loaded to secure Dove Creek’s victory.
“I just tried to throw strikes and get as many balls as I could to help my team out,” Hobbs said. “(Winning state) is pretty special because we have most of the junior class starting and we’re real close.”
“We’re on top of the world right now,” added Dove Creek manager Curtis Garver. “We were ranked No. 1 at the beginning of the season and there was a reason for it. We knew what we were capable of, but our season was up and down. We just kept pushing and it feels great to end the season with a victory.”
With its final victory, Dove Creek ended the season with a 12-12 record, while Grenada dropped to 4-5 with the loss.
“I don’t even know how to explain what I’m feeling right now,” said Dove Creek’s senior catcher, Alex Ogas. “It is complete excitement and I feel like I’m on top of the world. My teammates were phenomenal and we were on point tonight. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”