COLORADO SPRINGS – The lowest seed at this year’s Class 4A state tournament, No. 7 Erie Tigers went with a staff approach to the tournament’s opening game and were nearly handsomely rewarded for their gamble.

 

Erie had No. 1 Pueblo West on the ropes with a one-run lead going into the seventh inning before the Tigers ran out of both luck and arms. After the Erie starter was lifted, the Cyclones feasted on the Erie bullpen to the tune of nine runs in the top of the seventh inning and left with a 12-4 victory to state the double-elimination tournament.

 

“We were three outs away,” Erie coach Craig McBride said. “We were also really close to being in good shape for tomorrow so I feel like we made the right decisions. It’s tough because they played their guts out. It’s high school baseball.”

 

Erie led 4-3 going into the top of the seventh inning at UCHealth Park. The Tigers’ No. 3 starter pitcher, 2021 Mason Veve, had pitched well and held the Cyclones to three runs (two earned) over six innings. But after he was lifted, everything fell apart and the Erie bullpen – four relievers – allowed a combined nine runs on seven hits and three walks in the final frame.  

 

Pueblo West loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the seventh after Erie 2020 pitcher Nolan Marthaier slipped while fielding a bunt. Erie 2020 Trevor Ball came in next and immediately threw a wild pitch to tie the game. Pueblo West 2019 Tyler Declusin hit a bloop single to shallow right-center field to score the go-ahead run. Following a fly out, Cyclones 2020 Brodie Blackford hit a hard ground-ball single to score two more runs and the rout was on, though it came far later than anyone could have reasonable expected.   

 

Cyclones 2020 outfielder Chandler Mason went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. The lefty swinger nearly had a much bigger day, putting on a power display by hitting multiple foul balls that had home run distance out to right field.  

 Pueblo West 2019 shortstop Kyle Jameson also went 3-for-4 and 2020 Tanner Tate went 2-for-4 with a double.

 

Erie 2020 infielder Brandon Hewell and 2021 teammate Taylor Schenbeck each had two hits in the game for the Tigers, who will play Golden at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs’ Mountain Lion Park. 2019 ace John Thoren, a 6-foot-4 lefty who has a 2.30 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 64 innings this season, will start for Erie.

 

Pueblo West 12, Erie 4

At UCHealth Park

 

Pueblo West (24-2) 200 001 9 – 12 11 1

Erie (15-11) 030 001 0 – 4 8 1

W – Davis. L – W. Khanna.

 

Pueblo West hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) – Jameson 4-1-3-1, Declusin 4-1-1-1, Cordova 3-1-0-0, Blackford 3-1-1-2, Stiner 0-1-0-0, Mason 4-2-3-2, Barth 4-1-1-2, Tate 4-1-2-2, Davis 2-0-0-0, Sanchez 0-1-0-0, Gist 3-2-0-0, Neff 0-0-0-0, Rudd 0-0-0-0. Totals 31-12-11-10. 2B – Mason 2, Tate. SB – Jameson 4, Cordova, Stiner.

 

Erie hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) – Ball 0-0-0-0, Phillips 4-0-1-1, Mendoza 3-0-0-0, Marthaier 2-1-1-0, Bettencourt 1-0-0-0, Schenbeck 4-1-2-0, Thoren 2-0-0-1, Fuhrmann 3-0-1-0, I. Khanna 3-1-1-0, Hewell 2-1-2-1, Veve 0-0-0-0, W. Khanna 0-0-0-0, Stem 0-0-0-0. Totals 24-4-8-3. SB – Mendoza, Schenbeck, I. Khanna.

 

Pueblo West pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Neff 2-4-3-2-2-0, Rudd 3-3-1-1-5-2, Davis 1-1-0-0-0-0, Sanchez 1-0-0-0-1-1.

 

Erie pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Veve 6-4-3-2-3-5, Khanna 0-0-2-2-2-0, Marthaier 0-1-1-1-0-0, Ball 0.1-4-4-4-0-0, Bettencourt 1-2-2-1-1-0.