PBR Colorado Game of the Day: 5-2-19: Windsor Defeats Holy Family 5-1

May 3, 2019
Brad Cochi
Northern Colorado Senior Writer

PBR Colorado strives to be the most comprehensive source of player information across the state. The Prep Baseball Report is the No. 1 resource for high school baseball in each state we cover through our variety of events, boots-on-the-ground scouting staff, daily coverage, and multimedia platforms. Our multimedia platforms and events work in tandem, ultimately creating the most powerful source of high school baseball promotion in each state. While other organizations take a national approach, our goal is to become the authoritative voice on the ground level of each state.

Follow @pbrcolorado on Twitter, and pbrcolorado on Instagram

Interested in attending a PBR Colorado event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

BROOMFIELD – Paiden Falcetti entered this spring as the closer for the Windsor Wizards, who currently sit ninth in the PBR Colorado Power 25 rankings.

But as the Colorado spring weather began to back up the Wizards’ schedule, there became a developing need for the 2020 pitcher to fill another role.

In a critical Tri-Valley League game against No. 19 Holy Family (13-5, 9-2) on Thursday, Windsor head coach Brad Deal tabbed Falcetti for his first start of the season. It turned out to be a good decision for the Wizards (15-3, 11-1), as Falcetti crafted an excellent start to lead the Wizards to a 5-1 win.

“It was my first start of the year so I just went in wanting to pound the zone and trust the guys behind me,” Falcetti said. “Coming in being a relief guy, I was happy just to play a role and help out the team.”

Falcetti was effectively wild on Thursday. His fastball, which sits between 78-80 miles per hour, was a bit unpredictable but he was able to throw his curveball, which he uses a lot, for strikes. He hit two batters but strike out eight hitters while allowing one run over 4 2/3 innings.

Falcetti currently has a 1.54 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings on the mound.

“That’s his thing, he’s good with the curveball,” Deal said. “He throws his curveball a lot and his fastball can be all over the place. But he’s effective that way. The curveball is huge for him, that’s his baby.”

Once his turn was done, Falcetti handed the ball to 2020 Braden Martinez, who has assumed the former’s role as the Wizards’ closer. Martinez, who started the game at shortstop and has a 4.08 ERA in 12 innings, threw his 84-86 mph fastball to hold the Tigers hitless over the final 2 1/3 innings of Thursday’s game. Of the seven outs he recorded, six came via the strikeout, including the final five Holy Family batters to hit in the game.

“He’s our closer now,” Deal said. “He comes in, that’s his job and he’s been very good for us this season.”

The Wizards jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the second inning. Keeping the pressure on Holy Family’s 2019 starter Jordon McFarland, who allowed one earned run over five innings, Windsor 2019 Derek Baessler hit a solo home run in the third.

After the Wizards scored two more runs in the fifth, Holy Family 2021 Izaak Siefken entered in relief and threw two scoreless innings. He allowed three hits but struck out four batters while walking no one.

In Holy Family head coach Marc Cowell’s mind, two uncharacteristic errors played a primary role in Thursday’s result.

“Four unearned runs; you can’t do that against a team like Windsor,” Cowell said. “They’re going to make you pay and they did. Those four runs are the difference in the game.”

The two teams will finish their home-and-home conference series at Windsor High on Saturday. Windsor will start its ace – 2019 Owen Lockner – on the mound. Holy Family will counter with its own ace in 2019 Weston Siefken.

“That’s a very good baseball team, Holy Family,” Deal said. “Coming in here and winning the first one with them is huge. But there’s still Saturday, and hopefully our kids will come back and compete hard like they did today.”

Windsor 5, Holy Family 1

At Holy Family H.S.

Windsor (15-3, 11-1) 021 200 0 – 5 11 1

Holy Family (13-5, 9-2) 000 010 0 – 1 3 2

W – Falcetti. L – McFarland.

Windsor hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) – Baessler 4-1-1-1, Morfin 3-0-0-0, Lockner 4-0-1-0, Thornton 4-1-2-0, Martinez 4-0-2-0, Myatt 4-1-0-0, Schumacher 3-1-1-0, Rogers 3-1-3-2, Rossow 0-0-0-0, Hansen 3-0-0-0, Plahuta 0-0-0-0, Falcetti 0-0-0-0. Totals 33-5-11-3. 2B – Schumacher. HR – Baessler (solo in third).

Holy Family hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) – McGowan 4-0-0-0, Baker 2-0-0-0, Becker 3-0-1-1, Kringlen 2-0-0-0, Callaway 2-0-1-0, Delgado 3-0-0-0, King 3-0-0-0, Perez 3-1-1-0, Martinek 3-0-0-0, Cooney 0-0-0-0, McFarland 0-0-0-0, Siefken 0-0-0-0. Totals 25-1-3-1. 2B – Callaway.

Windsor pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Falcetti 4.2-3-1-1-2-8, Martinez 2.1-0-0-0-0-6.

Holy Family pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – McFarland 5-8-5-1-0-4, Siefken 2-3-0-0-0-4.