PBR Colorado Game of the Day: Silver Creek Outlasts Thomas Jefferson Winning 5-4

 

 

 

DENVER – Given how brutal the weather has been early this spring season, both Silver Creek and Thomas Jefferson were pleased at just getting a game in during the middle weeks of a snowy March.

 

But on the turf field at Metropolitan State University of Denver on Monday evening, the two teams accomplished far more than simply progressing another game through their respective schedules.

 

They played an exceptional game of baseball.

 

At the end of a game that was tied twice after the fifth inning, it was Silver Creek that eventually prevailed, 5-4, courtesy of a three-run seventh inning and a walk-off single by Justin Swenson.

 

“It’s not great to be on the losing end but it was a well-played game on both sides,” Thomas Jefferson head coach Graham Baughn said. “Silver Creek is a good team, a senior-heavy team. It was a fun game.”

 

Both starting pitchers cruised through the early portion of the game, allowing one hit apiece through two innings. Silver Creek’s 2019 starter Ryan Suess, who now has a 1.56 ERA and 12 strikeouts in nine innings on the mound, allowed just one run while striking out five batters over four innings.

 

Silver Creek (2-0) broke through first with a two-run third. Thomas Jefferson (1-3) scored a run in the fourth and tied the game with another in the sixth. With freshman Kyle Hrin, who went 2 for 3 on Monday, singling to lead off the top of the seventh, Thomas Jefferson scored a pair of two-out runs with back-to-back singles from Bobby Macias and Jacob Gonzalez to pull ahead 4-2.

 

“This is like our sixth day outside so we’ve had more games than we’ve had practices outside so far,” Baughn said. “We’re a pretty young team and that showed early with our at-bats a little bit. But at the end of the game, the guys started coming around.”

 

In the bottom of the seventh, Silver Creek’s Spencer Rich was hit by a pitch and stole second. With one on and one out, junior Michael Wegleitner hit his first career home run, a long blast down the right-field line, to tie the game. Up next, Spencer Rich was hit by a pitcher and immediately stole second before Swenson drove him in one a hit-and-run play to win the game.

 

“It felt pretty good coming off the bat,” Wegleitner said. “Our coach preaches always having that competitive aspect so I was going up there looking for something to hit and it turned out well.” We were a bit down right there but we know our team and we know that we can compete with anyone so we just gave it our best. It worked out.”

 

Silver Creek 5, Thomas Jefferson 4

At Metro State

Thomas Jefferson 000 101 2 — 4 8 2

Silver Creek 002 000 3 — 5 7 0

W — Ordway. L — Macias.

Thomas Jefferson hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) — Macias 3-1-1-0, Gonzalez 4-0-1-2, Bowermaster 3-0-0-0, Habitz 2-1-1-0, Perez 2-0-0-0, T. Hrin 3-0-2-2, K. Hrin 3-1-2-0, Accola 2-0-0-0, Sandoval 3-0-1-0. Totals 26-4-8-4. 2B — T. Hrin. SB — Macias, Habitz.

Silver Creek hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) — Jackson 3-2-1-0, Wegleitner 4-1-2-2, Rich 3-2-2-0, Swenson 4-0-1-2, Olinger 3-0-1-1, Regan 3-0-0-0, Rich 2-0-0-0, Oster 2-0-0-0, Brown 3-0-0-0, Belcher 0-0-0-0, Vialpando 0-0-0-0. Totals 27-5-7-5. 2B — Olinger, Rich. HR — Wegleitner (1 on in 7th). SB — Rich 2, Jackson.

Thomas Jefferson pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Greenman 4-4-2-2-3-2, Bowermaster 2-1-0-0-0-2, Macias 0.1-2-3-2-0-0.

Silver Creek pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Suess 4-2-1-1-1-5, Ordway 3-6-3-3-1-1.