NORTHGLENN – The Academy certainly needed to crack the win column but the Wildcats didn’t come by their first victory of the season easily.

 

The Wildcats’ first win in 2019 was a quality one to boot.

 

On Saturday afternoon, The Academy hosted what was technically a home game but had to be played at the Northwest Open Space fields because their field was still unplayable after rain Friday night compounded this spring’s already brutal weather. But it was worth making the game happen as the Wildcats (1-2) won 3-2 in walk-off fashion over a Prospect Ridge (6-1) team that was off to a hot start.

 

One team earned its first win and the other received its first loss. For both, it felt like the spring baseball season began in earnest on Saturday.

 

“It was a tough battle out there,” The Academy head coach Mark Griego said. “We battled back and got a couple runs here and there, our pitchers finally settled in and we had to play a little small ball at the end. It’s tough to go against a 6-0 team, especially when they jump out on you 2-0 to start. But I believe we stayed within ourselves, we battled and we played our percentages to get that final run in.

 

“The baseball gods were on our side today.”

 

Off to the best start in their program’s young history, the Prospect Ridge Miners entered Saturday’s game with an unblemished record and having pitched extremely well. After Saturday’s loss, in which all three of The Academy’s runs were unearned due to three Prospect Ridge errors, the Miners pitching staff boasts a combined 2.31 ERA.

 

The Miners did also jump out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the first inning and with ace Jake Thiret on the mound, things looked good for the Miners to remain undefeated. A senior who has yet to allow an earned run while striking out 34 batters in 15 innings this season, Thiret is already the proud owner of a no-hitter this spring. On March 18, he struck out 13 over five hitless innings in a run-rule win over Aspen.

 

Thiret struck out nine batters while giving up two unearned runs over five innings on Saturday but left with a no-decision. Fellow senior Brandon Huffman, who also has yet to allow an earned run, took the loss while striking out two and walking one in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

 

“It was a good baseball game,” Prospect Ridge head coach Mark Knudson said. “But on the other hand if we hadn’t left 13 men on base, I think we could have won that game so it’s frustrating.”

 

After opening the season with a pair of one-run losses to St. Mary’s, The Academy sent Chad Bofo out to start Saturday’s game and he held the Miners to their two first-inning runs despite walking six batters and allowing five hits in five innings. Dylan Massier earned the win in relief, allowing just one hit in two scoreless innings and senior John Zamora went 3 for 3 at the plate with a triple and four stolen bases.

 

Through three games, Zamora is batting .900 (9 for 10) with 12 stolen bases.

 

The Wildcats scored single runs in the first, fifth and seventh innings, the final of which came courtesy of a throwing error after the club used two of its six stolen bases to advance a runner to third.

 

The Academy is back in action on March 30 when the Wildcats travel to play Clear Creek. Prospect Ridge plays next against Skyview on April 4.

 

The Academy 3, Prospect Ridge 2

At Northwest Open Space

 

Prospect Ridge (6-1) 200 000 0 – 2 6 3

The Academy (1-2) 100 010 1 – 3 4 2

 

W – Massier. L – Huffman

 

Prospect Ridge hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) – Van Otterloo 2-1-0-0, Young 3-0-0-0, Thiret 3-1-1-1, Huffman 3-0-1-0, Schaffer 4-0-1-0, Luehr 4-0-1-0, Huffman 2-0-0-0, Hill 2-0-0-0, Farel 2-0-2-0, Licknosky 1-0-0-0. Totals 26-2-6-1. 2B – Luehr. 3B – Thiret. SB – Farel 2, Van Otterloo.

 

The Academy hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) – Zamora 3-1-1-0, Diaz DeLeon 2-0-0-1, Bofo 3-0-0-0, Miller 3-0-0-0, Griego 3-0-1-0, Massier 1-0-0-0, Murillo 3-0-1-0, Eitel 2-2-1-0, Pappas 3-0-0-0, Stevens 0-0-0-0. Totals 23-3-4-1. 2B – Griego. SB – Zamora 4, Eitel 2.

 

Prospect Ridge pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Thiret 5-3-2-0-2-9, Huffman 1.1-1-1-0-1-2.

 

The Academy pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Bofo 5-5-2-2-6-5, Massier 2-1-0-0-0-1.