DENVER | The Regis Jesuit baseball team has had some easy seasons in recent years, when making the Class 5A Championship Series seemed an almost certainty.
The 2015 season certainly didn’t qualify as easy for the Raiders, who had huge shoes to fill from a graduated group that helped them make it all the way to last year’s state championship game and finish as 5A runners-up.
Coach Matt Darr knew the potential was there this season, if just under the surface. Regis Jesuit’s full capabilities — especially on the offensive side — were on display at the right time, as it rolled through the delayed Class 5A District 7 tournament at Denver East.
The 19th-seeded Raiders (11-10), who scored 11 runs apiece in the championship game against Prairie View and their opener against No. 14 Grand Junction, move into the double-elimination Championship Series bracket and open at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against No. 8 Pine Creek at Metro State.
Junior Quin Cotton led Regis Jesuit’s offensive attack, which posted back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts after scoring 10 or more just two times in 19 regular season games. The center fielder finished 7-for-8 from the plate between the two games and homered twice to back senior pitcher Brent Schwarz’s 3-hitter in an opening win against Grand Junction.
The Raiders faced a surprising Prairie View team that knocked out host and No. 3 Denver East 9-1 in the opening game of the tournament and found themselves in a 3-3 tie going into the bottom of the third inning.
A five-run rally helped Regis Jesuit gain some separation and the combination of starter Bo Weiss and reliever Travis Marr made sure the lead held up the rest of the way.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
