LAKEWOOD | For the second time in three seasons, the Regis Jesuit baseball team has earned the coveted top spot going into the final weekend of the Class 5A Baseball Championship Series.
The Raiders went 3-0 on the opening weekend in 2024 to earn an automatic spot in the championship game and were defeated, twice, by Cherry Creek on the final day to fall short of the program’s first title since 2019.
Coach Matt Darr’s Regis Jesuit team finds itself in the same position this season — though determined not to repeat that result — after knocked off top-seeded Arvada West 14-8 Saturday evening in a championship semifinal at All-Star Park.
The third-seeded Raiders brought an end to a 22-game winning streak for the Wildcats and earned an automatic spot in the 10 a.m. May 30 5A state title game at the same venue.
Unbeaten so far in the double elimination tournament, Regis Jesuit (22-7) could stand a loss and get a rematch against the team that emerges from the May 29 semifinals — Arvada West or the other two survivors, No. 4 Pine Creek and No. 7 Legend.
The Raiders were limited offensively its opener Friday against No. 6 Mountain Vista (a 3-2 win), got more dangerous in a subsequent 8-3 win over No. 7 Legend and the exploded against Arvada West, which had to dig deep into its pitching depth for the contest.
Regis Jesuit scored in every inning but the third and pounded out 14 hits — six for extra bases, including a three-run home run from senior Hudson Alpert — and used five pitchers to keep the Wildcats at bay, especially in the final innings. Sophomore Finn Judge ended up with the win after he worked 2 1/3 innings and allowed a single run.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
