DENVER | The Regis Jesuit’s baseball team’s margin for error is gone, but the Raiders will play for the Class 5A state championship Saturday.
The only question is which team will be in the opposing dugout at All-City Stadium for the final game of the 2019 season.
It could be defending state champion Mountain Vista — which dealt coach Matt Darr’s Raiders a 5-0 loss Friday for their first defeat in the double-elimination 5A Championship Series — or it could be Cherry Creek, an 8-3 winner over Grandview in an elimination game.
Regis Jesuit will have the benefit of saving its pitching for the 12:30 p.m. contest, while the Golden Eagles and Bruins meet at 10 a.m. in an elimination contest.
If it’s Mountain Vista, the Raiders will be relieved they won’t have to face ace Sam Ireland. Ireland (9-0) threw six shutout innings against Regis Jesuit on Friday and also defeated the Raiders in Continental League play April 20 with a 6 2/3-inning effort in which he allowed just an unearned run.
The Golden Eagles will likely have to use a variety of other arms to get past the Bruins, who likewise will have to finish the tournament without their ace in Nathan Mitchell, who moved to 11-0 with a strong effort to beat Grandview.
Regis Jesuit split two games on the season with Cherry Creek, falling 6-3 in the regular season, but winning 6-3 in the Championship Series matchup on May 24 behind five strong innings of relief from junior Chase Allen.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
MOUNTAIN VISTA 5, REGIS JESUIT 0
Score by innings:
Regis Jesuit 000 000 0 — 0 6 2
Mtn. Vista 000 320 x — 5 6 0