Game(s) of the week: Lyons baseball makes state tourney in 2A
May 22—When and where: Friday, 9:30 a.m. at Runyon Field Sports Complex in Pueblo
The scouting report: The Lions leaned on the strong pitching acumen of sophomore Jake LaCrosse and senior Wyatt Waters to help vault them past Trinidad and Holyoke during the Class 2A Region 5 tournament last week, and in turn earned a coveted spot in the state tournament.
On Friday, they'll head south to take on No. 13 Swink in the first round.
The 12th-seeded Lions boast an incredibly talented pitching roster, led first and foremost by senior Wyatt Waters, whose 71.1 innings yielded 120 strikeouts, 23 walks and 27 earned runs during his time on the mound this year. The LaCrosse brothers, freshman Jake and sophomore Zack, have served as his primary backup.
Their bats, likewise, have been just as hot, raking in 177 hits and 177 runs in the process, including eight home runs, nine triples and 134 RBIs.
Swink, also the Lions, has enjoyed even more success in the batter's box this year. To date, it has scored 254 runs off of 219 hits, with 12 home runs and 16 triples to its name. It boasts two aces, Nate Cabrera and Nick Paolucci, who have put down similar numbers from the mound this season.
Its bats are just as versatile, if not more so, than Lyons, with seven men batting over .300. Lyons, however, boasted a much tougher regular-season schedule, battling with 13 teams that made various regional tournaments — across classifcations — compared to the seven that Swink faced.
In a matchup as tight as a 12-13, that strength of schedule may very well end up being the deciding factor on the path to victory. Whichever Lions win out will play the winner of No. 1 Limon and No. 8 Buena Vista in the second round later on Friday. The loser heads to the consolation bracket at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
