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Colorado state tournament: Windsor, Fort Collins baseball seasons end in tight losses

chris abshire, fort collins coloradoan
·4 min read

DENVER — The Lambkins' state tournament magic lasted through the morning.

The Fort Collins baseball team walked off Horizon in an elimination game but ultimately had its season ended in a 6-3 loss Saturday to No. 16 Grandview in the Colorado 5A baseball state tournament at All-City Field in Denver.

Tied 3-3 in the sixth inning, Grandview broke it open with three runs to double up No. 7 Fort Collins and advance to the 5A Final 4 next weekend in Lakewood against No. 8 Prairie View.

Fort Collins has been used to these state tournament dramatics, earning both state tournament wins in 2021 via walk-off.

It continued Saturday morning, as senior Nathan Snyder hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh to break a tie game and keep the Lambkins alive with a 4-3 win and spark a raucous celebration.

The momentum carried over early, with Fort Collins taking an early 1-0 lead over Grandview on a Jude Miller double.

The lower seed responded with three straight runs over two innings before Miller drove in a pair on a bases-loaded single to tie it back up in the fourth.

Miller, who also started the Horizon game, ceded the three deciding runs in relief on some soft contact from the Wolves.

This was a big spring for the Lambkins, who went 22-5, dominated a home regional and made the state tournament for just the second time in the last decade.

"I'm super proud of every guy on this team for getting us to this point," second-year Fort Collins coach told his team in a dejected postgame huddle.

Fort Collins baseball players Gino Maccarini (2) and Nathan Snyder (1) walk off the field after the Lambkins fell to Grandview in a Colorado 5A high school baseball state tournament game on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at All-City Field in Denver, Colo.
Fort Collins baseball players Gino Maccarini (2) and Nathan Snyder (1) walk off the field after the Lambkins fell to Grandview in a Colorado 5A high school baseball state tournament game on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at All-City Field in Denver, Colo.

Before that, Fort Collins fans gave the team a standing ovation after the last out, especially the core group of six seniors in Miller, Snyder, Max Bronson, Matthew Iverson, Gino Maccarini and two-way star Sean Togher.

The Lambkins lost Friday's state opener to No. 2 Regis Jesuit in a tight 3-1 battle, sending them into Saturday's consolation bracket.

  • First round: No. 2 Regis Jesuit 3, No. 7 Fort Collins 1

  • First elimination game: Fort Collins 4, No. 19 Horizon 3

  • Second elimination game: No. 16 Grandview 6, Fort Collins 3 (Lambkins eliminated)

Class 4A: Windsor eliminated in wild game

A special season for Windsor baseball came to an end in a wild 4A state tournament loss to Pueblo County on Saturday at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

The top-seeded Wizards fell 17-15 to the third-seeded Hornets in an offensive slugfest.

Windsor had a great chance in the bottom of the seventh, hitting a three-run homer and putting two on with one out before a double play ended the threat.

The Wizards finished 24-4, won their conference championship and was the top-rated team for much of the season in Class 4A.

Windsor split its first two games in the Class 4A state tournament Friday, beating No. 8 Thompson Valley (6-3) before falling to No. 5 Holy Family by a 9-4 final.

The latter was especially frustrating for the Wizards, who had defeated the Tigers (a league rival) twice in the regular season.

  • First round: No. 1 Windsor 6, No. 8 Thompson Valley 3

  • Second round: No. 5 Holy Family 9, No. 1 Windsor 4

  • Elimination game: No. 3 Pueblo County 17, Windsor 15 (Wizards eliminated)

Other Northern Colorado state baseball scores, schedules

CLASS 3A STATE TOURNAMENT

No. 1 Eaton

  • Eaton 6, No. 8 Forge Christian 5

  • Eaton 14, No. 5 Coal Ridge 4

  • Semifinal: Eaton 2, No. 3 University 0

No. 2 Berthoud

  • Berthoud 11, No. 10 The Classical Academy 6

  • No. 3 University 6, Berthoud 4

  • No. 4 Res. Christian 12, Berthoud 7 (Spartans eliminated)

No. 3 University

  • University 5, No. 6 Colorado Academy 2

  • University 6, No. 2 Berthoud 4

  • Semifinal: No. 1 Eaton 2, University 0

No. 4 Resurrection Christian

  • No. 5 Coal Ridge 11, Resurrection Christian 0

  • Resurrection Christian 7, No. 8 Forge Christian 6

  • Elimination game: Resurrection Christian 12, No. 2 Berthoud 7

  • Next up: Resurrection Christian vs. No. 5 Coal Ridge at 10 a.m. Friday, May 31

CLASS 2A STATE TOURNAMENT

No. 12 Lyons

  • Lyons 12, No. 13 Swink 2

  • Lyons 5, No. 11 Dayspring Christian 1

  • Semifinal: No. 2 Denver Christian 7, Lyons 2

No. 11 Dayspring Christian Academy

  • Dayspring Christian 11, No. 3 Las Animas 3

  • No. 12 Lyons 5, Dayspring Christian 1

  • No. 8 Buena Vista 7, Dayspring Christian 4 (Eagles eliminated)

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado baseball: Scores for Fort Collins, Windsor at state tournaments