PUEBLO – Next stop is the Class 2A baseball state championship for Forge Christian.
The Fury made that a reality Saturday afternoon.
Top-seeded Forge Christian blanked Platte Valley 10-0 in five innings in the 2A state semifinal at Hobbs Field at the Runyon Sports Complex.
“This was huge for us,” Forge coach Jim Polson said. “These kids really love each other and that’s the bottom line of course and the glory goes to God.”
Top-seeded Forge Christian (24-4) advances to the state championship game at 10 a.m., May 31 at Hobbs Field. No. 7-seeded Platte Valley (18-10) drops down into the consolation bracket of the eight-team double-elimination tourney and will play at 12:30 p.m., May 30 at Hobbs Field.
Forge Christian also got a measure of revenge Saturday as it lost to Platte Valley 2-0 on May 9.
“This feels great,” said senior Forge shortstop Ben McLean, who was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. “We wanted to come out (Saturday) and give it to these guys after the last game we faced them, and I think we did. We wanted to get going this week offensively and I’m really happy with how that went.”
PV will play the winner of the No. 6-seeded Denver Christian (18-9) and No. 8-seeded Monte Vista (18-7) game at 10 a.m., May 30. Whichever team – Platte Valley, Denver Christian or Monte Vista – advances through the loser’s bracket will meet Forge in the championship and have to beat the Fury twice to claim the coveted state title.
Denver Christian is the reigning two-time defending 2A state champs. Forge Christian, formerly known as Faith Christian until the fall of 2023, has won three baseball state championships in 2007, 2011 and 2016 all in 3A.
In Forge’s three wins this weekend over Monte Vista, Highland and Platte Valley the Fury scored 29 runs, while giving up only six and five of those runs came in the victory over Monte Vista.
“We have to continue to do what we do and play a good brand of baseball,” Polson said about his team’s mindset as it prepares for the state finals. “Our pitchers throw strike one and get ahead of guys and we play good defense behind them and give our offense a chance to produce.”
The Fury revved up its offense in the bottom of the second inning.
Sam Buerck drew a two-out walk from starting PV pitcher Jeremiah Molinar to load the bases.
The next batter Asher Garner seized the moment.
The senior slashed a double into the right-field gap to put Forge up 2-0.
The second inning highlight reel didn’t stop there for the Fury as Easton Wilde lofted a triple to deep right field to plate two more runs putting Forge up 4-0.
McLean made it 5-0 by smashing a double to left in the fourth. Burke Jasa followed with a single to right to plate McLean and stretch the Fury’s lead to 6-0. By the time the fourth frame was done Forge scored two more runs to build a comfortable 8-0 advantage.
Forge pitcher Brock Wycoff was dominant, firing five innings of two-hit ball while striking out five batters.
“I was burying my curve, and things were just working,” the 5-foot-9, right-handed Wycoff said. “Then, our bats came alive today. We are looking forward to a hard week of practice and coming out to compete next weekend and we are really excited.”
McLean concurred with Wycoff.
“Anything can happen in baseball,” Mclean said. “We have to go in and be ready for it (the state championship). We are not going to take our foot off the gas at all. We are going to go until this thing is finished.”
