Green Mountain baseball strings together late-inning rally to defeat Bear Creek

LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain finished strong on the baseball field Saturday at Bear Creek High School.

The Rams scored three runs on six hits in their final two innings at the plate, pulling out a 3-2 victory against Bear Creek. Green Mountain took the win after trailing for the majority of the game.

“We felt like we were due. We felt like we were all due at the plate,” said Green Mountain senior Hudson Burke, who drove in the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. “We knew what we were going to see and we capitalized.”

Bear Creek held a 2-0 lead through four innings. Brandon Adams-Anders drove in both of the Bears runs and Jamin Patterson was throwing a 1-hit shutout through the first four frames for Bear Creek.

The Bears threatened to extend their lead in the top of the fourth and fifth innings, but the Rams were able to turn inning-ending double plays in both frames.

“Those were big momentum changers for us,” Green Mountain senior catcher DJ Villalovas said of the double plays. “If those don’t happen, maybe we don’t get this win. It got us excited and wanting to win.”

Senior Orlando King looped a 2-out double to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior Simon Lunsford — fresh off leading the Rams’ boys basketball team to a runner-up finish in the Class 5A state tournament — ripped an RBI single to cut Bear Creek’s lead to 2-1.

Green Mountain senior Carson Wells lead off the bottom of the sixth inning and walked to get things started. After a sacrifice bunt by senior Levi Behm to put the game-tying run in scoring position, senior Demetreus Padilla’s swinging bunt put runners at the corners with one out.

Villalovas roped an RBI single to drive in Wells to tie the game at 2-2. Burke’s line-drive RBI scored Padilla to give Green Mountain its first lead of the game.

“I think it gives us a huge edge,” Green Mountain coach Cory Miller said of a lot of players in big-time games in other sports this year. “We’ve got guys who were in the Final 4 in football and in the state championship game for basketball. They are used to those big moments. That is going to be huge for us.”

Patterson went from throwing a 1-hit shutout for Bear Creek to being tagged with the loss on the mound.

Senior DD Lopez made it four consecutive hits for the Rams after James Moore took over on the hill for Bear Creek.

“We are deep with athletes and that breeds competition in practices,” Burke said of the handful of multi-sport athletes on the diamond for the Rams this season. “It gives us the best line-up. A lot of guys what to go out there and win. It think it gives up a big edge.”

Padilla went from shortstop to the mound to finish off the Bears. Padilla pitched the top of the seventh inning. He got a strikeout and pair of groundouts to end the game.

“Padilla is a freak athlete,” Villalovas said of Padilla closing out the game. “We know when he gets in there … game over.”

Senior Caden Kelly picked up the victory after throwing six innings. Kelly gave up just one earned run on six hits while striking out five.

“Once he (Kelly) gets comfortable he gets going,” said Miller, who added that Kelly will be key to the Rams success this Spring. “Getting through that first inning is going to be big every outing for him. He did a good job of that today.”

Green Mountain (3-2-1 record) will head to Parker to face Lutheran (5-4) on Tuesday, April 1.

Bear Creek (2-6) will try to rebound after the tough loss to the Rams. The Bears will host Loveland (3-5) on Saturday, April 5.