COLORADO SPRINGS — The seesaw of momentum left Severance High School fighting for its playoff life May 26 in the opening three innings against Pueblo County.
Then, the Silver Knights hit their stride in the fourth.
The No. 6 seeded Silver Knights used a six-run fourth inning to snatch the lead from the Hornets and defeated No. 2 Pueblo County 14-6 at Mountain Lion Park in the Class 4A state baseball playoffs.
The Silver Knights advanced to the semifinals and play No. 1 seed Holy Family at 2:30 p.m. on May 27 at Mountain Lion Park.
“This is the first time in school history we’ve made the final four,” said Severance’s Ty Adam. “This is our fourth year and everyone counted us out. Obviously we belong.”
The Silver Knights endured a blistering start from the Hornets, who looked ready to run away with the game after the first inning.
Pueblo County’s Braxton Vail hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the first to build a 3-0 lead. Then, play halted as a lightning storm in the area caused a near two-hour delay.
Severance and Pueblo County returned to the diamond and went scoreless in the second, but the Hornets added two more runs in the third to make it 5-0.
“There was no stress at that point,” Adam said. “We got sticks and we have hitters on our team. Coming off the delay we knew energy had to be high and we brought it.”
Prior to their playoff contest against the Silver Knights, the Hornets hadn’t allowed more than four runs in an inning this season.
It happened twice in the in their tilt against the Silver Knights.
Severance’s bats caught fire in the fourth, which turned a 5-0 hole into a 6-5 lead.
“Guys found their barrels and that led to hit after hit,” Adam said. “That was [Roy Higinbotham’s] fourth inning pitching, so we knew how to hit him after that.”
Both teams went scoreless in the fifth inning, but the Silver Knights began to cook again in the top of the sixth and scored another five runs to build their lead to 11-5 before adding another three in the top of the seventh.
The Hornets scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to give the game its final margin.
“We knew we needed more of a cushion,” Adam said. “Pitching this game, a one-run cushion wasn’t going to do it. I felt better with a six spot and knowing that I had room to let up a little bit.”
Severance is the only non-Pueblo team to defeat the Hornets this season.
The Silver Knights defeated Pueblo County 11-8 in Pueblo on March 10.
(Marcus Hill)
