On a blustery Saturday, April 23, the Gilpin Eagles JV Baseball Team took on the Platte Canyon Huskies at Burland Field in Bailey. Wasting no time putting points on the board, Gilpin scored three runs in the first inning to Platte Canyon’s zero. In the second inning they each scored a run bringing the score to 4-1 in favor of the Eagles. Gilpin scored again in the top of the third to go up 5-1.

“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings” was never truer as the Huskies unleashed a barrage of hits culminating in twelve runs in the bottom of the third inning. Undaunted by the numbers, the Eagles dusted themselves off and one batter at a time mounted their courageous and determined comeback. Having registered five more runs, the score stood at Huskies 13, Eagles 10, with the bases loaded. Just getting warmed up, victory was seemingly within their grasp. In another “strikingly” similar baseball quote, Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over,” and this one was anticlimactically finished having reached its two-hour time limit.

Coach Joseph Wuchter noted that his players made good contact with the ball during the contest, attributing it to recent batting cage practice. The coach is encouraged by the progress the varsity and junior varsity squads have made this year. “We have proved to be a team that can play some defense and have become a strong offensive unit who have been able to produce runs against most pitching in the area,” said Wuchter.

With only two games left on their schedule, Coach Wuchter continued, “Some bright spots for the Gilpin County Eagles Baseball program this year have been senior captain Alex Rodriguez-Jiminez who is tied for the team lead in hits and has a batting average of .277 and on-base percentage of .350. Alex has also played an essential leadership role for the team as one of two seniors on the roster. Junior Kaeden Lafone is tied for the team lead in hits and sports a strong batting average of .454 and on-base percentage of .538 (highest on the team).

“Senior Matt Marr leads the Eagles with five walks and has shown he has a great eye and is disciplined at the plate. Junior captain and catcher Bradley Robinson has also been critical in his leadership role and outstanding defense behind the plate. Bradley has been working hard on framing pitches, stopping past balls, and working the strike zone. These aforementioned four guys are committed, leading the team in attendance and effort in practice on a daily basis which has allowed the results of their hard work to carry over to the diamond during games.”

Coach Wuchter added, “Junior Ezra Williams has played some impressive center field this season, tracking down many opponents’ flyballs and being a leading presence in the outfield. Juniors William Siegrist, Jameson Lane, and Zach Gebhart have also been contributing to the offensive production by knocking in baserunners and combining for twelve RBIs.

“Sophomore Dusty Lebeau has been a contributor in many stat categories including nearly leading in stolen bases (8), runs scored, and has been an anchor for the starting pitching rotation. Dusty has been throwing a lot of strikes and able to get guys out early in the count. He has been a great support behind our two starting pitchers Alex Rodriguez- Jiminez and Kaeden Lafone who carry the bulk of the pitching load. Other contributors include freshmen Connor Holloway, Brennan Lautrup, and Drew Starkey whose defense in the outfield should be a strength for years to come.”