Falcons bound for regionals

PARKER — A lot was on the line for the Front Range Christian Falcons heading into their District 8 semifinal match-up with Denver Christian. Win and the Falcons move on to the finals and play for a seed in the regional playoffs, but lose and their season ends.

The spectators couldn’t have asked for a better game with so much on the line, but in the end John Ross came through for the Falcons, pitching a complete game and providing three RBIs in the Falcons’ 9-8 win over Crusaders on May 6 at Double Angel Field.

Ross gave up all eight runs, seven of them earned, but got the big outs when he needed them.

“The kid’s got heart. This is his fourth complete game of the season,” Falcons head coach Rod Ross said. “He wouldn’t let me take him out, even if I wanted to so he was going to win or lose that game.”

The Falcons (17-4), despite dropping the district final to Denver Lutheran, 16-7, later in the day, advanced to the Region 4 semifinals in Sterling on May 14. Front Range Christian will play District 7 champion Burlington (10-6) in the semifinals. The winner will play the Denver Lutheran-Akron winner for the rights to the 2A state semifinals and finals, scheduled for May 20-21 at Englewood High School.

The Falcons fell behind early after scoring a run in the first inning. A two-run single by Alec Cain in the top of the second inning and a solo home run by Chris Van Dyke to lead off the third put the Crusaders (14-7) up 3-1. But a John Ross three-run home run put the Falcons on top 4-3.

After an unearned run tied the score, the Falcons took the lead when Ben Lanting hit a pop up to shallow right field that the second baseman handled, but Rod Ross sent catcher Zane Ferrin home on a tag up and the throw was high allowing the go-ahead run to score.

The Falcons built on their lead in the fifth inning with an RBI double by Matthew Meek and added another run for a 7-4 lead. 

But in the sixth inning an error allowed Cain to reach. Gerrit Morris then doubled him home to cut the lead to 7-5 and after Van Dyke was intentionally walked, Danny Miller made John Ross pay for hanging a breaking ball, belting a three-run home run to right-center field to put the Crusaders up 8-7.

“I don’t know what I was doing there,” John Ross said.

The Falcons, however, answered back in the bottom of the sixth.After Miller came in to relive starter Alex Terpsta, he walked the first two batters and allowed a Taylor Bigandt sacrifice attempt turn into a bunt single. One out later, Meek hit a slow roller that got by Miller to tie the game. An error then allowed the go-ahead run to score.