The Spartans were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by Pueblo South, 1-0.
The Spartans were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs 1-0 by Pueblo South on May 2. photo by Kevin Fleming
The State Championship that has eluded the TJ Spartans baseball program for 42 years will have to wait at least another year to be claimed. After two consecutive years finishing in second place, the twenty seed Spartans were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round at the hands of the fifth seeded Pueblo South Colts, by a score of 1-0.
This defensive bout saw the Spartans play the best defense of the season. Junior Pitcher Brennan “Bubba” Henry threw all seven innings and did not allow any runs until the bottom of the seventh, when the Colts persevered through Henry’s superb pitching and came up with the winning run. Mistakes and errors that were often made earlier in the season were eliminated, keeping the Spartans in the game until the end.
The TJ offense did fail to score any runs, but the Spartans were not ashamed of their performance. “We actually hit the ball pretty well throughout the game, but we just hit it at bad parts of the field where they were able to make plays,” said Senior Sam Thomas. TJ even had the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning but were unable to capitalize.
The TJ Baseball Program will bid farewell to three seniors, Keenan Moore, Robbie Folk, and Sam Thomas. All of them have been playing TJ baseball since the summer prior to their freshman years, and have put much time and effort into the baseball program. “The highlight of my high school career would probably have to be the bomb I hit in the State Championship Game [last year]. It was exhilarating; I will always remember that one,” stated Thomas.
For TJ, with only three seniors leaving, this gives them an opportunity to build on this season and develop the young potential on the team. TJ will have two returning freshmen, nine returning sophomores, and six returning juniors next year. For most of the team, this was their first varsity season, and the experience will only help in the future.
The hunt is still on for the State Championship, and maybe 43 is the lucky number.
