Photo by Will Cornelius
It has been all smiles this season for the varsity baseball team at Berthoud High School. From left, junior second baseman Elisha Mosher, senior outfielder Jack McCrea and utility player Caleb Letieri.

By Brendan Henry
The Surveyor

The Spartan baseball team dominated Resurrection Christian High School’s highly skilled program with a 7-1 score in an away game on May 3. Berthoud High School showed why they deserve the No. 2 ranking in the 3A classification with a resounding win over the No. 4 ranked Resurrection Christian Cougars.

Berthoud made their presence known at the top of the first inning. Senior Connor Jorissen was the first at the plate and made good reads that led to a walk and senior Jack McCrea followed suit. With McCrea on first base and Jorissen on second, senior Kaeden Kettle smacked one that hit the fence in left field, getting both runners home and a double for himself while simultaneously hushing up some of the heckling from the Cougar dugout.

Their presence did not dissipate on defense either and despite some disagreements with the umpire’s calls, junior Adam Hayes had quite the day on the mound. At the bottom of the first, Hayes only faced three Resurrection Christian batters. Hayes, visibly frustrated with the umpire’s calls in the fifth inning, used that frustration to his advantage in the sixth after pitching two strikeouts and allowing only one hit for a single.

Berthoud’s fielders were there for plenty of support as well. At one point in the third inning, a Resurrection Christian batter knocked one to center field, where Jorissen snagged the ball off a bounce and launched the ball to home plate, ultimately preventing a run. Despite harsh wind conditions, the Spartans efficiently tracked the ball in the air and made great throws.
Heading into the seventh inning, Berthoud was only up by two runs with a score of 3-1. Jorissen hit a ground-rule double and sophomore Wyatt Barmes successfully bunted and scrambled to first. Not long after, Barmes stole second, while Hayes reached first on a walk to load the bases. Next up was McCrea who came up clutch with a hit just inside the left foul line, advancing all three runners home.

Statistically, Berthoud was impressive at the batter’s box, with the team collectively batting .345. The Spartan’s on-base percentage of .457 dwarfed Resurrection Christian’s .286.

Hayes pitched the entire game, earning a spectacular 1.00 ERA. Facing 28 batters, he only allowed six hits and one run and struck out six batters on the day. He totaled 107 pitches overall.

Head Coach Buddy Kouns said earlier in the season that Resurrection Christian was one of the big teams that Berthoud was preparing to face. Kouns praised both of the Cougar pitchers after their performance last year, stating that they are “super high-quality high school pitchers.” He said that they add enjoyment when facing off against them.

“That kind of baseball is fun,” Kouns said while adding that his high-performing team showed up when it mattered. “We’re rallying out of different spots in the (batting) order, the bottom of the order is coming through for us.”

He said that the team is “not there yet” regarding peak performance and that the team needs to “believe” to get there. “We’re trying to treat every game as playoff games. We’re super excited. (These) kids are playing really, really well.”

On Monday, Berthoud traveled to Keenesburg where they routed Weld Central High School 13-1 in mercy rule ending after five innings. The victory extended their win streak to six games and improved their record to 20-1.

The Spartans faced the No. 3 ranked team in 3A on Wednesday with a home game against University High School. Berthoud will then close out their regular season on May 14 against No. 5 ranked Forge Christian High School.

Regionals for the 3A state baseball playoffs will be held May 17-18. The Spartans are likely to host one of the regional tournaments provided they stay within the top-eight teams, they are currently ranked No. 2 in 3A behind Eaton High School.