Spring has arrived, which means the season for baseball has also appeared. High school season has begun, and the Reds have already been dominant. The team has played two games in the regular season so far, and walked away victorious after both. The team has continued their previous record-breaking win streak from the last few seasons. Last year, the streak stood still at 69 games won in a row, and now with wins against The Academy and Denver North, the streak has extended to 71.
In the state, EHS baseball is well-known for the reputation of winning four consecutive state championships. This year, the boys are working towards the fifth.
While losing plenty of star players, the team has not let this discourage them. This year’s team has two seniors returning to varsity and one senior making his varsity debut. These three players have stepped up to the role of being leaders. Their hope is to lead this team to another state championship game. Cooper Nider (25) said, “It’s just another season with nothing to worry about as long as we all do our part in the practices and games.”
The game against The Academy was won 8-0 to kick off the season. The first two runs for the Reds were brought in by homeschooled student Malaki Dalpra (26) to get the team started. This game was also a great season debut for Liam Whalen (26), as he hit his first home run of the year in the bottom of the sixth inning. In total, the Reds allowed zero runs from the opposing team with Gunnar Garrison (26), Whalen, and Vinnie Juarez (26) pitching. Garrison succeeded in allowing zero hits along with zero runs. “This game was a good outing for me for the first game of the year, and I’m ready to compete more as the season goes on,” said Garrison.
The next game, against Denver North, finished with a score of 9-4 for the team’s 71st win. Cash Rinker (25) was a top performer in this game as he drove in four runs on four hits, getting on base each time at bat. Continuing the good batting, Whalen also tripled scoring a run, and Dalpra singled scoring another. Garrison started the game pitching once again, striking out six and walking three. He gave up three hits and three runs. Austin Edelmon (26) appeared in the last innings of the game for relief.
The first two games for the Reds have proved the team’s grit and motivation to keep the power rolling. The team as a whole have their eye on a single prize and are working diligently to face each game one at a time.
