THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Grand Junction High School Athletics

Game 3 of the 2019 season was a walk in the park for Grand Junction High School. After working the opposing pitcher for eight walks, the bats did the rest Saturday in the Tigers' 11-1, five-inning win over Falcon on the final day of the Bill Fanning Memorial Classic. With Suplizio Field damp from the recent rains but in good playing condition, Grand Junction was in control from the first inning when it took a 6-0 lead. The Tigers had only one hit in the inning, an RBI single from Sergio Moreno, but they took advantage of two errors, two hit batters and four bases-loaded walks. Moreno, a senior, had a big day for the Tigers with two hits, two runs scored and two big plays from his left-field spot. "We've been struggling with our hitting, but today we really pulled it together and had a fun game," he said. After losing the first two games of the season to two good teams, Grand Junction had a quality all-around performance. "From Game 1 until now, we've really improved our game, which is really nice to see," coach Justin Little said. "Seeing that upward trend is what we're looking for in the early season." The Tigers (1-2) got four solid innings from left-hander Jacob Melchor, who gave up one run on three hits, walked three and struck out three. Melchor struggled in the second inning, when he gave a one-out RBI single, but after that ball hit the left-field grass things went whacky. Moreno charged the ball and threw a laser to home to get the runner out at the plate. Catcher Jared Hanks then whipped a throw to third where shortstop Derek Shaver was covering, and the senior ran down a runner between third and second for the inning-ending double play. Melchor then set down the next six batters, including another fantastic play by Moreno — a lunging head-first catch for the third out in the top of the fourth. The bats came to life in the third for the Tigers, when Shaver ripped a liner to left-center for a two-run double and a 9-1 lead. Christian Hafey came up next and launched a deep shot over the right-fielder's head for a triple to score Shaver. Needing one run to push the lead to 10 in the bottom of the fourth, Dakota Larsen walked and eventually made his way to third. When a pitch skidded away from the catcher, Larsen scampered home with the 11th run. Blaine Butler pitched the top of the fifth and got the final three outs in order to end the game. Fruita Monument 7, Horizon 6: The Wildcats (2-1) needed eight innings to get their first win of the year, and it came in dramatic fashion. After rallying from a 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the sixth, Fruita tied the game at 5-5 in the seventh. Horizon took a 6-5 lead in the top of the eighth, but the Wildcats won the game on a pair of doubles. Carson Crone's RBI doubled scored Brady Vidmar, then Jack Hawkins ripped the game-winning double to score Crone. Fruita Monument 4, Falcon 1: In a six-inning game, the Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie. The runs were scored by Jace Hinton, Hawkins and Keenan Garcia. Central 10, Rampart 0: Caleb Davis threw a six-inning, two-hitter for the Warriors (1-2), and Cade Balleweg had three hits and two RBI. Davis kept the Rams (2-1) off balance and struck out five with three walks. Riley Roper and Ryan Kirby also had two RBI each for Central. Rock Canyon 8, Palisade 2: The Bulldogs (1-2) only trailed 4-2 after three innings but Rock Canyon (3-0) scored single runs in the fifth and sixth and two in the seventh to win the game.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Grand Junction High School Athletics

GJ'S OFFENSE WAKES UP IN FINAL GAME OF FANNING CLASSIC

DALE SHRULL

The Daily Sentinel | 3/9/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Christopher Tomlinson