The Rocky Mountain baseball team had to take a bit of a detour this time. But ultimately, when considering some of the top two-year runs in state annals, the extra game needed to capture a second consecutive Class 5A title ultimately is irrelevant.

The Lobos, who entered Saturday undefeated in the double-elimination Championship Series, lost 8-3 to Air Academy in the early game at All City Field, depriving an opportunity for a second consecutive clean sweep of the tournament.

But that’s why the Rocky Mountain built that extra cushion. In the nightcap, the Lobos came back to blast the Kadets 13-7 in a straight-up title game, again engraving their name in the championship trophy after never having captured a title before last season.

“It means everything,” said Rocky Mountain shortstop Andy Burns, who blasted a key home run and struck out the final two batters after taking the mound in relief. “Absolutely everything.”

Sophomore pitcher Marco Gonzales wasn’t as sharp as usual, but earned the rare distinction of being the winning pitcher in two state championship games. Unlike last season, when Gonzales sailed smoothly against Wheat Ridge in a title-clinching 12-2 win, he was hit hard in his 6 1/3 innings. The problem for Air Academy was Rocky Mountain hit the Kadets pitching harder.

“Looking at our lineup, you see that we just have murderer’s row,” said Gonzales, who allowed 12 hits and six earned runs. “One through nine can do anything at anytime with the bat. Having a lineup like that backing you up is unbelievable.”

The Lobos (23-4) bashed all 15 of their hits in the first four innings, including back-to-back home runs from Jake Stewart and Alex Kelly in the third and a laser beam three-run blast by Burns in the fourth.

After watching a 4-0 lead disappear when Air Academy scored five in the second, Rocky Mountain scored the next nine runs to take command of the slugfest. Standout performances included Burns (2-for-5, three RBI), Stewart (2-for-4, two RBI), Richard Daggett (2-for-4, two RBI) and state tournament most valuable player Alex Kelly, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

“We just battled and ‘Gonzo’ was tough out there,” said Kelly, who went 10-for-22 with three homers and 10 RBI in six tournament games.

Gonzales became the first pitcher to win multiple championship game since Niwot’s Mike Moat won three consecutive titles for 4A Niwot from 1998-2000.

“It’s a shame we didn’t win the first one,” Gonzales said. “Bryan Peters deserved one because I got one last year.”

Gonzales admittedly labored at times, but was able to work through it with his team putting the runs on the board at such a frenzied pace.

“I’ve definitely gotten stronger throughout the year, but I’m growing, too,” said Gonzales, who finished 7-1 and is 12-1 in two seasons. “Trying to control my stuff with growing and getting stronger has been a bit tough.”

Speaking of tough, Air Academy had already deployed aces Dexter Price and Jared Brown in earlier games this weekend and was forced to used shortstop Bob Terry on the mound. Terry entered 1-0 and had logged only 15 2/3 innings this season. He was no match for the Lobos’ potent lineup and was chased after 2 2/3 innings.

Air Academy’s lineup kept the Kadets (23-3) afloat for awhile, but Rocky’s attack eventually was too much for the Kadets to capture the third game between the teams in the tournament.

“They have great hitters one through nine,” Price said of the Lobos. “They got a few balls, a few calls went their way and they came out on top.”

Brown went 3-for-4 with a homer and Terry 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Kadets, but Air Academy’s bid for its first state title since winning 3A in 1989 came up short. The Kadets proved, however, that it’s possible for Colorado Springs team to be a top-flight contender.

“We had a great year,” said the Auburn-bound Price, who finished with 10 home runs and a 10-0 record on the mound. “Things might not have gone our way, but it was a successful year.”

In the first game, Rocky Mountain held a 3-1 lead and needed only six outs to complete its second consecutive undefeated state tournament. Air Academy made sure that possibility was erased when it put together a seven-run sixth, chasing starting pitcher Peters before lashing a barrage of hits against reliever Pierce Trumper.

Key hits for the Kadets included a two-run single by Ross Yeager that tied it 3-3 and another two-run single from Mike Bartlett, which provided the final margin. The Kadets recorded seven hits in the inning, six singles and a run-scoring double by Brown.

Brown also went the distance on the mound, checking Rocky Mountain on seven hits while never allowing the Lobos to score more than one run in an inning. Brown overcame a fourth-inning homer to Nik Wunsch and outdueled Peters, who was saddled with a no-decision after striking out nine in five innings.

Rocky Mountain then came out on a mission after having their nine-game state winning streak snapped.

“We wanted to come out with a great attitude and jump on them early,” Kelly said. “That’s what we did.”

Game 2

Air Academy . . . . . . . . .050 110 0 - 7 12 2

Rocky Mountain. . . . . . . .415 300 X - 13 15 2

A (ab-r-h-rbi) - Bob Terry p 4-1-2-2, Ross Yeager 2b 3-0-0-1, Ron Burton cf 4-0-1-1, Dexter Price 1b 4-1-1-0, Matt Moore c 4-0-1-1, Jared Brown dh 4-1-3-2, Greg Volz rf 4-1-2-0, Mark Fenalson lf 3-1-1-0, Mike Bartlett ss 1-1-0-0, Ryan Parker p 2-1-1-0, James Doyle 3b 0-0-0-0. Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) - Terry (L 1-1) 2.2-11-10-7-1-0, Rayn Parker 3.1-4-3-3-3-7.

R - Andy Burns ss-p 5-2-2-3, Bryan Peters 3b 4-2-1-0, Jake Stewart cf 4-2-2-2, Alex Kelly 1b 4-2-3-2, Marco Gonzales p 2-0-2-2, Luke White cr 0-0-0-0, Pierce Trumper 3b 0-0-0-0, Chris Roglen rf 4-0-0-0, Nik Wunsch c 2-2-2-1, Mitchell Bean dh 4-1-1-0, Richard Daggett 2b 4-2-2-2-, Mark Towne lf. Pitching - Gonzales (W 7-1) 6.1-12-7-6-2-8, Burns 0.2-0-0-0-0-2.

E - Doyle 2, Burns 2. LOB - Rocky Mountain, Air Academy. 2B - Volz, Brown, Burns, Gonzales, Bean. 3B - Terry, Daggett. HR - Brown, Stewart, Kelly, Burns. SAC - Peters. HBP - Yeager, Wunsch.

Game 1

Rocky Mountain. . . . . . . . 010 110 0 - 3 7 2

Air Academy . . . . . . . . . 010 007 X - 8 12 1

R (ab-r-h-rbi) - Andy Burns ss 3-0-1-1, Bryan Peters p-3b 4-0-3-0, Jake Stewart cf 4-1-1-0, Alex Kelly 1b 4-0-1-1, Marco Gonzales lf 3-0-0-0, Chris Roglen rf 2-1-0-0, Nik Wunsch c 3-1-1-1, Mitchell Bean dh-p 3-0-0-0, Richard Daggett 2b 1-0-0-0, Pierce Trumper 3b-p 0-0-0-0. Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) - Peters 5-7-3-3-4-9, Trumper (L 3-2) 0.1-4-4-4-1-1, Bean 0.2-1-0-0-1-1.

A - Bob Terry ss 4-1-0-0, Ross Yeager 2b 4-1-2-2, Ron Burton cf 3-0-0-0, Dexter Price 1b 2-2-2-2, Matt Moore c 3-0-1-1, Ryan Parker 0-1-0-0, Jared Brown p 3-0-2-1, James Doyle cr 0-1-0-0, Greg Volz rf, Mark Fenalson lf, Mike Bartlett 3b. Pitching - Brown (W 6-2) 7-7-3-3-4-8.

E - Burns, Peters, Terry. LOB - Rocky Mountain 7, Air Academy 11. 2B - Peters, Kelly, Brown. HR - Wunsch, Price. SB - Roglen. HBP - Daggett.

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