SPORTS
Delta County Independent
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
B9
Baseball CONTINUED FROM B8 The Bulldogs put starting pitcher Jonathan Gonzalez on the mound. In the second inning, Gonzales allowed one hit by Anders Schopp before throwing three consecu-
tive Ks. After two scoreless innings, the Eagles got on the board in the top of the third, with Clay Campbell and Slater Podgorny scoring on a double by Jaden Miller.
Neither team scored in the fourth. In the top of the fifth inning Paonia stretched the lead to four runs when Seriani hit the only home run of the day, sending the ball over the left field fence to score
Photo by Tamie Meck
Paonia senior KJ Seriani (14) hits a two-run home run to left field in Paonia’s district championship win against Hotchkiss last Saturday at Olathe High School. High winds, with strong gusts, challenged batters and kept outfielders on their toes throughout the entire three-game tournament.
Photo by Tamie Meck
Hotchkiss’ Eli Kirk beats the tag at first base during play in the Bulldogs’ 15-5 district baseball tournament win over Dolores on Saturday at Hubbard Field in Olathe. Hotchkiss moves on to this week’s regional round of state playoffs at Pueblo. The Bulldogs enter regional play as the number four seed while Paonia has the number three seed.
“Coach Swartz” retires
Photo by Tamie Meck
Paonia senior Slater Podgorny gives Paonia assistant coach Steve Swartzendruber a base signed by members of the state champion 2017 team and the 2018 baseball team during Senior Night ceremonies.
Longtime Paonia coach finishes career Steve Swartzendruber, a longtime Paonia coach in several sports, recently retired. Swartzendruber is retiring after more than three decades of coaching ball in Paonia. According to wife Cindy, “Coach Swartz”
has coached sports in one form or another since 1985, beginning as a coach in the Babe Ruth Tri-County League. During his tenure he produced seven state champions and in 2000 was inducted into the Colorado Babe Ruth Hall of
Fame. Swartzendruber was an assistant coach in last year’s perfect 25-0 baseball season. He also was head basketball coach at PHS for eight years and in 2008 guided the Eagles to the state 2A runner-up.
David Lozano from first. “That was a game-changer,” said Miller. In the bottom of the sixth, a double by Bulldogs senior Chase Hiatt scored Eli Kirk from second and advanced Jamison Yanish to third. In leading off, Yanish was trapped between third and home, but the defense went after Hiatt, who was heading to third. Yanish scrambled home, and Hotchkiss trailed by two runs heading into the final inning. Carlquist credited Gonzalez’s performance against one of the top hitting teams in the state. “He definitely threw well enough to keep us in the game.” Unfortunately, said Carlquist, “offensively we didn’t get going until the sixth inning.” Photo by Tamie Meck With the winds picking up, the Eagles pulled KJ Seriani scores on a triple by Jaden Miller (12) in off a couple of squeeze Paonia’s district semifinal round win over Meeker. plays. “It’s tough to defend that stuff,” said Miller. The Bulldogs intentionally walked Seriani at the top of the seventh. Miller followed up with a base hit. In the next atbat Schopp was thrown out at first. With one out, Grey Neal singled and Connolly hit a two-run single to center field before getting tagged out between first and second. When Connolly reached his maximum pitch count, Schopp was called on to close, allowing three hits and two runs and striking out one Bulldogs’ batter. With two Bulldogs on base in the bottom of the seventh, Podgorny caught a flyout at shortstop and threw to first for a double play. Paonia didn’t play great defense or have its best day running bases, said Miller. “Gotta get better with some of that, but we won the game, that’s the bottom line.”