Falcon’s road to its first-ever baseball championship went from tough to arduous after its semifinals game with Pueblo County. 

And Falcon coach Brandon Stegman smiled Saturday as he showed no worries toward their upcoming elimination game after an 11-6 loss to Pueblo County, which advanced to next week’s 4A title contest.

“What a great challenge for us,” Stegman said as he bore a smile that exposed all 32 teeth. “I love seeing my kids be challenged in this game. What a way for them to come back. I am immensely proud of them. It would have been easy to give up in a game like this.” 

The Falcons (21-5) trailed the Hornets 8-1 after Pueblo County scored twice in the first inning, erupted for five runs in the second and added another in the third.

Falcon, which averages nearly 11 runs per contest, mustered just one run through six innings, which came in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1.

As the runs began to stack for Pueblo County and Stegman shuffled through pitchers to stymie the No. 5 Hornets (22-6), the Falcon coach noted how their freshman pitcher Paxton Jones displayed chutzpah after a rugged Falcon start. 

“He went out on the mound, gave us courage and helped us compete,” Stegman said. “You get a freshman who can go out there and give you zero, zero and zero. … He’s in that tight-spot relief and he goes out and does an amazing job. It’s nothing that’s going to blow the doors off, but he flat out competes.”

Jones blanked the Hornets in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to help the No. 3-seeded Falcons remain afloat and kept the score at 8-1. The three runs he allowed came in the seventh when Pueblo County built an 11-1 lead. But the Falcons found the hitting that helped them start the year 10-0 and allowed them to return to the semifinals for a third consecutive season.

After the Falcons scored three with one out in the seventh, Talan Chubb’s 2-RBI single to centerfield gave Falcon its final runs of the game and cut the lead to 11-6. 

That effort didn’t give the Falcons the win, but it tested their resilience, which Chubb said they’ve had all season. In a 12-7 victory against Delta on March 21, Falcon trailed 7-0 after five innings. They scored five in the sixth and seven in the seventh to win. Chubb said that contest was similar to Saturday’s and they know their capabilities.

“We can bounce back from a lot,” Chubb said. “Sometimes we come late, but being able to bounce back and show that resilience we have, that’s the result of that. We just have to put it all together.” 

Falcon will play at 12:30 p.m. Friday against No. 1 Palisade or No. 8 Ponderosa in the fourth round consolation game. The winner of the fourth round consolation game heads to the championship for a showdown with Pueblo County at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Pueblo County will need to win one game while their opponent will need a pair of victories for the championship. 

“We’ve done this all year,” Chubb said. “After a tough loss, we’ve come back stronger. We just have to play together as a team. I think we’re ready.”

Pine Creek, The Classical Academy advance in consolation rounds

Both the Eagles and Titans remain alive and will have at least one contest in the final week of the preps’ season.

In 5A, the Eagles shut out Mountain Vista 9-0 in the second round consolation and posted six runs in the sixth inning to advance to the third round of the elimination bracket.

Troy Peerey had three hits and Tristan Mullis pitched a complete game and struck out six to earn the win.

Pine Creek, the No. 4 seed, will face No. 7 Legend at 9 a.m. Friday at All Star Park in Lakewood. The winner advances to the fourth round consolation game against No. 1 Arvada West at 12:30 p.m.

The Classical Academy remains alive in the 3A tournament after a 3-1 victory against Elizabeth and held the Cardinals to one run or less for the second time in three meetings between the schools this season.

Elizabeth took a 1-0 lead after the second, but CJ Mullen tied it at 1-all in the bottom of the third after he stole home. The Titans scored two more runs in the fourth to build their two-run lead and never relinquished the advantage.

TCA, 3A’s No. 4 seed, will face No. 6 D’Evelyn at 10 a.m. Friday in Greeley. The winner advances to the fourth round consolation and will face No. 2 Eaton at 12:30 p.m.

Peyton eliminated from 2A postseason

The Panthers’ rally fell two runs shy of a tie and three of a victory as No. 7 Peyton lost 11-9 to No. 3 Yuma in the second round consolation. Peyton trailed 11-6 after the sixth and scored three runs in the seventh, but Yuma staved off elimination and a come back from the Panthers, who finished the year 18-7.

This story has been updated with additional area results