Rocky Mountain, Evergreen and Valley in Command in Colorado state baseball chase

The sky was just as much a factor as starting pitching and timely hitting in the opening rounds of the state baseball tournament.

After numerous rescheduled, re-rescheduled and suspended games due to inclement weather, it was fitting that the key Class 5A contest took an extra day to decide.

Perennial-power Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins) recorded a 5-4 walk-off win against Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) to earn the coveted unbeaten designation heading into the final rounds, but not before rains pushed the final inning from Monday to Tuesday.

The winning run – Jadon Uhrich scored from second when Mountain Vista narrowly missed an inning-ending double play – puts Rocky Mountain in prime position for its sixth title since 2007. The Lobos will have to be beaten twice in the final weekend to be ousted.

"It will not be easy, it never is, but you play this first weekend to try and come out 3-0," Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock told the Fort Collins Coloradoan. "That's our goal and we put ourselves in a good position. Now we just have to go out and finish it."

Rocky Mountain won four straight titles from 2007-10 – all with current St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Marco Gonzales on the mound for the clincher – and won it all again in 2014. After falling to Cherokee Trail (Aurora) in the title game last season, the Lobos are back in the driver's seat.

The Lobos, who have gotten a monster year from John Sorensen (.500 average, six homers, 37 RBI; 5-0, 2.86 ERA), will take on Broomfield when play resumes Friday at All City Field. The Eagles (18-6) likely will send ace James Notary to the mound. He's gone 7-0 with a 1.37 ERA and 96 strikeouts.

Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) and Mountain Vista (both 18-6) will meet in an elimination game, each ultimately wanting another shot at Rocky Mountain after one-run losses to the Lobos earlier in the tournament.

Cherry Creek and Mountain Vista met in a nonleague game on March 17 with Mountain Vista edging the Bruins 5-3. Of note, Cherry Creek's Tanner O'Tremba is hitting .525 with eight homers and 26 RBI while Mountain Vista's Cole Blatchford has blasted seven homers.

In Class 4A, the Evergreen story just keeps getting better. The Cougars were 9-8 on May 1, and after winning their final two leagues games, sneaked into regionals as the fourth and final seed. They swept two regional games and still haven't lost.

Ben Muscatello threw a 1-0 shutout against Air Academy (US Air Force Academy) in the state tournament opener, and the Cougars then persevered through a weather-suspended contest against Thompson Valley (Loveland) to prevail 2-0. Evergreen then utilized a wild sixth-inning rally to top Jeffco League-rival and defending state champion Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) 7-5. That means the Cougars (16-8), barely above .500 earlier this month, are in the driver's seat.

"All year they have made comebacks," Evergreen coach Steve Jones told CHSAANow.com. "We have never quit. We talk about playing a full 21 (outs). I tell them to grind."

When play resumes Friday at Metro State, the Cougars will have a rematch against Thompson Valley. The Eagles (17-7) rebounded from the Evergreen loss by defeating Thomas Jefferson (Denver) 8-1.

Valor Christian and Air Academy will meet in an elimination game Friday. If Evergreen defeats Thompson Valley, the Valor Christian-Air Academy winner would have to defeat the Cougars twice on Saturday to capture the title. Of note, Valor Christian (19-5) and first-year coach Brian Bonn had won 16 of 17 prior to the Evergreen loss. Air Academy (19-5) rebounded from the opening loss to Evergreen by defeating Golden and Silver Creek (Longmont).

In Class 3A, four teams remain but only two leagues do. And it's fitting that the Patriot and the Metro are represented, since they've long set the standard for the classification.

When play resumes Saturday at Butch Butler Field, both games will feature league matchups. Valley (Gilcrest), which is in the driver's seat at 3-0, will take on Eaton (16-8). The Vikings, who beat the Reds 15-12 earlier in the tournament behind huge hitting days from Shawn Chacon, Ivan Rodriguez and Jose Mercado, will be looking to vanquish their longtime foe. Valley (18-6) also topped the Reds 8-2 in the regular-season matchup.

Defending champion Faith Christian (Arvada) (17-7), meanwhile, will take on Metro League-rival Colorado Academy (Denver) (19-5) in an elimination game. Faith Christian blanked the Mustangs 10-0 in the regular season behind a shutout from freshman Alex Ford, but Colorado Academy has gone 6-1 since that loss.

In 2A, top seeded Paonia sweated out a 1-0 win over league-rival Hotchkiss in the quarterfinals on the strength of a no-hitter by Kayden Seriani. The junior walked one, struck out 10 and scored the Eagles' lone run in the bottom of the sixth.

The Eagles (23-0) will take on No. 4 County Line (19-2) in the semifinals Saturday at Hobbs Field, attempting to avenge a loss to Limon in the semifinal round last season. County Line edged Burlington 6-5 in the quarterfinals as Steven Weber went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI, and pitcher Christian Dellamaestra struck out 10.

The other semifinal features No. 10 Lyons vs. No. 11 Rocky Ford, featuring teams that are outplaying their seed in the bracket. Lyons pitcher Brandon Sanders shut down No. 2 Peyton in an 8-2 quarterfinals win, and Rocky Ford has outscored its first two state opponents 20-3.

The 1A title was decided Saturday at Metro State, when Nucla upended Holly 8-4 to prevent the Wildcats from recording back-to-back championships. The Mustangs got to Holly starter Ricardo Marquez for eight runs – a rare feat – and got a stellar pitching outing of their own from Trenton Armintrout.