Coming in to the final week of the regular season in the Division I-A North, the math was pretty simple for the Lowry High School baseball team.
The Buckaroos had to win all three games against rival Spring Creek to have any hopes of a playoff berth in the regional playoffs. Lowry's season looked to be all but over on Friday afternoon as the Spartans led 8-3 going to the bottom of the seventh inning.
However, there was one last fight left in the Buckaroos and 11 of their seniors would not go out quietly. Lowry battled back in the bottom of the seventh, beginning with a lead off single by Tanner Lecumberry. Lecumberry was forced out in the next at bat, but Christian Dawson reached base. Aaron Nelson followed with a walk and the Buckaroos cut the deficit to 8-5 on a two-RBI double by Tytin Johnson. Johnson eventually scored on passed ball to bring the margin to two runs.
Damon Miller kept the rally alive with a single and Donovan Brumm was hit by a pitch, all with one out. Following a pop out to third base, Calvin Connors completed the comeback with a two-RBI double to left-center field to tie the game at 8-8.
Nelson needed just a handful of pitches to retire Spring Creek in order in the top of the eighth inning. With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Christian Dawson, Nelson and Johnson all walked to load the bases. The Buckaroos' first attempt to win the game was stopped when Troy Hardy popped out to the catcher. However, Brumm completed the comeback with a single between short and second base to give Lowry a 9-8 win and keep the season going.
"It wasn't pretty by any means," said LHS coach Ron Espinola. "But that is what we have done all season. You could see the momentum shift in the last couple of innings and we knew we had to win."
Nelson - in his last start as a Buckaroo - threw all eight innings in getting the win. He allowed eight runs on nine hits. He struck out four and walked two.
"That was a great effort for Aaron to go all eight innings," Espinola said. "He is just that kind of kid who is going to take you deep into games."
Connors reached base in all five of his at bats with two hits, two walks and he was hit by a pitch. The senior had two RBI and scored a run. Lecumberry added three hits and a RBI and Brumm finished with two hits.
The Buckaroos (13-16 overall, 13-11 Division I-A North) were still in the position of needing to win twice on Saturday to make the playoffs. Lowry looked to be in a good spot, leading the opener 3-1 going into the top of the fourth. However, Spring Creek scored four times in the fourth to lead 6-3 and didn't trail again on its way to a 7-5 victory and ending the playoff hopes for the Buckaroos. It's the first time in five years that Lowry will not be in the playoffs.
Lowry overcame a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first when Connors led off with a single and Brandon Okuma and Lecumberry loaded the bases with walks.
After a pop out in the infield, Nelson trimmed the deficit to a run with a ground out and Okuma eventually scored on a balk to tie the game. The Buckaroos went in front in the bottom of the second when Okuma doubled home Connors.
Spring Creek took control with four runs in the top of the fourth inning. Lowry had a number of chances in the late innings, but could not convert when needed. The Buckaroos had three consecutive singles in the bottom of the fourth and added a walk, but could not plate a run, with miscues on the bases.
The Buckaroos did score once in the fifth on a fielder's choice from the bat of Nelson that scored Lecumberry. Spring Creek tacked on a single run in the sixth and held off a Lowry rally in the seventh to secure its playoff spot.
Lecumberry took the loss as he pitched into the fifth inning. Connors finished the game from there for the Buckaroos. In addition, Connors was 3-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored. Brumm collected two hits.
To finish out the season, Lowry started eight of its seniors in the finale and came away with a 9-1 victory. The Buckaroos broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning with three runs and five more in the sixth.
"We went out there and had a lot of fun," Espinola. "We played like they way we could, plain and simple. We didn't lose the playoffs in game one today. We lost it on April 5, on the day we played Dayton and lost twice. That was the same day Ellie (Truckee baseball coach Mike Ellis) passed away. It was just a bad day. That's what did it for us. With everything this year, we still gave ourselves a chance. If you don't go all out, you will never know if you could do it. We did everything we could and I am proud of what they did. I don't think we have any regrets. You always want to win the last game of the season and we did that. But you would always like the last game to be the state championship."
Colton Lacy picked up the win in his six innings of work in his final game with the Buckaroos. The senior gave up one run on five hits and he struck out two and walked three. Fellow senior Johnson threw the final two innings and struck our four and walked one.
"To go out with the performance of Colton and Tytin to finish it out, there were a lot of positives," Espinola said. "If we take care of ourselves better at the start of the season, it's a different story. We lose some great seniors and it's hard for their season like this. But, you look what we have coming back and we have the kids to build with."[[In-content Ad]]
