No. 8 D’Evelyn shuts out Pueblo Centennial

DENVER — D’Evelyn senior pitcher Tate Aurich didn’t have an issue with a long period of inactivity during the bottom of the second inning Saturday afternoon.

The Jaguars’ starting pitcher was a spectator as D’Evelyn — No. 8 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A baseball rankings — piled up 11 runs all with two outs in the second inning against Pueblo Centennial. 

“I was sitting there just waiting and then Coach Porreco told me I better go stretch out,” Aurich said after the Jaguars’ 15-0 home victory. “I expect a lot of those because we have a lot of good hitters. There is a lot of times that I’ll be waiting for a while with how much we put the ball in play.”

Senior Jack McMann got it started with a 1-out double in the second inning. After a ground out by senior Kannon Perry, the Jaguars (4-2 record) went on an impressive run. Eleven straight batters reached base on Pueblo Centennial starting pitcher Jack Espinoza.

“With Tate shoving it up on the mound we had to help him out,” McMann said of the 11-run second inning. “It feels good to get it going, especially with two outs.”

Senior Colin Kim had a big 3-run triple during the offensive explosion. Senior Kyle Vanek had a 2-run double and senior Gabe Jackson capped off the inning with an RBI single to put the Jaguars up 11-0 heading to the third inning.

“Tate did really well and then we came out really hitting after the first inning,” D’Evelyn coach Dan Porreco said. “That really helped. Everyone came out and hit today.”

The Jaguars finished with 10 hits, while taking advantage of four walks and three Bulldog errors in just the three frames D’Evelyn batted. It was the second straight blowout victory for the Jaguars. D’Evelyn hammered Elizabeth 19-0 earlier in the week.

“We said after the Florida trip (Spring Break) it was going to be a new start to our season,” McMann said.

It was the best outing of the season so far for Aurich. The senior got roughed up a little bit giving up eight runs in four innings against Prairie View in his last appearance. 

“I felt like I had everything,” Aurich said of his 64-pitch outing that lasted just four inning due to the 15-run mercy rule. “We have been working a lot with the coaches. At the beginning of the year I had to work out somethings. It felt good to get back on track.”

Aurich gave up just two hits and a walk while striking out seven. He finished the game striking out the side in the top of the fourth game to end the game.

“He (Aurich) is a bulldog and we play well behind him defensively,” Porreco said. 

Porreco has a senior-ladened squad this season coming off an 4A state semifinal appearance last year. Sophomore Ryan Kim has had an impressive start on the mound with a 0.78 ERA and a dozen strikeouts in nine innings pitched so far.

“I think we are where we need to be right now,” Porreco said. “We have a long way to go, but this is a good start for us after coming back (from Florida).”

D’Evelyn is scheduled to face No. 2 Windsor on the road Wednesday, April 5, before diving into 4A Jeffco League play against Standley Lake on Thursday, April 6. The Jaguars and No. 1 Golden — both qualifiers for the eight-time 4A state tournament last season — are expected to be the teams to beat in 4A Jeffco this spring.

“I think our league is going to be tough again,” Porreco said. “Golden is really good. Green Mountain has been playing well. Evergreen is always there.”