Aspen High Baseball Falls to Elizabeth in Class 3A Region Final

Aspen High’s baseball season ended Saturday at Crawford Field in El Jebel, falling to Elizabeth in the Class 3A Region 4 final, 5-4.

The Skiers (20-4) had entered the game as the No. 4 seed, hosting the No. 29 Strasburg Tigers in the opener and rolling to a 14-4 victory. They then faced the No. 13 Elizabeth Cardinals, who had defeated No. 20 Liberty Common, 3-1, to reach the championship match.

Aspen jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings. The Cardinals rallied with three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth, holding on for the upset.

Aspen’s season ends with a 20-4 overall record. Elizabeth (18-7), now the No. 7 seed, advances to the state tournament in Greeley this Friday. They join No. 1 University, No. 2 Eaton, No. 3 Montezuma-Cortez, No. 4 The Classical Academy, No. 5 Delta, No. 6 D’Evelyn, and No. 8 Wellington in the field.

In other regional action, No. 27 Roaring Fork lost to No. 6 Prospect Ridge Academy, 10-1, in their opener. The Miners (10-14) were then stunned by No. 22 Wellington, 4-0, in the final. Basalt (8-15) did not make the postseason. No. 10 Coal Ridge lost to No. 7 Delta, 9-0, in that region’s final.

The loss to Elizabeth caps one of the best regular seasons in program history. Hosting the regional round was a significant achievement for the Skiers, who were among eight schools statewide to host 3A regional play.

The game itself was defined by a late surge. Aspen led 4-0 after three innings. Elizabeth scored three in the fourth and two in the fifth to take the lead, and held on for the 5-4 victory.

Elizabeth will now face the rest of the state in Greeley. The Cardinals are the No. 7 seed in the Class 3A tournament.

Roaring Fork’s season ended with a 10-14 record. They lost to Prospect Ridge Academy in the opening round and then fell to Wellington in the final. Wellington, the No. 22 seed, finished with a strong showing.

Delta, the No. 5 seed, advanced by beating No. 10 Coal Ridge, 9-0, in their region’s final.

The Skiers’ home field, Crawford Field, was the site of the action. Photos from the game show players in the dugout and in action, including junior Tharyn Mulberry throwing toward first base.

The loss is a sharp end to a 20-4 campaign. The Skiers hosted the regional round, a privilege reserved for the top eight schools in the state. They beat Strasburg and nearly beat Elizabeth before falling in the final.

Elizabeth moves on. The Cardinals are now the No. 7 seed. They play in Greeley this Friday.

The rest of the region’s teams are out. Roaring Fork lost twice. Basalt didn’t make the cut. Coal Ridge lost in the final.

The state tournament field is set. University, Eaton, Montezuma-Cortez, The Classical Academy, Delta, D’Evelyn, Wellington, and Elizabeth are in.

The Skiers’ season is over. They finished 20-4. They lost 5-4 to Elizabeth.