2016 NHSI: Rocky Mountain Leaves With A Win

CARY, N.C.—The plane ride back to Colorado will be a much more pleasant one for Rocky Mountain High after the Lobos finished their National High School Invitational run Saturday with a 17-5, six-inning win over Florence (Ala.) High.

The win, shortened by mercy rule, was the Lobos’ first of the tournament—and first of their season—as they began their spring slate with three straight losses at NHSI.

“Boy, we needed that one,” head coach Scott Bullock said after the win. “It’s funny, you come here and . . . I’m thinking, ‘Man, I hope we’re in baseball games,’ and then I’m leaving going, ‘Man, we could’ve been 3-1 instead of 1-3.’

“But it felt good to finish on a good note.”

Bullock said he thought his team was just shaking off some early season rust in its first two games of the tournament, but he wasn’t pleased with the effort he saw in the Lobos’ 10-7 loss to Poly Prep Country Day (Brooklyn, N.Y.) on Friday.

The Lobos quickly made amends for that, scoring 10 runs against Florence in a marathon first inning that sent 14 batters to plate. They tacked on four more runs—all with two outs—in the third inning, and a two-run sixth triggered the tournament’s 12-run mercy rule. First baseman Jadon Uhrich drove in four, and second baseman Kalen Hammer and shortstop John Sorensen each drove in two to pace the scoring.

“Yesterday against the Poly Prep team I felt like we just didn’t show up, we were flat, we kicked the ball all over the place, and it wasn’t a good performance at all,” Bullock said. “The thing I was most proud of today is just how they responded from a rough day yesterday and from a coach who has a little bit upset yesterday. That always makes you happy when you get after your team and then they respond.”