Eagles finish as top seed from south

Making a return trip to the state tournament, Boulder City High School baseball enters as the top seed out of the south.

Finishing 3-1 in regional play, the top-seeded Eagles emerged as regional champions, fighting off rival Virgin Valley 16-6 in game two of a championship doubleheader on May 9.

“Winning the regional championship feels great because of how hard we’ve worked all year to accomplish it,” Will Teeples said. “We’re not finished yet though. Our goal is still to win the state title and that’s what we’ve been working toward since the beginning of the season. Hopefully we can finish the job.”

Playing their best baseball of the season when it counted most, the Eagles were nearly dominant throughout regional play, excluding a 17-9 game-one loss in the championship series where they allowed nine runs in the seventh inning to force a deciding game two.

Bouncing back with poise, the Eagles stormed to a commanding 16-6 victory, winning a mercy rule in six innings to take home the hardware.

Collecting 23 hits in the regional final, Spencer Aten batted 3 for 5 with five runs batted in and a home run, while Gavin Robinson batted 5 for 5 with three RBIs and two doubles.

Gauge Rhodes went 4 for 4 with a double, while Ethan Wagstaff batted 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs.

“It feels great to win but we know we have to keep pushing to win state,” Spencer Aten said. “We need to focus on little things and keep hitting like we have been.”

On the mound, Grady Crine picked up the deciding victory.

Playing lights out, the Eagles took care of the Bulldogs 15-7 in the opening round and rival Moapa Valley 8-6 in round two.

Slated to play Wooster today in the first round of the state tournament at Spanish Springs High School, the Eagles are hungry to finish the job this season.

“A big motivation for us this year came from last season,” Teeples said. “We were the two seed and that experience pushed us to work even harder and stay focused throughout the year.”