Broomfield highlights Day 1 of Class 5A state baseball with grand slam, but Grandview and Cherry Creek advance to semifinal

LAKEWOOD — Broomfield was on the ropes in the state tournament opener, then southpaw Maverick Scarpella dug deep, and designated hitter Nate Wochner went deep.

Fossil Ridge took a 2-0 lead in the first inning at All-Star Park as Scarpella couldn’t find his command. Meanwhile, SaberCats starter Logan Hessler held Broomfield hitless for three innings.

But Scarpella, an Indian Hills Community College commit who threw a no-hitter in last week’s regional final, settled in to blank Fossil Ridge for four-plus innings with a precise combination of fastball and curveballs. And in the meantime, Wochner, a BYU pitching commit who only started batting for the Eagles midway through the season, launched a fourth-inning grand slam.

The Eagles never looked back in a 5-2 win, but then fell to Grandview 5-4 in the second round of the Class 5A tournament.

“Maverick has a bulldog mentality,” Broomfield head coach Kale Gilmore said. “He was the middle linebacker on the state championship football team, and that’s just his mindset. We go as Maverick goes. He’s the glue that keeps this whole thing together for us, and it’s been that way all season. I don’t know that I’ve ever coached a guy who competes harder than he does.

“… (Meanwhile, Wochner) is the best athlete in our program. I’d be surprised if BYU doesn’t get a bat in his hand when he gets there. He changes the game for us when he’s at the plate.”

Broomfield has won six baseball state titles — the most recent coming in 2022. With nine college commits (four Division I) on the roster and one of the deepest pitching staffs in the state, the Eagles are in the mix to add another. Scarpella shoved in Friday’s first game before fellow BYU commit Ethan Zufall pitched in the second game. Wochner and NYU commit Clayton Green also highlight the Eagles’ stacked rotation.

Gilmore, Broomfield’s fourth-year head coach who won the 5A crown in his first season as the boss, says he sees similarities between the ’22 title team and this year’s squad. But the teams’ strengths couldn’t be much different.

“That ‘22 team was very offense-oriented, hit 32 home runs and had not as deep of a pitching staff,” Gilmore said. “This year it’s sort of the opposite. We have the deepest pitching staff I can remember having, and it’s been our strength all year long.”

The Eagles are anchored by senior catcher Brendan Fritch. The Davidson commit entered the weekend leading 5A with a .583 average as well as a .649 on-base percentage.