Basalt baseball takes playoff win

The Basalt High School baseball team pulled off a first-round stunner in the Class 3A state baseball playoffs earlier this week.

The Longhorns, seeded No. 28 in the 32-team 3A field, shocked No. 5 seed Manitou Springs 2-1 in the playoff game at Manitou Springs.

“This was one of the most exciting games for me personally as a coach,” said Basalt head coach Bud Hickman, a longtime prep coach in Colorado.

“We played errorless ball, and the entire team contributed to the win,” Hickman said. “The one player who stood above all was senior pitcher Noah Schoenberger.”

With a powerful lineup featuring four hitters with .500-plus batting averages, the Longhorns went to a simple pitching strategy — fastballs on the inside corner.

“Noah and Tucker Schoon, our catcher, did exactly what we planned,” Hickman said. Schoenberger allowed only one run in seven innings against the No. 5 team in Class 3A.

The Mustangs threatened in the sixth inning but were denied on a line-drive double play started by Miles Levy at third base.

Schoenberger shut down Manitou in the seventh inning with the Longhorns up 2-1.

The win sent the Longhorns into a second-round game against No. 12 Peak to Peak of Lafayette.

Peak to Peak ended the Basalt season 10-2.

But the first-round playoff win will rank among the top accomplishments of the program, Hickman said.

The Longhorns finished the season 9-12, including a first-round playoff win.