The Basalt High School baseball team will head to the Class 3A state tournament later this week after pulling off a pair of upsets in regional play on Monday in Gunnison.

Seeded No. 21 among the 24 regional teams, the Longhorns opened play by knocking off No. 12 Alamosa, 11-4. BHS senior Alonso Silva pitched a strong game, holding the Mean Moose to a single run through four innings.

Already leading 4-1 entering the top of the fifth inning, Basalt broke the game open with a seven-run frame and held on from there.

In the regional championship game later Monday afternoon, Basalt faced host Gunnison, the No. 5 seed and a Western Slope League foe. It was an offensive affair, with BHS leading 5-3 after only an inning. A nine-run fifth inning by Basalt made the difference in the 19-10 victory.

The win also avenged a pair of losses to the Cowboys from early on in the regular season.

Now, Basalt will join the seven other regional champions in the double-elimination state tournament that starts Friday. Those teams include No. 1 Lutheran, No. 2 Eaton and No. 3 Faith Christian.

The upsets began after that, with No. 4 Bayfield losing to No. 20 The Classical Academy. No. 8 Colorado Academy, No. 7 Lamar and No. 6 University also advanced.

Late start for Aspen girls soccer playoff game

The Aspen High School girls soccer team’s first-round playoff game at No. 2 Manitou Springs on Wednesday has been scheduled for an 8 p.m. start.

The Skiers (6-3-1) are the No. 15 seed in the 16-team Class 3A state tournament. Manitou Springs is undefeated at 10-0 and has only conceded a single goal this season.

The winner will move on to face either No. 7 Liberty Common or No. 10 Colorado Academy in the state quarterfinals on Saturday, with the highest remaining seed hosting.

Aspen girls lacrosse hosts Steamboat in finale

The Aspen High School girls lacrosse team is scheduled to host Steamboat Springs (2-7) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in its regular-season finale on the AHS turf.

The Skiers, who have already locked up the league title, are looking to finish 10-0 in this shortened spring season. They also went undefeated in the regular season in 2019, with the 2020 season having been canceled because of the pandemic.

The Class 4A state tournament is scheduled to get underway Thursday, where barring any surprises Aspen should have a first-round bye. This would put AHS directly into the state quarterfinals, where the team would likely host a playoff game on Saturday.

acolbert@aspentimes.com