The Palisade boy's baseball team celebrates after defeating Mullen 7-6 to win the CHSAA 4A Region 7 championship and advance to the state tournament at Palisade High School on May 17, 2025.
Palisade led for only two half-innings of Saturday's Class 4A Region 7 baseball tournament.
Luckily, they picked the right two half-innings.
After falling into early game deficits in both of their regional contests Saturday, the Bulldogs battled back to beat Canon City 6-5 in the first game and Mullen 7-6 in the regional title game to advance to the state tournament.
"We all battle as a team," Palisade senior Easton Embrey said. "We never want to give up."
In Saturday's morning contest, the Bulldogs allowed four runs before recording an out to the Tigers. With their backs against the wall early in the single-elimination tournament, Palisade turned to junior Danyel Ishida-Farmer in the bullpen to try to stop the bleeding. The talented reliever -- who tossed a no-hitter earlier this season -- promptly got three outs to escape the first inning, and ultimately cruised to five scoreless innings to prevent Canon City from further extending their lead.
The Bulldogs chipped away at the Tigers' lead by scoring twice in the bottom of the first and once again in the bottom of the third. Things once again got perilous in the top half of the sixth inning, when a walk, a bunt, and a base hit led to a bases-loaded, no-out situation with Canon City looking to extend its lead to something insurmountable. Ishida-Famer gave way to Embrey, who was originally scheduled to start the Bulldogs' second game.
"I came in with the bases loaded, no outs, and honestly, in the back of my mind, I was like, our season is probably over," Embrey said. "Like, I had confidence in our team, I had confidence in me, but, like, our season could be over right here."
The Bulldogs senior was incorrect, however. Embrey promptly struck out three consecutive Tigers to end the threat and keep hope alive for Palisade.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Bulldogs loaded the bases in their own right and tied the game 4-4 when Dylon Larson was hit by a pitch. Ascher Morby, who had grounded into a an inning-ending double play in the fourth inning with the bases loaded, then came up with a huge hit.
He smoked a line-drive double down the left-field line to score two runs and break the game open. The 6-4 lead was the first of the game for the Bulldogs, and they needed just three more outs from Embrey to slam the door on the Tigers. Embrey delivered, advancing Palisade to the regional title in the process.
Embrey returned to the mound to make his previously scheduled start in the regional championship game. Once again, the Bulldogs fell into an early hole thanks to three unearned runs in the top of the first.
Palisade nearly evened the contest in the bottom half of the inning, however, thanks to a Kian Kinslow two-run single, and after Mullen tacked on a run in the second inning, it was again Kinslow's turn to play hero at the plate. The Bulldog first baseman unleashed a two-run home run over the wall in left field, and Palisade evened the contest at 4-4.
Mullen retook the lead in the top of the fourth, and after coming up empty in the next two innings, the Bulldogs were again faced with a sixth-inning deficit that threatened to end their season.
There was still a little magic left in the tank for Palisade, however.
In the bottom of the sixth, Larson again evened the game with a hard-hit grounder that was misplayed by the Mullen left fielder, and with head Nate Porter waving them around, the Bulldogs' Ethan Bevan and Marshall Hickerson both scored to tie the game 6-6. Two batter later, Embrey drove Larson in with a double over the head of the Mullen right fielder, and for the second consecutive game, the Bulldogs took their first lead of the contest in the bottom of the sixth.
"We were down to that in the sixth inning -- we knew it was do or die... our players stepped up when they needed to," Embrey said.
Senior left-hander Christian Hererra, who had been called upon from the bullpen in the sixth inning, slammed the door shut on the Mustangs in the top of the seventh, and Palisade once again escaped with the win to claim the regional crown.
"All the credit's on the boys out there," Porter said. "We've been pushing them the last three or four months, but about three weeks ago, we just let them take over. We've done everything we can, we're fine-tuning them every practice, but it's their team... If their season was going to end today, there was nothing I could have done different."
Palisade advanced to the state tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The Bulldogs will travel to Colorado Springs next weekend for the first round of the 4A state tournament, held this year on campus at the Air Force Academy.
Elsewhere in District 51 baseball, both Fruita Monument and Grand Junction were eliminated from state title contention after losing in their own regionals Saturday.
The Tigers survived a pitcher's duel in their morning contest with Pueblo East, outlasting the 1-0 to advance to the regional final. Andrew Henderson and Kolton Music combined to allow only two hits in the win. Only one Eagles base runner advanced as far as third base in the dominant showing from Tiger pitching. The Tigers scored the game's lone run in the bottom of the fifth, when Zyler Fazzi doubled to drive in Clayton Scarbrough from second base. Fazzi was 2 for 3 in the win.
In the afternoon region final, however, the Tigers' pitching staff was not as pristine, as host Windsor scored four runs in the bottom of the first to cruise to a 5-2 victory. Both of Grand Junction's runs were scored in the top of the sixth on a Will Applegate double.
Fruita Monument was eliminated from their regional in their lone game of the day against Pueblo West. The Wildcats built a 2-0 lead after scoring in the third and fourth, but the Cyclones struck for two runs in the bottom of the fourth and took the lead in the bottom of the sixth to overcome the Southwestern League champions. Jimmy Hawkins and Blake Elsberry were the lone Wildcats to record a hit in the contest.