Ralston Valley is leaving 4A in style.

The Mustangs will be moving up to 5A next season, and they’ll be bringing the Class 4A state championship trophy along with them.

Ralston Valley captured the crown Saturday at All City Field, dominating a pair of games against a Thomas Jefferson team that was previously undefeated in the double-elimination Championship Series.

Ralston Valley (23-3) took the title with an 8-4 victory in the series final game, after shutting out the Spartans 10-0 earlier in the day.

“Our guys were real hungry and we felt like we had the better team,” Mustangs coach Shane Freehling said. “Once we beat them that first game, we started to send a message to them as well and they might have started to believe what we already believed.”

Although Thomas Jefferson (23-4) had beaten Ralston Valley six straight times, including twice this season, it was the Mustangs who took the field looking like a team with a mental edge. Their top pitcher, 6-foot-9 senior Matt Skipper, tossed a five-hit, six inning shut out in the first game, while the offense hammered Spartans’ ace Dylan Smith.

Smith gave up 11 hits, including a pair of three-run home runs by Ryan Barban and Matt Jones, before being replaced on the hill.

“I think that first game sent them a huge message. I think it showed them that we were the best,” said Skipper, who is expected to be a high draft choice in the upcoming Major League Baseball amateur draft. “We knew we had what it takes, and this is the best team I’ve ever played on.”

That mastery carried over to the championship game, as Ralston Valley jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings. Skipper and Jones each had RBI singles in the first, and then 9-hole hitter Jay Doherty smashed a two run home run in the top of the second.

Mustangs’ starter Ryan Barban picked up where Skipper left off on the hill. He opened the championship game with four scoreless innings, as Ralston Valley held the potent Thomas Jefferson lineup without a run through the first 10 innings played on Saturday.

“This is what we’ve been working for,” said Barban, the Championship Series MVP. “We trained every day to play against Thomas Jefferson in the state championship. We just showed a lot of heart and came out on top.”

The Spartans, who were attempting to win TJ’s first baseball championship since 1967, finally broke through against Barban in the fifth inning, getting their first three runs of the day. Pinch hitter Sam Thomas broke the seal with a two run blast over the wall in right, and then Kian Jost knocked an RBI single to left to cut the deficit to 6-3.

But Ralston Valley came right back with two runs in the top of the sixth to regain control. Skipper also replaced Barban on the mound and pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up the save.

“Big players make big plays and big pitches in big games. Our guys did that (Saturday),” Freehling said.

Championship Series MVP: Ryan Barban, Ralston Valley – Barban, a senior, did a little bit of everything for the Mustangs during the series. He tossed a five-hit shutout to beat Niwot in the team’s first elimination game, and then was the winning pitcher in the championship game against Thomas Jefferson. He also had a monster tournament at the plate, including two homers and 11 runs scored.

First game

Ralston Valley 10, Thomas Jefferson 0

TJ 000 000 – 0 5 1

RV 401 032 – 10 16 0

Thomas Jefferson – Dylan Smith p 3-0-0-0, Ryan Allen cr 0-0-0-0, Tyler Thornton ss 3-0-1-0, Brett Nathan 2b 3-0-0-0, Michael Mankoff lf 3-0-1-0, Kian Jost cf 3-0-1-0, herty lf Matthew Mankoff 1b 2-0-0-0, Cooper Hearne rf 1-0-0-0, Devon Fitzgerald 3b 2-0-2-0, Max Maloney c 1-0-0-0. Totals 21-0-5-0.

Pitching – Dylan Smith 5-11-8-7-0-0, Ryan Allen 0-5-2-2-0-0.

Ralston Valley – Matt Spirek rf 4-2-2-0, Kenny Faherty lf 3-1-1-0, Ryan Barban 2b 4-2-3-2, Zach Chavez pr 0-0-0-0, Matt Skipper p 4-0-2-2, Nick Winter pr 0-1-0-0, Travis Hayes ss 4-2-2-1, Matt Jones c 3-1-3-4, Chris Spirek pr 0-1-0-0, Sean Reeves 3b 3-0-2-1, Kyle Towner 1b 3-0-0-0, Jay Doherty cf 3-0-1-0. Totals 31-20-16-10.

Pitching – Matt Skipper 6-5-0-0-1-5.

E – Thornton; LOB – Ralston Valley 7, Thomas Jefferson 4; 2B – Barban, Hayes, Jones, Dohery, Skipper, Jost; HR – Barban, solo in third; Jones, two on in fifth; SAC – Reeves, Hayes; SB – Barban.

Championship game

Ralston Valley 220 112 0 – 8 10 2

Thomas Jefferson 000 030 1 – 4 7 2

Ralston Valley – M. Spirek rf 3-1-1-1, Faherty lf 3-1-1-1, Barban p 3-2-1-0, Skipper 1b 4-0-2-1, Hayes ss 3-0-0-0, Jones c 3-0-2-2, Reeves 3b 4-0-0-0, Nate Jurney dh 2-1-2-0, Doherty cf 2-2-1-2, Wood 2b 0-0-0-0, Winter pr 0-0-0-0, Connor Knutson ph 1-0-0-0, C. Spirek pr 0-1-0-0. Totals 29-8-10-7.

Pitching – Barban 4 2/3-6-3-2-2-6, Skipper 2 1/3-1-1-0-3-4.

Thomas Jefferson – Smith lf 2-0-0-0, Sam Thomas ph 2-1-1-2, Thornton ss 3-1-0-0, Nathan 2b 3-1-0-0, Mi. Mankoff dh 3-0-0-0, Jost cf 4-0-3-1, Ma. Mankoff 1b 4-0-1-1, Allen pr 0-0-0-0, Hearne rf 3-0-0-0, Fitzgerald 3b 3-0-1-0, Maloney c 3-1-1-0. Totals 30-4-7-4.

Pitching – Chris Van Dyke 4 2/3-9-6-6-2-2, Brennan Henry 2 1/3-1-2-2-1-0.

E – Ma. Mankoff 2, Hayes, Reeves. LOB – Thomas Jefferson 9, Ralston Valley 5. 2B – Fitzgerald, Jurney, Jones. HR – Doherty, two on in second; Thomas, two on in fifth. SB – Faherty, Skipper, Jurney, Barban.

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