Broomfield baseball may have suffered its first loss of the Class 5A state tournament last Friday, but the Eagles are still kicking in the double-elimination competition. They still have a shot at making the title game if everything works out just right this weekend.

The fifth-seeded Eagles began their postseason run with a 5-2 victory over No. 4 Fossil Ridge but felt the sting of defeat against top-seeded Grandview with a 5-4 campaign. They strung together a thrilling comeback against No. 3 Arvada West on Saturday, during which they erased a late deficit and bombed the Wildcats in the top of the seventh. Now, they’re one of just four teams remaining, any of which can claim the championship. The remaining games will all take place at All-Star Park in Lakewood.

As Broomfield senior catcher Brendan Fritch put it after the Eagles’ Arvada West victory: “Our mindset is (to) play the last game we can. It’s always been, ‘Play the next one until you can’t anymore.’ Being able to go into the last weekend, where there’s no weekends after that, it’s huge for us.”

First up

• No. 5 Broomfield vs. No. 6 Regis Jesuit, Friday, 10 a.m.

The Eagles have been relying on their fiery bats throughout this last leg of the postseason, and no players embodied that better than Fritch and senior pinch hitter Tripp Bemis in their victory over Arvada West last week. Bemis, in just his second day back from a wrist injury that sidelined him for months, hit a two-RBI double in the top of the sixth inning.

That ignited an offensive inferno. Broomfield tied the game up at 5-5 before the end of that frame, then Fritch hit a leadoff solo bomb — on the first pitch, no less — to help propel the Eagles to an eventual 9-5 lead. They won 9-6 to improve to 24-4 this spring.

Broomfield has followed the same status quo all season long. It raked in 230 RBIs through 270 total runs and relied on a pair of seniors for a huge chunk of that.

Fritch leads in the batter’s box with a .560 average, 32 RBIs, 47 hits and 32 runs scored himself. Outfielder Caden Williamson leads in the RBI category with 38 and is hitting .398 with 35 hits and 34 runs.

The team has backed that up with stellar pitching, mostly from seniors Maverick Scarpella and Ethan Zufall. Scarpella boasts a 1.55 ERA through 49 2/3 innings, striking out 69 in the process. Zufall, meanwhile, holds a 2.15 ERA through 43 1/3 frames, and he’s knocked 66 batters out.

The 20-8 Raiders blasted Arvada West with an 11-5 showing in the first round of the state tournament, then fell 4-3 to No. 2 Cherry Creek in the quarterfinals. They beat No. 8 Castle View in last week’s consolation round to earn the right to play Broomfield this Friday.

Regis has been hot since April 15, winning 14 out of 17 games, including their state tournament run. Their offense is a bit muted compared to the Eagles, scoring 158 total runs, but they’ve made up for it with their pitching.

Their top three pitchers all have ERAs under 2.00, led by Hudson Alpert (1.76, 65 strikeouts) and followed by Luke Reasbeck (1.85, 53 strikeouts) and Michael Kroll (1.71, 31 strikeouts). If the Eagles hope to extend their postseason just a little longer, they’ll just have to stick with what they know best — hit, hit, hit.

If they emerge victorious over the Raiders, they’ll move on to Friday’s 12:30 p.m. consolation game against Grandview.

Bring on the Wolves

• No. 1 Grandview — lost 7-1 to Cherry Creek in the semifinal

The Wolves have taken on a similar identity to that of the Raiders, relying more on their defense and pitching to get the job done through their 23-5 record. Their collective 2.44 ERA far supersedes the national average of 5.44, and they’ve only given up 76 runs — 63 earned — while scoring 198 runs themselves. Ethan Wachsmann has served as their ace, with 69 strikeouts through 46 1/3 innings and a 1.81 ERA. If Broomfield defeats Grandview in the final consolation round, it will move on to face No. 2 Cherry Creek in the title game Saturday.

The top dog

• No. 2 Cherry Creek already in championship

The 22-5-1 Bruins earned the right to chill out Friday while the consolation teams battle it out. With each passing round, their offense has only gotten stronger.

Cherry Creek is similar to Grandview, at least on paper, with a team ERA of 2.67 and 82 allowed runs. Its offense, by comparison, has scored 194 times with 156 RBIs. No batter has been more prolific than Connor Larkin with his .456 average, 37 RBIs, 41 hits and 27 runs. Walker Rudden (2.56 ERA, 77 strikeouts) and Ryan Falke (2.72 ERA, 70 strikeouts) have likewise taken on the brunt of the pitching responsibilities.

If the Eagles hope to pull off the ultimate bounce-back — from the consolation round all the way to a state crown — their boisterous offense is their best bet. They’ll just have to get through two of the baddest pitching staffs in the land first.