PARKER -- For the second straight season, Brighton High School's baseball team made it to the championship game of the class 5A regional playoffs.

And for the second straight year, BHS came up short in its bid to enter the state 5A baseball tournament.

Brody Sprinkle's eighth-inning single gave the Wolverines a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs on May 23 on Chaparral High School's field. The loss ended Brighton's season. The Bulldogs finished 18-7.

"I don't know how many we left on, but it had to be double digits," said BHS coach Justin Stringer. "We had to be able to find a hole or a gap, hit by pitch or something? Man. We made tons of plays. Brok (pitcher Brok Eddy) had control of the game."

Eddy finished with an eight-hitter and 10 strikeouts.

"We couldn't find a hit early in the game that would have put us on top," Stringer said.

Eddy wiggled his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning. That was Chaparral's most serious threat until the game-winning rally in the eighth inning.

Brighton had 11 base runners, including nine who reached on walks.

Bryce Peterson, who was the winning pitcher in the opener (an 8-5 win over Loveland) had both of Brighton's hits. Andrew Schmeh and Garrett Chadwick reached on walks in the second inning. Walks to Eddy, Drai Wagner and Schmeh loaded the bases in the sixth inning.

But BHS couldn't get that key hit to drive anyone home.

"One or two (hits) looked like a million, the way Brok throws," Stringer said. "If we can figure out how to scratch one across, the game is different. Brok is the best pitcher in the state, and someone opposing teams find it difficult to square up. I don't think I've seen a better pitcher all year. I'm glad he plays for us."

In the Loveland game, Peterson lasted into the seventh inning and struck out seven. Anthony Treto came on in relief to pick up the save. Eddy drove home five runs, including a bases-clearing triple in the second inning.

"At the beginning of the game, my fastball out (outside) was working," Peterson said. "They were trying to go with that. So I tried to come back in on their hands, throw curve balls away when I was ahead in the counts. It depends on what kind of swings they are taking.

"This team, they were really focused on trying to hit the ball the other way," he continued. "So when I saw that, I came back in on their hands. When I was ahead, I would go down with the curve ball or up with the fast ball."