Salt Lake sophomore Jaxon Grossman threw six stellar innings, allowing two runs on six hits, striking out seven and not walking a batter.

That outing secured a spot in the championship game for the first time for the Bruins, who went 0-2 in 2003 in their only other trip to Grand Junction.

“Lake Land is extremely offensive, and (Grossman) held them in check; it was an amazing outing,” assistant coach Jason Crawford said. “It’s the shortest rest he’s had all season ... for him to step up and get the ball, and pitch the way he did, it was a calm, easy demeanor from a guy that I know was tired and sore coming into the outing.”

Grossman credited two things after the game: his defense and his slider.

After his six innings pitched, sophomore Dan Brousseau took the rubber and secured the run-rule victory. In his one inning pitched, the bottom of the seventh, he allowed no hits, runs, or walks. The Bruins went three up, three down to survive and advance.

Only twice so far in this World Series has a defense held an offense to fewer than four runs; both of those outings were thanks to the Salt Lake defense.

With Lake Land’s season coming to a close at 45-21, 3-2 JUCO, coach Julio Godinez and the Lakers were less concerned with the loss, but more with the fact that their time together was coming to an end.

“It’s more about not being able to play another game with each other,” redshirt sophomore Kayden Althoff said. “More or less about the win or loss of that game, we’re done playing with each other, we’re done practicing with each other, we’re done being with each other, that’s what’s going to hurt a lot of us, just not getting one more day with each other.”

Despite being down five runs going into the seventh, crazier things have happened this tournament, and the Lakers knew they still had a chance, but that’s when the Bruins (47-11, 4-1 JUCO) pulled away.

Things were looking promising when they got two quick outs with a force out at second and a fly ball, but then a failed pick-off, a walk, and a hit batter led to a bases-loaded situation for the Bruins. Redshirt sophomore Jalen Seward then sent a shot down the left field line, bringing in two runs.

Then stepped up sophomore Avery Doezie, who again doubled to left, bringing two more runs. It was all of a sudden 11-2 with a man on second.

Doezie advanced to third on the throw back from the outfield, which sailed into the first-base dugout, allowing him to score and push the lead to 12-2 and end the game after the Bruins retired Lake Land in the bottom of the seventh.