Before the Rockies’ relievers could even settle into their seats beyond the right-field wall, Corbin Carroll jolted them awake.

Carroll’s 438-foot blast on Austin Gomber’s seventh pitch Wednesday ricocheted off the second-deck facade and landed in the home bullpen, setting the tone for Gomber’s disappointing start, the bullpen’s long afternoon and the Rockies’ 9-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

“Threw a lot of stuff in the middle of the plate,” Gomber said. “The scouting report is most definitely not: ‘Throw stuff in the middle of the plate.’ I’ve done a really good job of that for I feel like the better part of two months now, and today that wasn’t the case.”

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Lyons High School may be small, but the level of talent it possesses on the softball field has the Lions swinging like a heavyweight.

The departure of last year’s ace, Ceci Chiaravalle, would have crippled a normal program in the year that followed. Chiaravalle led the entire state with 255 strikeouts through 23 games and served as the catalyst toward the Lions winning regionals and earning a bid to the Class 3A state tournament.

Her sophomore successor, Gretta Wynja, already has 126 strikeouts through 14 appearances, ranking her 13th in the nation among states that play in the fall season and No. 1 in Colorado. She’s just one of the many sophomore faces leading the Lions to a 10-4 record this year and credits her strong defense behind her for her ability to slay in the circle.

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