Windsor, Fossil Ridge softball teams advance to state tournament
It was softball regionals weekend around the state, as the postseason began and thinned the field before the 16-team state tournaments next weekend in Aurora.
Two local schools, Fossil Ridge (Class 5A) and Windsor (Class 4A), qualified for state, with the Wizards cruising through a home regional and the SaberCats surviving on some late dramatics.
Three other area teams were also bounced from regionals, ending their season.
Here's a a recap of regional weekend for our local squads.
Windsor
This is why you earn a top-8 seed.
The Wizards (20-5) took advantage of home-field advantage and an easy draw as the No. 3 seed, demolishing No. 30 Widefield 13-2 in five innings Friday before winning the regional with a 6-1 victory over No. 14 Discovery Canyon on Saturday.
Sophomore Molli Magana led the way with a combined four hits in two games, while junior Katie Perkins totaled five RBI - including a 4-RBI day in the rout over Widefield.
The Wizards will be one of the favorites to bring home the 4A title from Aurora Sports Park, as they hold a 2-1 record against the two teams (Lutheran, Holy Family) seeded above them.
Windsor's first game in the single-elimination tournament is Friday at 12:15 p.m. vs. No. 14 seed Berthoud, with the winner facing the winner of No. 6 Mead and No. 11 Pueblo West in the quarterfinals.
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Fossil Ridge
The SaberCats did it the hard way, as they went on the road and advanced out of Erie's regional with some late dramatics.
Fossil Ridge (16-8-1) beat Arapahoe in the regional opener before falling to Erie in the winner's bracket game. That set up a rematch against the Warriors with the season on the line, winner advancing to state and the loser's season done.
Fossil fell behind 2-0 early and it stayed that way until the seventh inning, when the SaberCats mounted a rally and scored three runs to steal the win and a bid to state.
The win extended Fossil Ridge's run of consecutive state tournaments to 12, which included a state title and three runner-up finishes in Class 5A.
The SaberCats are the No. 12 seed in the 5A bracket, facing No. 5 Chatfield at 10 a.m. Friday down in Aurora. The winner takes on the winner of No. 4 Erie and No. 13 ThunderRidge.
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Fort Collins and Rocky Mountain
These local squads ended up in the same place, but it wasn't a fun draw, as they landed in top-seeded Columbine's regional.
Fort Collins (the No. 32 seed) lost to Columbine 11-1, while Rocky Mountain (the No. 17 seed) lost to No. 16 seed ThunderRidge.
The two met in an elimination games, with the Lobos scraping out a tough 10-8 win over the Lambkins (9-13-2), led by home runs from Nadia Dezeeuw and Lexi Resseguie.
That set up a winner-take-all game against ThunderRidge with a spot at state on the line, but the Grizzlies came out on top again with a 13-3 win, ending Rocky's season with a 16-10 record.
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Wellington
The Eagles impressed this season, making a regional in their first season despite playing only sophomores and freshmen.
Wellington earned a No. 27 seed but lost 8-0 to No. 6 seed and regional host Fort Lupton, ending their season with an 8-16 mark.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Windsor, Fossil Ridge softball teams advance to state tournament
