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Basalt High School softball’s Maya Lindgren, left, attempts to make a tag out during the Class 3A state tournament on Friday at Aurora Sports Park. (Photo by Daniel Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com).
Daniel Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com
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Basalt High School softball coach David Miller talks to his team during the Class 3A state tournament on Friday at Aurora Sports Park. (Photo by Daniel Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com).
Daniel Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com
Basalt softball season ends with loss to Sterling in state quarters
The Basalt High School softball season came to a close Friday with a 10-0 loss to Sterling in the Class 3A state quarterfinals at Aurora Sports Park.
Seeded No. 2 overall and with only a single loss on the season, the Longhorns couldn’t keep up against a battle-tested Tiger team. Sterling, seeded No. 7, needed only six innings to run rule Basalt, outhitting BHS 12-3. The Tigers led 1-0 after three innings before breaking it open with four runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and four more in the sixth inning.
Sterling (20-7) plays out of one of the toughest districts in the state, one that includes No. 1 overall seed University, No. 3 seed Brush and No. 4 seed Strasburg, which has won five of the past seven state championships. Sterling even beat Strasburg earlier this season.
The Tigers move on to face Brush in the state semifinals Saturday morning. Brush beat No. 6 Eaton in the quarterfinals, 12-2. University will play Strasburg in the other semifinal, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
The Longhorns made the quarterfinals after first beating No. 15 La Junta in the first round Friday morning, 13-12. BHS led 8-0 after an inning behind a trio of home runs but allowed La Junta to battle back with five runs in the second inning.
La Junta took a 12-11 lead into the bottom of the sixth before Basalt rallied. A double by freshman Kiera Larson scored junior Maya Lindgren for the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Basalt finishes the season with a 23-2 overall record. It was the program’s first trip to state since the 2016 season, and it was their first win at state since 2013, when BHS also beat La Junta in the first round.
Basalt boys soccer beats Palisade in finale, awaits playoff fate
The Basalt High School boys soccer team hosted Palisade on Friday afternoon, winning 4-2 in what was its regular-season finale. The game had originally been scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed a day because of snow on the field.
Basalt improved to 7-6-1 overall after the non-league win. BHS had an RPI of 29 as of Friday evening, meaning it’s likely to sneak into the Class 3A state tournament. The 32-team bracket will be announced no later than Monday.
Aspen boys soccer lost 2-0 Thursday at Vail Mountain, dropping to 2-12 overall. The Skiers play Saturday at Fruita Monument in their regular-season finale. AHS will not make the postseason.
ASPEN VOLLEYBALL LOSES IN FIVE AT GRAND VALLEY
The Aspen High School volleyball team played Thursday at Grand Valley, falling in five sets. The Cardinals won the first two sets by scores of 25-12 and 25-19 before AHS rallied for set wins of 25-23 and 25-23. Grand Valley won the fifth set, 15-10, for the 3-2 match victory. Aspen is off this weekend before hosting Cedaredge on Tuesday.