BRIGHTON | Maybe it was the lasagna. Or it could have been the strong pitching, clutch hitting and solid defense the Eaglecrest softball team displayed Saturday that led to two solid victories and a Class 5A Region 2 championship.
Coach Yvette Hendrian made her team dinner the night before it headed to the Brighton Youth Sports Complex and the ninth-seeded Raptors showed sharp focus from first pitch to last in victories over No. 24 Chaparral and No. 8 Brighton that put the Centennial League champions back into the 5A state tournament.
Junior Mikayla Faulkner cracked a three-run double to highlight a four-run fourth inning and sophomore pitcher Alexa Romero made it stand up with a complete game six-hitter in Eaglecrest’s 6-2 victory over Brighton in the regional championship game.
The Raptors (19-2) dealt the 20-2 Bulldogs just their second loss of the season, though Brighton rebounded to earn the other state spot with a 11-0 victory over Chaparral.
Eaglecrest joins Grandview — which made it through the Region 6 tournament — as Aurora’s representation at the 5A state tournament, scheduled for Oct. 18-19 at the Aurora Sports Park.
2013 CLASS 5A REGION 2 SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Saturday at Brighton Youth Sports Complex)
Game 1: No. 8 Brighton 10, No. 25 Central (G.J.) 0 (6 inn.)
Game 2: NO. 9 EAGLECREST 4, No. 24 Chaparral 2
Game 3: No. 24 Chaparral 7, No. 25 Central (G.J.) 1
Game 4: NO. 9 EAGLECREST 6, No. 8 Brighton 2 (EAGLECREST qualifies for state)
Game 5: No. 8 Brighton 11, No. 24 Chaparral 0 (Brighton qualifies for state)
NO. 9 EAGLECREST 6, No. 8 Brighton 2
Score by innings (r-h-e):
Eaglecrest 001 410 0 — 6 6 0
Brighton 000 100 1 — 2 6 1
WP — Eaglecrest: Alexa Romero (7 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts); Eaglecrest hitting: Alexa Romero 2-3, 2B, RBI; Mikayla Faulkner 1-3, 3 RBI; Lauren Buckley 2-4, RBI
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
