Few times over the course of the season — and especially at the Class 5A state tournament — the Cherokee Trail softball team found few opposing offenses that could outscore it.
The Cougars encountered one, however, in the final game of the season Oct. 26 at the Aurora Sports Park, as hot-hitting Riverdale Ridge took them down 8-4 in the 5A state title game.
Coach Caley Mitchell’s top-seeded Cherokee Trail team failed to score in double figures for the only time in four state tournament games and couldn’t keep pace with the Ravens, who won the title in their first season in the 5A classification.
“It’s so hard to get to this game and lose,” said Mitchell, who has guided the Cougars to four 5A finals in 10 seasons. “But I don’t feel like we blew it or we choked, we just go outhit. So we’re leaving sad we lost, but mostly just sad it’s over.”
Cherokee Trail made an impressive run at winning its second all-time title — to match one in 2016 — but ended up adding its third runner-up trophy to the ones from 2018 and 2020 to cap a 24-5 season.
The Cougars were a juggernaut offensively in the first two games of the tournament — a 16-3 win over No. 16 Vista Ridge and 12-2 victory over No. 8 Fruita Monument — and got to double figures again in a dramatic way in the semifinals against postseason nemesis Legend.
Down three runs going to the bottom of the seventh inning against the Titans, Cherokee Trail had its three seniors — infielders Kennedy Brian and Kylie Twilt and catcher Icela Ciocarlan — put the team on their backs.
Brian singled after sophomore Sydney Cobb singled to open the inning and Twilt’s flyball to center field brought home Cobb with one out. Ciocarlan capped a quality at-bat with a drive that landed over the fence in right field for a walk-off three-run homer in a 10-9 victory.
Sixth-seeded Riverdale Ridge had also had its offense in a groove, which included an 18-run performance against No. 13 Chaparral in the quarterfinals along with nine runs against No. 2 Broomfield in a semifinal upset. The Ravens, the 4A runner-up last season, came out swinging in the final.
With an array of well-struck hits and a few others that just eluded defenders, Riverdale Ridge reached Cherokee Trail sophomore starter Emma Rice for a run in the top of the first inning and two more in the third. Cougars’ junior center fielder Izzy Becker limited the damage, however, as she dove over the breakaway fence to turn a drive by Ravens’ Zoie Linville into a sacrifice fly instead of a three-run homer.
“They could really hit top to bottom,” Mitchell said. “A lot of times against teams like that, you can get balls hit right at people, but they just got some dinks and dunks and then they got the timely hit. They just beat us with the bats.”
Cherokee Trail’s offense finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning when Ciocarlan — who was a combined 5-for-5 with four RBI in the final two games — knocked in Twilt with a single to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Riverdale Ridge responded with six hits and five runs in the fifth, which it needed as a cushion. Cobb homered to drive in sophomore Tayah Burton in the fifth and Twilt had an RBI single later in the inning, but that’s all Cherokee Trail would be able to get offensively.
“We put up a battle, they just competed better,” Ciocarlan said. “That’s OK, that happens. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to take it as far as we did and I’m just so grateful.”
The two-time defending Centennial League champion Cougars will move on without their three impact seniors who all made vital contributions in their final season (Brian and Twilt — both four-year varsity players who formed the left side of the infield — and Ciocarlan all hit .425 or better and combined for 10 home runs and 89 RBI), but expects to return a quality core.
Sophomores Rice and Cobb each had strong tournaments on the mound and at the plate (Rice hit three home runs and drove in seven runs in four games, while Cobb had nine hits, two home runs and six RBI combined) and banked experience in clutch situations for the future.
Burton (who finished the season with 50-plus steals) is a dangerous table setter, Becker’s speed made her a very effective No. 9 hitter and sophomore Delaney Falzon showed power with five home runs, including two in the state tournament. A good number of juniors, plus a strong sophomore group and a few freshmen saw time during the tournament, which should help them understand big moments better when they arrive next season.
“The seniors were key components and they will be tough to replace, but we had a lot of young kids out on the field today,” Mitchell said. “They will get to add it to their resumes that they played in the final.”
Mitchell lauded the support the team got from students, faculty members and administrators from Cherokee Trail, who stayed until the final out.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasports. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
