Gloomy weather fits as Falcon, Cheyenne Mountain bow out in softball regionals

PUEBLO • The cold, gloomy weather was a perfect setting to reflect the moods of Cheyenne Mountain and Falcon as both were bounced from 4A regional softball play Saturday.

For Cheyenne Mountain it was the absence of its coach, and for Falcon it was the inability to play consistently, that cost the teams.

Falcon defeated Montrose 15-6 in its first game, but lost its next two, to first-place Pueblo East 5-1 and then to Montrose 3-2 in a game that decided who advanced to state. Cheyenne Mountain lost 13-3 to Pueblo East, and then lost to Montrose 4-0.

During Falcon’s first game it swarmed Montrose, scoring six runs on three hits in the third. Coach Kerri Millikan said: “We are definitely a strong hitting team. We wanted to come out and play our game and make them earn their runs.”

Montrose was down 14-2 in the fifth inning, but was able to fight back and make it a closer game,

“In our minds we knew it should have been done in five innings,” Millikan said.

Falcon (13-9) held a Pueblo East team that didn’t lose on the day to five runs in its loss and Falcon’s spirits were high going in to the deciding game against Montrose. Falcon established early control and carried a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning.

Montrose scored two runs in the fifth, then added another in the bottom of the sixth that Falcon couldn’t answer.

Senior Megan Gackle said: “I’m proud of our team and proud of the way we fought.”

Fellow senior Amber Madigan added: “Our team did really well, they have more potential than they put out there.”

Cheyenne Mountain (10-10) lost twice, but can take solace that the teams they lost to are going to state.

Coach Mike Simon didn’t make it to regionals when he found out his father was hospitalized.

“I found out for sure yesterday afternoon at practice,” assistant coach Dan Gleason said. “Any change at the last minute will certainly produce a change in the team.”

Sophomore Bridget Gleason said “We had less pressure.”

Junior pitcher Aspen Atkins didn’t seem too affected, extending her league-leading strikeout total during the losses.

Catherine Gleason said: “I’m going to be a senior, the pitcher (Atkins) is going to be a senior and we’re going to get the next players in top shape so we can go to state (next year).”