EATON – For a big senior class, a trip to Eaton offered the last chance to accomplish a goal that many of their roster had yet to enjoy – a trip to the state tournament’s final weekend.
The Panthers delivered after a three-week hiatus, rallying from an early deficit against the Sterling Tigers in the opening round of the 3A regional tournament to win their regional opener 10-4 to carry the Panthers to another state tournament appearance.
After not playing since their Western Slope League finale against Delta on Oct. 1, the Panthers spent the weeks sorting out how they would fare against the state’s best without an opponent to be named. Once the No. 16 seed Panthers learned that No. 17 Sterling would be their opposition, the Panthers recognized that their path to Denver would go through the Tigers.
After being shut out for the first three innings while falling behind 1-0, the Panthers rallied with a vengeance, taking the lead in the bottom of the fourth, then extending the advantage with two more runs in the fifth and a massive six-run sixth inning to close the door.
It’ll be a fourth trip to the state tournament over the past seven years for M-CHS and the Panthers will look forward to a trip to the Aurora Sports Complex to vie for a state title over the four rounds from Round of 16 to the state finals on Oct. 25-26.
The Panthers missed out on a regional title, as they fell to the No. 1 team in the state, Eaton, in the regional final. The Reds downed M-CHS, 15-0, after the Panthers had already secured a state tournament appearance.
M-CHS awaits their state assignment as the remaining regional sites complete their action, but the Panthers will look forward to enter the 3A tournament with an opportunity to duplicate their unprecedented first state tournament victory from 2021.
