LOVELAND – After nearly a month on the road to begin the season, the Montezuma-Cortez softball team is ready for a long-awaited home slate. Based off their results as road warriors, however, the Panthers will look fondly upon some of their time away from Englehart Field.
Their travel exploits put the Panthers in prime position for a Western Slope League title, as Montezuma-Cortez (6-6) currently sits atop the WSL standings with a mark of 5-2 in league play.
A win over Delta and sweep of Meeker in the final weekend of August propelled head coach Anthony “Hippo” Frost and his experienced group into a position that the program has become accustomed to enjoying – with the rest of the WSL chasing after the Panthers.
Although the Panthers added a split with Alamosa and pair of tough losses to larger schools in the Berthoud tournament this weekend, Montezuma-Cortez hopes that heading home will allow the bats to continue their prolific season.
The Panthers have scored double-digit runs in over half their games, thanks to six different Panthers batting over .400 this season.
Leading the way in both the batters box and the pitching circle, senior Devyn Cornett leads the way in average among the regular starters, while pacing the Panthers with team-highs in hits and extra-base hits. Cornett has also tossed the lion’s share of innings in the circle for the Panther pitching staff, averaging nearly a strikeout per inning.
Classmates Aubrey Rutherford and Emily Carver have also enjoyed strong senior campaigns, with Rutherford belting a team-best three home runs. The duo’s also added team-high performances in on-base percentages.
Senior Nevaeh Istenes leads the team in RBIs, while strong contributions from Julia West, sophomores Saylor Martinez, Jayden White, Tinley Philpott and Reagan Veach make the Panthers deep up-and-down the lineup.
Montezuma-Cortez, a top-10 team in the CHSAA 3A rankings for the majority of the season, will play a key stretch of home games in the coming weeks, starting Tuesday against Durango.
