Unfortunately for the Montezuma-Cortez High School softball team, a season-opening game against Cedaredge on Aug. 23 ended in defeat.
The fact that the Panthers remained competitive however, losing 12-11 in seven-innings, had to be an encouraging sign for the young team.
After falling behind 5-0 after two innings of play, the M-CHS looked to be on the ropes. A Cedaredge run in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth inning did not help matters as the Panthers trailed 9-1 entering the sixth.
The Panthers offense then exploded however, scoring eight runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game, 9-9.
“We really did well in that sixth inning with the short game,” said Panthers head coach Brett Martin. “We ran those bases well and were able to tie things up going into the seventh inning.”
Two runs by Cedaredge in the bottom of the sixth inning put the Panthers back in a hole, but the M-CHS refused to yield, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game, 11-11.
Unfortunately for the Panthers however, a victory was not to be as Cedaredge scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the 12-11 victory.
“We still need to improve on the mental aspects of the game,” said Martin. “We’re still making too many errors and we’re still giving up too many runs.”
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 0-1 on the season. Cedaredge improved to 1-0.